According to the song's writer, bassist and band-founder Steve Harris, it was inspired by a nightmare he had after watching the film Damien: Omen II late at night,[1] in addition to the poem "Tam o' Shanter" by Robert Burns.

The video added footages from notable horror and thriller films such as Nosferatu, Mothra vs. Godzilla, The Crimson Ghost, and How to Make a Monster.

[7] Dickinson had sung live for the first time on an Iron Maiden tour only three nights earlier, on 26 October in Bologna, a month and a half following the dismissal of previous vocalist Paul Di'Anno.

[9] In 2005, to tie in with the 2004 DVD The History of Iron Maiden – Part 1: The Early Days, "The Number of the Beast" was re-released, along with live versions of the song and "Hallowed Be Thy Name", recorded in 2002.

6 in Martin Popoff's book The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time, a list said to be compiled from 15,000 votes submitted by musicians, music journalists and the general public.

[12] Since its release, the song has been covered by Dream Theater, Avulsed,[13] Iced Earth,[14] Sinergy,[15] Powderfinger,[16] Djali Zwan (whose version was used for the soundtrack of the cult film Spun),[17] The Iron Maidens[18] and many other bands.

[19] The song has been featured in video games, such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4,[20] Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,[21] and can be downloaded to Rock Band (originally offered as a cover version, the original master recording complete with spoken introduction was also uploaded along with "Run to the Hills" and a live performance version of "Hallowed Be Thy Name").

The Netflix film Rebel Ridge opens with the main character listening to the song on a "metal mix" on his phone while cycling.