“2 Minutes to Midnight” is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, featured on their fifth studio album, Powerslave (1984).

It was released as the band’s tenth single, and first from the album on 6 August 1984. It rose to number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and number 25 on Billboard Top Album Tracks.

A protest song about nuclear war and the nuclear arms race, “2 Minutes to Midnight” was written by Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson. The song attacks the commercialisation of war and how it is used to fuel the global economy (“The golden goose is on the loose and never out of season”), how rich politicians profit directly from it (“as the reasons for the carnage cut their meat and lick the gravy”) and how after a war concludes, the world is left in a far worse condition than before the war began, resulting in future wars and the development of more powerful weaponry (“to the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun”).

Personnel:
– Bruce Dickinson: Vocals.
– Dave Murray: Guitar.
– Adrian Smith: Guitar.
– Steve Harris: Bass.
– Nicko McBrain: Drums.