This was Iron Maiden's first single. It was written by the band's bass player Steve Harris and Paul Di'Anno, who was their lead singer for their first two albums (replaced for their third by Bruce Dickinson). In a Songfacts interview with Di'Anno, he explained that the musical idea was based on the beat from the Gary Glitter song "Rock And Roll Part 2." Said Di'Anno: "It was the same drum beat, we just sped it up a little bit."
This song is about living a life of hell and unrest, and enjoying the freedom that comes with it. Lead singer Paul Di'Anno says it was based on true tales of his youth. He told us: "I've always been a rebel. I don't know why, I just don't like conforming to the norm if I can help it. I don't respect authority, which is a bit unfortunate, as it's a bad thing for me sometimes!"
The cover art featured a one-armed junkie skeleton watching lead singer Paul Di'Anno run. This was an early version of Eddie, the band's mascot. Since "Running Free" was their first single, this creature appeared only in shadow form in this version, as they wanted to wait for the album release to make the full reveal.
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