Many CLAIM this EERIE Rock Classic is SATANIC…IN ACTUALITY--It's Deeply Spiritual!-Professor of Rock

Coming up next, an interview with Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult, a band that haunted radio in the 70s with the CHILLING ROCK CLASSIC Don't Fear the Reaper. It was written as a spiritual song, but its hypnotic guitars, thrilling percussion, and stirring harmonies led to so many urban legends and false narratives about its real meaning. Don't Fear the Reaper was unfairly painted as wicked and satanic. Then decades later it captured the zeitgeist again after its iconic use on a Saturday Night Live segment. The band had no idea, and they happened to catch it on TV in their hotel room while they were on tour. Don't Fear the Reaper became a hit all over again, but today we get the real story of this mesmerizing rock classic next on Professor of Rock.
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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If . subscribe below right now. So you get our latest you have ever spent 40 bucks on a concert t shirt you’ll relate to this channel. diverse interviews and videos on the best of the rock era make sure to subscribe right now. .. We have some big plans with some massive interviews coming up, you can help us to do this by clicking on our Patreon link below.
I’m really excited to bring you another episode from our series Revelations- where featured artists reveal rare stories about their biggest songs, along with fascinating insight about their careers. This show has been sitting on our shelves for a few years. it was part of a TV series that were developing and in the middle of a licensing that fell through when the pandemic hit. It’s from an interviews I did with Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom from Blue Oyster Cult on the classic rock standard Don’t Fear the Reaper. This interview goes in-depth and contains a history of the song that has not been covered before… When Saturday Night Live used it in their Cowbell skit the band had no idea they were going to use it. The band tells what SNL got right about the band and what they didn’t. Who’s idea was it really to use a cowbell and how they did it in one take… Also why they dedicate the song to certain people and why they want it played at their funeral…all of this is up next as we go into this song I want to thank our sponsor Zenni Eyewear the glasses I always wear. With Zenni, it’s cost-effective and simple. You go to Zenni.com, you pick the color, the shape the size, and the features, and put in your prescription, and viola, they deliver them right to your door. Check it out at Zenni.com today. Here’s Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult.
I think it would be cool to hear at a funeral. Leave us a comment about Don’t Fear the Reaper What is your interpretation of this 70s classic? What memories do you have that are tied to it? What did you think of its use in Halloween and SNL? Let us know in the comments below. If you enjoy our content, take a second and hit that subscribe button. That way you never miss out on any of our daily videos. We’d love to have you as a part of our community. Until next time, three chords and the truth my friends.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: What is your pick for the MOST GRIPPING SONG of the Rock era? One you have to listen to the VERY END EVERY TIME?

[@peterd.9978]

Tell Laura I Love Her!

[@Code.Name.V]

Dan Fogelberg - Same Old Lang Syne Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Red Sovine - Phantom 309

[@stephenbrown4211]

Jungleland The Boss

[@martineldritch]

Whiter Shade of Pale

[@christineml1476]

Pink Floyd's "Time"

[@Whisper_292]

This song was in the first scene of The Stand (1994), where they were showing all the dead bodies in the lab. It helped to make it the creepiest scene I ever saw.

[@DameTara]

That is one of the best opening scenes in media

[@Whisper_292]

​@DameTara I agree. It's fantastic.

[@ProfessorofRock]

So good!

[@ProfessorofRock]

For sure!

[@HangsLopsided]

I was going to say the same thing.

[@mournblade1066]

Yeah, "Don't Fear the Reaper" is one of the ten greatest songs ever recorded. Actually, that entire album ( _Agents of Fortune_ ) is amazing. When I saw them in concert about 14 years ago, they opened with "This Ain't the Summer of Love." Another hidden gem is "The Revenge of Vera Gemini," which has one of the greatest (albeit shortest) guitar solos ever. BOC absolutely needs to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

What are the other nine, in your opinion?

[@mournblade1066]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I'd really have to think about it, but three that would definitely be on the list would be "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys, "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones, and "California Dreaming" by The Mamas and the Papas. Oh, "Baker Street" by Jerry Rafferty.

[@MikeU128]

Yep, The Revenge of Vera Gemini is fantastic! TBH it might be my favorite song on the album.

