This Iron Maiden x Taylor Swift mash-up really shouldn't work but it's 200 seconds of soulful genius

By Simon Young
( Metal Hammer )
published

Listen to this version of Run To The Hills dropkicked through a pop filter

Taylor Swift in a still from her Shake it Off video with an added Iron Maiden t-shirt
(Image credit: Big Machine | Iron Maiden)

It's common knowledge that certain things simply don't go together: oil and water, brushing your teeth immediately after drinking orange juice, or if internet killjoys are to be believed, pepperoni and pineapple.

While Iron Maiden and pop are not even vaguely on nodding terms, Taylor Swift's single Shake It Off and their very own Run To The Hills have been digitally spliced together to create the most curious and irresistible of mash-ups. 

Bruce Dickinson's vocals from Iron Maiden's 1982 single – taken from their classic album The Number of the Beast – have replaced Swift here and it simply works. Don't get annoyed, it's just science.

Check it out for yourself, courtesy of YouTuber William Maranci, the self-styled "CEO of cursed mash-ups".

Iron Maiden are currently gearing up to hit the road this summer, billed as The Future Past Tour. Their set will feature previously unperformed songs from the band’s 2021 album, Senjutsu, along with a focus on 1986’s Somewhere In Time record, plus other classic cuts from the band. 

Catch them at the following venues: 

May 28: Ljubljana Arena Stozice, Slovenia
May 30: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
May 31: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
Jun 03: Tampere Nokia Arena, Finland
Jun 04: Tampere Nokia Arena, Finland
Jun 07: Bergen Koegen, Norway
Jun 09: Solvesborg Sweden Rock Festival, Sweden
Jun 11: Leipzig Quarterback Immobilien Arena, Germany
Jun 13: Krakow Tauron Arena, Poland
Jun 14: Krakow Tauron Arena, Poland
Jun 17: Clisson Hellfest, France
Jun 19: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Jun 21: Hannover Zag Arena, Germany
Jun 24: Dublin 3Arena, Ireland
Jun 26: Glasgow Ovo Hydro, Scotland
Jun 28: Leeds First Direct Arena, England
Jun 30: Manchester AO Arena, England
Jul 03: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, England
Jul 04: Birmingham Utilita Arena, England
Jul 07: London O2 Arena, England
Jul 08: London O2 Arena, England
Jul 11: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Holland
Jul 13: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
Jul 15: Milan Return of the Gods Festival, Italy
Jul 18: Barcelona Palau Sant Jordi, Spain
Jul 20: Murcia Estadio Enrique Roca, Spain
Jul 22: Bilbao Bizkaia Arena Bec!, Spain
Jul 25: Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany
Jul 26: Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany
Jul 29: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
July 31: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Aug 01: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Aug 02-05: Wacken Open Air, Germany

Simon Young
Simon Young

Born in 1976 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Simon Young has been a music journalist for over twenty years. His fanzine, Hit A Guy With Glasses, enjoyed a one-issue run before he secured a job at Kerrang! in 1999. His writing has also appeared in Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, and Planet Rock. His first book, So Much For The 30 Year Plan: Therapy? — The Authorised Biography is available via Jawbone Press.