The song's lyrics tell the story of a man who has always been intensely afraid of the dark. He recalls the many times he has walked alone, and recollections of the feeling of being followed while walking at night.
Written by Steve Harris, the band's bass player and primary songwriter, it serves as the title track to Iron Maiden's 1992 album Fear of the Dark.
"Fear of the Dark" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1994 in the "Best Metal Performance" category, but lost to "I Don't Want To Change The World" by Ozzy Osbourne.[2]
When the song is performed live, the audience always sings along to the melody during the soft (and sometimes the heavy) sections, at times becoming louder than the band themselves. It has been featured on all the band's live albums since its release.