[@beenaplumber8379]

@@mournblade1066 I like your list. Might I humbly submit "Never Been Any Reason" by Head East, "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles, and "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" by Elton John to fill in a few of the vacant spots? For BOC, "Reaper" is legendary, but "Black Blade" is tops in my book, though I know I'm on my own with that.

[@philsmith2444]

Morning Final is the most under-appreciated song on AOF, IMO.

[@jefflittleton2777]

I used to chill out to this song before going out on combat patrols

[@dayzey40]

I remember as a teen, this song would always come on the radio at night when I was getting ready for bed.. along with The Moody Blues "Nights in White Satin" and Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven", I slept with the radio on, and these songs were always eerie to me. Now they are one of my favorites and bring back many good memories.

[@eddiepullman2745]

I always thought reaper was eerie too. I remember hearing it on the Halloween soundtrack as Jamie lee Curtis was in her car. Always gave me the creeps as a very young kid for years. But nevertheless, it’s an amazing song that’s a staple in American rock music.

[@JW...-oj5iw]

I have loved the song for more years than I can remember, but I never felt it was eerie. Surreal, yes. I can always build an image of a too young woman finding death at a young age (like me). My experience was a fatal car over motorcycle encounter that was interdicted by a surgical and hospital team that took me from the edge and back to the world of life. For me, eerie is Fire On High by ELO. Back masking always does that since The Exorcist, maybe because I read the book before seeing the movie.

[@dayzey40]

@@JW...-oj5iw maybe you may have been older than me, at the time, and understood it better...I was a young teen and at the time our pass time was watching the horror shows on Saturday late night. So yeah, anything with "The Reaper" in it was eerie to me. LOL

[@zulubeatz1]

Same here !

[@Kat-I-am3333]

@dayzey40. Pastime

[@RobSullivan444]

This has always been one of my favorite songs. I vividly remember hearing it on June 21, 1985. I was downtown playing with the kids at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago where I volunteered. My mom left a message at the hospital telling me to meet her at Lake Point Tower. That’s when she told me that my best friend, Charlie, had killed himself the night before-two short weeks after we graduated from high school. After driving the first 15 minutes home in silence, I turned on the radio as we exited Lake Shore Drive and heard the first notes of (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. I remember getting a chill and knew instantly it was a message from Charlie that he was ok. The second time this showed up as a sign of sorts was in 2015, not long after I was diagnosed with lymphoma. I had gone in for a scan to get a better sense of the prognosis. Immediately after the test, I pulled out of the Northwestern Memorial Hospital parking lot, turned on the radio, and heard it again. That would have been a lot more scary than it was, but my friend, Robbie Schaefer, one of the lead singers of the fantastic band Eddie from Ohio, called that very moment. When I told him I had just heard the song and hoped it wasn’t an ominous sign, he burst out laughing and said: “Never doubt the Universe has a sense of humor.” Had it not been for Robbie, I would never have thought of it as a cosmic joke. My angels probably sensed my panic and had Robbie call to help me see it differently. Thank God for Robbie.

[@laurat1129]

Wow, I hope you're well and that your angels are with you.🪽

[@RobSullivan444]

@@laurat1129, thank you! That’s so sweet of you. I am well.

[@Deepdriller328]

We used "Don't fear the Reaper" at my brothers funeral in 1977. He would have loved it!!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Sorry for your loss.

[@flavellinator]

I credit all my cowbell proficiency to this song!

[@peterd.9978]

And to think I wasted 4 years and $160k at Juliard to master the cowbell! 😭

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ha ha! Thanks Flave!

[@PolyGrip]

You will never understand how much more cowbell is needed.

[@PinkyJujubean]

Keep it up and you'll be the next Gene Frenkel

[@RunningWithScissors765]

“I gotta fever”!

[@RobertL_0563]

Don't Fear The Reaper - truly a Rock classic. As you said Professor it's such a hypnotic and riveting tune. Next to Zeppelin's Heartbreaker, this has the best bridge and guitar solo. Thanks for doing this excellent & insightful episode of Revelations.

[@ProfessorofRock]

You are SO WELCOME!

