Speed of Light

Written by guitarist Adrian Smith and vocalist Bruce Dickinson, this sci-fi themed song was released as the lead single from Iron Maiden's sixteenth studio album, The Book of Souls, on August 14, 2015. It was the band's first single release since "El Dorado" was dropped on June 8, 2010, the longest gap between studio releases in the group's career.

The song's music video is a homage to four decades of video gaming juxtaposed alongside 40 years of Iron Maiden's visual canon. The visual centers on the band's talisman Eddie as he travels through space and time to complete his Herculean task. The clip was produced and directed by Llexi Leon, who is the creator of the cult comic book series Eternal Descent. Leon told Metal Hammer: "It seemed a perfect fit - 40 years of metal explored alongside four decades of video games. I pitched this idea to [Iron Maiden manager] Rod Smallwood and the guys in the band. They loved the concept and asked if I could pull it off. I figured it was Iron Maiden, so I had to pull it off - and it had to be the best thing I've ever done." "The video is littered with nods to Iron Maiden artwork - whether it's the poses of the characters at certain key moments, or imagery woven into the background art," he continued. "There's a lot to look out for in the video."

The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. Someone traveling at the speed of light could actually travel forever because they wouldn't experience time at all.