Synopsis
Iron Maiden perform the Skyhooks cover on a stark, strobe-lit stage, with Paul Di'Anno and the band presented in an early, raw performance setting. Intercut with the music are theatrical scenes involving Eddie and two women, giving the clip a playful, provocative edge that matches the song's cheeky lyrics. The contrast between the band's heavy presentation and the deliberately campy imagery captures Iron Maiden at the start of its visual identity, before the elaborate narrative videos that would define the group later in the decade.
Factoids & Trivia
- Released in 1980, "Women in Uniform" was Iron Maiden's first music video.
- The performance footage was filmed at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London.
- The song is a cover of a 1978 hit by Australian band Skyhooks, written by bassist Greg Macainsh.
- The single was released on October 27, 1980, to help promote the second British leg of Iron Maiden's tour.
- The video features the early Iron Maiden lineup of Paul Di'Anno, Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Dennis Stratton and Clive Burr.
- Dennis Stratton's appearance in the video marked his final recorded contribution to Iron Maiden. He left the band soon afterward, and Adrian Smith joined in his place.
- Eddie appears as a physical character in the clip, making it an early screen appearance for the band's mascot.
- The single was not included on the original UK edition of *Killers*, although the track appeared on some later and regional releases.
- The video was produced before MTV's 1981 launch, when promotional clips were becoming an increasingly important way for rock acts to reach television audiences.
- The song's cover artwork continued the controversy surrounding the band's use of Margaret Thatcher imagery and Eddie's violent comic-book persona.