[@ajcurtis2813]

Don't Fear the Reaper and the entire Agents of Fortune album are pure gold. BOC never gets their props as the rock pioneers they truly were. Dense, fantastical, poetic lyrics and intricately layered music is why BOC was called "the thinking man's rock band". Very early on they incorporated Lazer lights and other amazing effects in their live shows, so early in fact that when they decided to move to something new, none other than Pink Floyd bought their equipment. Thanks for this fantastic interview. BOC will forever be my favs! (And I love how Eric STILL won't be seen in public w/o his dark shades!)

[@douglemay7989]

They are.

[@pequalsa]

Glad most of BÖC are still living and doing so many interviews to tell their stories. RIP Allen and Sandy

[@williambenner701]

When this song first came out, it was the subject of many conversations. I myself thought it was about someone killing themselves. Never heard anyone saying it was Satanic though. Excellent interview Professor!

[@Starsk25]

Yes, my thoughts too.

[@soueraigne]

It’s obviously about suicide to some extent. All these old rock stars lie about their songs. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds anyone? It’s just a school boy drawing done by Julian Lennon 🙄 that inspired a song. Lol.

[@TerryBollinger]

I had just graduated college and moved to Falls Church, Virginia. There is a remarkable intersection there called Seven Corners. As I drove across the bridge on a soft and cool autumn evening, one with a perfect sunset and clear azure sky fading quickly to black, with a softly lit skyscraper resting in the orange glow, this incredible song that captured the moment perfectly came on the radio: Don’t Fear the Reaper. The song and the memory are beautiful, joyful, and a bit sad, all at the same time. They have stayed with me for my entire life and will to the end.

[@robertsparks1003]

Loved the picture that you painted with your description of a moment in time.

[@rogerdeahl9629]

❤🎉 Dont Fear The Reaper! Yes, I remember the controversy about this song. And it will be forever tied to Christopher Walken, Will Ferrell, and SNL. "NEED MORE COWBELL, BABY"!!! Thanks Professor! Happy Friday!

[@Sweet--Richard.4981]

❤❤

[@ProfessorofRock]

Happy weekend my friend! Hope you have a great one!

[@ProfessorofRock]

@@Sweet--Richard.4981 Hello sir!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Just a little more cowbell

[@guntherdawg]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 “It's that thing of when a guy has the stumpy arms, but with the belly.”

[@karendoney9144]

This interview was awesome! The Bouchards are from my hometown. There's a barn across the road from where I live now that they held band practices and barn dances in back in the sixties.....before my time. They still have family here. Joe was home a few years back. He came into our most popular bar and thrilled us all by joining a hometown band on stage. Brought the house down and we Los our minds! Thanks for continuing to bring us the best in Rock History & music news! You totally Rock!!!

[@BryanMeekins]

One thing I've noticed is that whenever you do a video on a song that I haven't heard in a while is that as soon as the video has ended I go back and listen to the song as well as any covers mentioned. That, for me, is so cool. Thanks so much.

[@-.Steven]

Very cool indeed!

[@TBishopDean]

And many times there are comments from others who watched the videos after an episode of The Professor.

[@kimdawcatgirl]

Yes, can't wait to hear the Big Country version!

[@ericgelders]

Agree! And makes the song almost always better IMHO.

[@paryanindoeur]

When I was 12 (1980), the kid next door told me, "Blue Oyster Cult is a real cult!" I wasn't sure what a cult was, but I knew it sounded dangerous. I became even more of a BOC fan that day.

[@pequalsa]

Around 1987, my bro had a friend give him a cassette of some preacher talking about Satan in Rock n Roll. BÖC were mentioned specifically, including the cover of Fire of Unknown Origin, which was the record we owned. Our Dad had sent it to us years earlier after our parents divorced. We both listened to a lot when it first came. We were like 12 and 10 when we heard the preacher tape, and had been raised LDS . Unfortunately, it sent on a mini witch hunt of our collection at the time, which resulted in BB gun then buring a few LPs. Fire of Unknown Origin, Duran Duran "Arena" for " Union of the Snake" ,and This is the Voice by Agent Orange for "Bite the hand that Feeds" and we swore we heard Satan my Satan when we played it backwards. My dad was pissed when he found out about what we did, and would bring it up through the years. Fortunately, when I hit my later teen years I realized I didn't believe any of that crap anymore and picked up Fire of Unknown Origin and a Best of during college. When my Dad was in town I snuck into the CD player of his rental to surprise him. He was like I told you they weren't Devil Worshipers!

