"I Want Out" is a song by the German power metal band Helloween from the album Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2, that was released as a single in 1988.[1][2]
It was written by Kai Hansen, who saied in an interview that it was a hint of him really wanting "out" of the band. Musically, the song is characterised by a recognisable introduction andMichael Kiske's trademark high pitched singing in the chorus. It is also punk-influenced (especially the rebellious lyrics) in contrast to other Helloween songs, or Hansen's post-Helloween work.
It is one of the Helloween's most recognizable songs, and is often performed live by Helloween and both Hansen's and Kiske's current bands Gamma Ray and Unisonic. The song was covered by HammerFall and Sonata Arctica.
Contents[]
Track listing[edit][]
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Want Out" | 4:39 | |
| 2. | "Save Us" | 5:12 | |
| 3. | "Don't Run for Cover" | 4:45 |
Credits[edit][]
- Michael Kiske - vocals
- Kai Hansen - lead and rhythm guitars
- Michael Weikath - lead and rhythm guitars
- Markus Grosskopf - bass guitar
- Ingo Schwichtenberg - drums
Charts[edit][]
| Chart (1988) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Swiss Singles Chart[3] | 27 |
| UK Singles Chart[4] | 69 |
Cover versions[edit][]
HammerFall[edit][]
| "I Want Out" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | ||||
| Single by HammerFall | ||||
| Released | August 31, 1999 | |||
| Genre | Power metal | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| HammerFall singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"I Want Out" was released as a cover-single by the Swedish metal band HammerFall, on 31 August 1999. It is notable for Kai Hansen's appearance on guitar, lead vocals (along with Hammerfall's vocalist Joacim Cans) and keyboards.
Track listing[edit][]
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Want Out (Kai Hansen)" | 4:37 | |
| 2. | "At the End of the Rainbow (Joacim Cans, Oscar Dronjak, Jesper Strömblad)" | 4:09 | |
| 3. | "Man on the Silver Mountain (Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio)" | 3:25 |
Personnel[edit][]
"I Want Out":
- Joacim Cans - vocals
- Kai Hansen - vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Stefan Elmgren - guitar
- Magnus Rosén - bass guitar
- Patrik Räfling - drums
- Kai Hansen - backing vocals
"At The End Of The Rainbow":
- Joacim Cans - vocals
- Stefan Elmgren - guitar
- Oscar Dronjak - rhythm guitar
- Magnus Rosén - bass guitar
- Patrik Räfling - drums
- William J. Tsamis - lead guitar
"Man On The Silver Mountain":
- Joacim Cans - vocals
- Stefan Elmgren - guitar
- Oscar Dronjak - rhythm guitar
- Magnus Rosén - bass guitar
- AC - drums
- Kai Hansen - backing vocals
Other covers[edit][]
- In 2000, Sonata Arctica released a cover version of this song on their EP Successor, and on the Helloween tribute album The Keepers of Jericho - Part I. They covered it again in 2003 on their album Takatalvi.
- Skylark also covered the song, in the same tribute album, with female vocals.
- Eddy Antonini from the Italian power metal band Skylark also performs a cover of this song along with several guest musicians on his solo album When Water Became Ice.
- Gamma Ray, Kai Hansen's current band, also performs the song.
- In 2006, the Australian band Lord performed this song live at the Metro Theater in Sydney.
- The Spanish power metal band Avalanch performed a live cover on their Días De Gloria album.
- The Australian power metal band Winterstorm performed this song on their "teaser" demo ...begun and continue to play it at various live shows.
- The Swedish progressive metal band Seventh Wonder performed the song in 2010, during their final concert with Johnny Sandin as drummer. As a surprise to him, they asked him to leave the drum set in the middle of the song and perform vocals in the final section.
- In 2012, Kiske's and Hansen's band, Unisonic, included a live performance of the song at the Loud Park Festival on their Ignition EP.