"2 Minutes to Midnight" is the tenth single released by Iron Maiden and the second track from their 1984 album Powerslave. The single was released on August 6 1984 and rose to number 11 in the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson.
The song has references to the Doomsday Clock, the symbolic clock used by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. In September 1953 the clock reached 11:58, the closest the clock ever got to midnight. This occurred when the United States and Soviet Union tested H-bombs within nine months of one another. This song is clearly presenting an anti-war view. The first guitar solo is played by Dave Murray followed by a guitar solo played by Adrian Smith.
The B-side is a cover of British progressive rock band Beckett's "Rainbow's Gold".
Another B-side, entitled "Mission from 'Arry", is a recording of an argument between bassist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain. The argument happened during the band's World Slavery tour in '84-'85, and occurred following a misunderstanding on stage between the two due to technical issues with Harris' bass. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson was recording the argument with a concealed tape recorder.
The video of the song is featured on the 2003 video collection Visions of the Beast.
The song was included in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
United States Ambassador Ryan Crocker has a poster of the album in his office.
