Iron Maiden Respond To Songwriting Lawsuit

(hennemusic) Iron Maiden have responded to a lawsuit over songwriting credits brought by former singer Dennis Willcock. The band filed a formal written response to the legal action claiming Harris wrote the lyrics in question, including "Charlotte The Harlot," according to Ham And High.

The singer - who fronted the band between 1976 and 1978 - claims to have written lyrics to songs that appeared on the band's self-titled 1980 debut, including "Prowler", "Charlotte The Harlot", "Phantom Of The Opera" and "Iron Maiden", as well as the 1981 "Killers" track "Prodigal Son", while musician Terry Wilson-Slesser says he co-wrote lyrics to a 1974 song called "A Rainbow's Gold" that the veteran metal outfit used for "Hallowed Be Thy Name" from 1982's "The Number Of The Beast."

All of the songs are credited to Iron Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris, except for guitarist Dave Murray's "Charlotte The Harlot." In its court filing, the veteran UK metal band admitted only that Willcock changed three words of "Prowler", and two of "Charlotte The Harlot."

Documents served to the High Court by defendants Murray, Harris and publisher Imagem state: "The lyrics for ["Charlotte The Harlot"] were written by Mr. Harris in or around 1977 to accompany music written by Mr. Murray, who had joined Iron Maiden in late 1976." Read more here.

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