[@beenaplumber8379]

@@pequalsa The 80s were a stupid and perilous time in the music industry because religious zealots were believing what they were fed. Of course for a lot of musicians that only meant more publicity and higher sales (like Ozzy and Kiss). For others (as in your case) it meant kids were buying replacements for the records that they'd burned. Tipper Gore and her PMRC had a dangerous amount of political clout, and she was pushing for censorship and ratings. That put Frank Zappa and Donny Osmond on the same side of that debate. Zappa didn't want people restricting his artistic potential, and Donny didn't want the G rating because it wouldn't be cool for people to buy his music. (As if it was already to people who cared about being cool!) I remember seeing the two of them next to each other on Nightline making their case that way. It was surreal.

[@Frankie5Angels150]

And let me guess: you are a Democrat to this very day?

[@JamesDavidWalley]

It was also a real oyster. And really blue.

[@MrRobarino]

Odds are that kid that lived next door to you grew up and now goes to a cult gathering every Sunday where they pray to an imaginary deity who lives in the sky. Afterwards, they all go to Denny's to make the wait-staff miserable as they act rude and entitled while simultaneously preaching about how good and kind they think they are.

[@stevieg2755]

Just listened to the song with lyrics scrolling,I think it addresses what every human being faces that is our mortality.Being 66 and seeing that most of my oldest friends have passed away is pretty sobering

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

It’s sad. I’m far from death, but I always think about my grandparents and other senior citizens.

[@bartbluemusic]

Needs more cowbell! LOL - I've been a fan of B.O.C. since forever. "Don't Fear The Reaper" is a TRUE classic. Even people who have never heard of the band have heard of this song. This band is amazing ... so glad to see some love for it today. :)

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for watching!

[@EddieTHead2266]

The Band HIM (Rip) did an amazing cover of Chis Isaac's "Wicked Game" it's amazing. Aldo the did "Don't fear the reaper" it's fantastic and stylistically HIMs sound but so so so Blue Oyster Cuklt at same time. Check the cover songs out.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I love the band name too.

[@user-ub9xw8ro3y]

BOC has been one of my favorite groups for the last 44 years. They have a very eclectic catalogue of music. DFTR is timeless. It never gets old.

[@wmg1958]

And after a close call with cancer, I can vouch this song's chorus is sound advice. Take it to heart and live accordingly.

[@Sweet--Richard.4981]

They had their own sound. Mysterious and hidden.

[@labluvver]

Until they decided to ditch it in pursuit of more singles, which aside from the mediocre 'Burning for You' was a fruitless effort that cost them most of their fan base.

[@christineml1476]

Loved how "Don't Fear the Reaper" was used in the opening credits of the TV miniseries "The Stand". Knew nothing of the book, but that song placement was perfect - eerie and hypnotic.

[@ProfessorofRock]

For sure!

[@adreanmarantz2103]

Same, odd The stand is what I've always associated this song with, not SNL. (although funny and I love walken)

[@danohstoolbox]

I read the book they had the lyrics at the beginning of the chapters

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Great song placement indeed.

[@johnnyjohnson1326]

The book was a long read, but with the time!! I recommend it

[@trinaq]

This is a classic rock song, it always reminds me of that Christopher Walken sketch on "Saturday Night Live." "We need more cowbells!"

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ha ha!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

That sketch is classic!

[@larrybremer4930]

Bruce Dickinson asked me to leave a comment and a like. 🤎

[@ernesteison7979]

References to Blue Oyster Cult and their music are all over movies and TV. It's friggin awesome every time one pops up.

[@SgtFluffytheoriginal]

I saw them open for Rush after Club Ninja came out. Talk about a double incredible concert

[@LazyIRanch]

Oh man! What a show that must have been! It would be hard to top that lineup.

[@Union53992]

Saw them on the same tour in Philly. Great shows!

[@mindthependulum6245]

I hear dust in the wind at every funeral I’ve been to for years. I can’t listen to it casually anymore. This song rocks!

