"To Tame A Land" is based on the science fiction novel Dune, which was later made into a movie. Author Frank Herbert refused to allow the band to call this song "Dune." The band originally sent a letter to Herbert's agent for permission. The response read as follows: "No. Because Frank Herbert doesn't like rock bands, particularly heavy rock bands, and especially rock bands like Iron Maiden." Songwriter Steve Harris tried to convince Herbert that the song would be a good promo for the book, but he still refused.
This is one of many Iron Maiden songs with lyrics based on works by other artists. They will span centuries to find inspiration - "Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter" came from a poem called "To His Coy Mistress," written in the 1600s.
The song contains many seemingly senseless words, including "Fremen," "Caladan," "gom jabbar" and "Muad'Dib." All of these were derived from the science fiction novel Dune, and make sense in the context of the story. Singer Bruce Dickinson did, understandably, mispronounce some of these words.
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