The Story Behind “The Trooper” by Iron Maiden and the Real-Life Battle that Inspired It

One of the most distinctive elements of Iron Maiden's music is that mid-tempo to fast-paced gallop one hears in numerous songs throughout their 17-album catalog. That sound became reinforced in American listeners’ minds with the release of the band’s fourth album Piece of Mind and its second single “The Trooper." This was the second album with frontman Bruce Dickinson and first with drummer Nicko McBrain, who became the final member of the classic Maiden lineup. The high energy track remains one of the band’s most beloved and performed songs on tour, and a little over a decade ago even inspired the name of Maiden’s Trooper beer.