[@tracywick7632]

My 2 kids were little in the 90's, and I cruised around with them in their car seats, with classic rock stations on the radio. I also had a cd of the Grassroots greatest hits, and the three of us howled all the lyrics, windows rolled up, of course. At a family reunion, I overheard my then-3-yo daughter singing "Take a piece of my heart, baBAY!" A few years later, my then-11-yo daughter won a karaoke game at a party, singing "Don't Fear the Reaper". She got the highest score because she knew the song so well. Her host's parents were impressed.

[@ABlaine21]

BOC is the most under rated Rock bands ever - from their hypnotic riffs, amazing lyrics and the penchant for combining metal and tongue in check humor to many of their songs to their everlasting impact on pop culture.

[@kellyk.3855]

Saw them in concert twice growing up and they were great. Loved Godzilla too!

[@cowanthegreat8966]

You know what this video needs? More cowbell!!

[@cwize]

I would love to see an interview covering their debut album. “Cities on Flame”, “She’s as Beautiful as a Foot”, “Then Came the Last Days of May”… legendary!

[@trinaq]

This song is so eerily haunting, and hypnotic. It played perfectly over the opening credits of the 1994 version of "The Stand", depicting apocalyptic America.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Indeed!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I couldn’t even get through that movie.

[@guntherdawg]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 paws noddings in agreements

[@forakermm]

This is my funeral dirge! Seriously, this song was on repeat for three years in jr high. I always felt this song was about true love moving between the planes of existence. It also reminds me of the older Wuthering Heights movie. Epic interview and another great lesson! 👍🏼

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing!

[@komitkazi]

@forakermm. Wuthering Heights. Kate Bush. What a song. What a voice. I love all the tangents that this channel's community supplies. 📢 Thanks Professor's peeps. 🎼🖤🎸 This notes for you!

[@jeff7.629]

​@@komitkaziI prefer Pat Benatar's version.

[@komitkazi]

@@jeff7.629 yeah yeah. Pat sounds very much like Kate on We Live For Love. Kate can't rock it like Benetar.

[@shanestewart4814]

I remember finding an unspooled cassette of that album on the side of the road near my house in 1986 or 1987 where I got to hear Don't Fear the Reaper for the first time. Unfortunately the magnetic coating was showing signs of deterioration causing the tape to have dragging issues. Which explains why it ended up on the side of the road. That didn't stop me from playing it though. I just had to bypass the pegs in the top corners of the cassette shell to reduce drag, and make sure to clean the tape head, capstan, and pinch roller in the cassette player after playing it.

[@ProfessorofRock]

WOW! That's quite a find!

[@LazyIRanch]

Wow! That is some real dedication to preserving a recording! Funny how unspooled cassette tapes were such a common sight in parking lots and roadsides in the 1980s-90s. Now that would look mysterious to young folks today who aren't familiar with cassette tapes.

[@ProfessorofRock]

@@LazyIRanch I was fascinated reading the comment!

[@shanestewart4814]

@@LazyIRanch I sure do miss those days of "downloading" music the physical old school way. In the 80's, pretty much every one of them I found had something good on them. In the 90's every now and then I would end up with a stinker like rap. Through the 2000's, it was mainly just 70's, 80's, and 90's music I was finding because all the newer stuff was only being sold on CD. So even in the 2000's as finds were getting fewer and fewer as the decade progressed, I was still finding good ones. 2010 was the last year I've ever caught sight of a cassette on the side of the road, putting an end to my free physical "downloads".

[@LaManteca76]

When we were kids we were trash picking & my bro's friend found a CCR cassette & some headphones. He cleaned them up & we listened to Have You Ever Seen The Rain. Lol, I found a light switch cover brand new in the plastic with the Walmart sticker still on. I gave it to my mom. 😄

[@markmcarthy596]

I Love The Night has that same mesmerizing vibe-I may like it even more. Then the Mirrors album blew me way, The Great Sun Jester is just pure magic

[@kevincampbell9526]

I remember watching "The Stand" when it premiered on TV and I was floored by the haunting use of the song.

[@threeballedtomcat9380]

I will never forget the 1st Blue Oyster Cult album , I was 17 and my older brother brought it home. I was hooked. Great to see Eric and Buck, they feel almost like family as many times as I saw them through the 70s and 80s...... Great upload, Adam. No doubt BOC belong forever in our hearts, they are truly legendary.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks!

