10 Songs You Didn't Know Were Sequels
6. Charlotte The Harlot Escapes - 22 Acacia Avenue
Iron Maiden's "22 Acacia Avenue" is one of the standout moments on the Number of the Beast album. Falling amid some essential metal anthems like "Run to the Hills" and the title track, this song is one of the most harrowing stories the band had written up to that point.
The entire plot focuses on a girl named Charlotte who is stuck in the seedy underbelly of England at 22 Acacia Avenue. Our protagonist sees all of the danger that is around this innocent woman and vows to save her from her certain death in the streets. While it may be fine to just see the song as a man liberating this woman from her Hellish routine, there is much more to Charlotte's story.
The initial start of Charlotte's journey began on Iron Maiden's debut record with the song "Charlotte the Harlot," where we are told that she left her man to become a hooker on the streets. This version of Charlotte seems much more apathetic to the environment around her, as she picks up men just as a way to make ends meet. With Charlotte finally escaping her more nefarious habits, Iron Maiden have since written even more songs about her such as "Hooks In You" and "From Here to Eternity."