Cradle of trooper

"The Trooper" is a song written by Iron Maiden bass player Steve Harris. It is Iron Maiden's ninth single, and the second from their 1983 album Piece Of Mind. The single was released on June 20, 1983. The song is about the Battle of Balaclava in 1854 during the Crimean War, and is at least partially based upon Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade", taking the viewpoint of one of the slain troopers, who, in the cover art, is perceived as a bald Eddie with his lobotomy enhancements. Many Iron Maiden songs are based on books or movies; this seems to be a running theme in the band's work, especially songs written by Steve Harris.

To this day, it is considered one of the band's best songs, and often when performed live Bruce Dickinson wears a replica army jacket and holds an enormous Union Flag. Sometimes, before playing the song live, Bruce Dickinson will read parts of the Tennyson's poem as an introduction. The poem was later referenced by Iron Maiden again in the song "Paschendale" from their 2003 album Dance of Death. This song was also one of only a few songs to get much radio airplay and to be a commercial hit in the US, thus peaking at # 28 on the US Mainstream Rock charts. Much to the dismay of Iron Maiden fans, this song, along with "Run to the Hills", was omitted from The Final Frontier World Tour set list, to make room for their more recent material.

The main song rhythm is very suggestive of horses galloping, to mirror the lyrical theme of the charge of the light brigade. What is also interesting is the dual lead fill between verses, this has the two guitarists, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, later replaced by Janick Gers, playing a diatonically harmonized lead fill, this gives the filler more depth. Since Smith's return in the band, the three guitarists play in 3-part harmony.

The first solo is performed by Adrian Smith and by Janick Gers live from 1990 to 1999. Since 1999, they perform it together in harmony. The second one is played by Dave Murray and it also seems to have changed over the years.