“War is senseless, it’s stupid, and in the end you could end up dead… but in some ways it is glorious”: From the Crimean War to the Stranger Things finale, the story of Iron Maiden’s The Trooper

Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden holding a union flag and wearing Crimean War uniform onstage in 2005.

Look, you know why we’re writing this article now, and we know you know why we’re writing this article now. On December 31, Iron Maiden joined the rich lineage of 80s artists, including Metallica and Kate Bush, to have a song prominently featured on Stranger Things. At the victorious end of the season finale of Netflix’s biggest-ever English-language series, The Trooper blared out, soundtracking the moment Hawkins High School’s students graduated after years of dealing with sci-fi/horror bullshit.

A spot on the hit streaming show has led to a new generation of fans for veteran acts, and time will tell whether Maiden enjoy the same fortune. But, either way, The Trooper – taken from the band’s 1983 album, Piece Of Mind – is and will remain the band’s most listened-to song. Despite not even cracking the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart and being banned when it first came out, it endured as a fixture of Maiden’s live shows. Now, through its four Gold certifications, it’s become their ultimate sleeper success.