[@57hound]

Yup, the first 3 BOC albums-Blue Oyster Cult, Tyranny and Mutation, and Secret Treaties. To this day they remain my favorite BOC albums. Never quite really got into Agents of Fortune in the same way, but I do love Don’t Fear the Reaper as one of my favorite GOAT rock songs.

[@threeballedtomcat9380]

@@57hound Yep, that's me too. The first 3. Agents of fortune was ok, but as far as my favorite, it would have to be Tyranny and Mutation....

[@rocky8758]

I was a teen in the 70’s and I can use BOC as my first concert. A group named Mahogany Rush opened for them, I wonder what became of them.

[@threeballedtomcat9380]

@@rocky8758 That is Frank Marino and he is still around....He live in Canada

[@odditiesparanormalmysterie1723]

To me, Don't Fear The Reaper will be forever linked to the opening scene in Stephen King's The Stand when the virus escaped & SHTF.

[@MsGoon40]

It'll always remind me of the closing scene of The Frighteners.

[@RunningWithScissors765]

The original stand. The new one was okay. But nothing really ever beats the OG

[@EddieTHead2266]

RE: SNL sketch. Additional Music nod in addition to Blue Oyster Cult. Christopher Walkin is named Bruce Dickenson. The singer for Iron Maiden. Very funny

[@cwize]

Not really - they got Bruce Dickinson’s name from the credits of the greatest hits album (as “reissue producer). He was a mid-level manager at Columbia Records. No connection to the Iron Maiden vocalist and also not the producer of Agents Of Fortune. SNL just either didn’t do good research or saw the Dickinson name and thought it sounded good enough for a sketch.

[@arribaficationwineho32]

@@cwizestill a great sketch

[@TLowGrrreen]

Is it a coincidence? Iron Maiden's producer Martin Birch took the helm on BÖC's Fire of Unknown Origin. 😊

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Haha, I caught that and loved it!

[@funkster007]

So glad you mentioned The Byrds as a reference for harmonies. That always stuck out to me too, and surprised no one really brings that up.

[@kryptonson]

Man. You're sitting there in the intro with a Bowie shirt on, Led Zeppelin IV open on the shelf behind you, talking about Don't Fear the Reaper. You sir are everything that I desire to be. And I mean that sincerely.

[@Purespirit777]

When you give up on religion and decide to have a relationship with God, fear the reaper is gone...

[@wolfsmith2865]

A passed loved one coming to take you home when you die is perhaps the greatest thing that could happen. This remains one of my very favorite songs that I will stop whatever I'm doing to listen to.

[@jacobbacchus1472]

This song has been one of my favorites since 1983 when I was 5 years old and a family friend gave me his old stereo with a big box of 8 tracks and this was in there and I got obsessed with this song. I must have listened to it 100 times the first few days.

[@jimbones858]

I’m surprised that the movie The Stoned Age wasn’t mentioned! It’s a cult classic that has an entire subplot based on this song, BOC is the central band throughout! Plus it’s absolutely hilarious and one of the most quotable movies ever lol. It even has these two in it for a cameo! That being said, it’s one of the best songs ever written. It’s the holy trinity- Stairway to Heaven, Freebird, and Don’t Fear the Reaper! (In no particular order)

[@pault151]

I loved how the ticket hustler in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was trying to move BÖC tickets too. It's always sort of a cultural in-joke.

[@Cryptodegen2A]

Maybe they didn’t mention it because it was being made fun of by Hubbs. Lol I love The Stoned Age and BOC so I’ve seen that movie countless times because my brother is Hubbs when we were kids. Haha

[@Sasquatch_by_Day-nv3yh]

When I deployed on my 5th combat tour to Afghanistan I figured my luck was probably close to running out after being seriously wounded on my 4th tour. To make things easier on my wife I had made as many funeral arrangements as was possible and left instructions with a close friend of mine. "Don't Fear the Reaper" was the song to be played, it's always been one of my favorites and it seemed like a fitting send off. I never felt it was satanic or evil.

[@highplainsdrifter6489]

Godzilla was always my fav of favorite B.O.C. hits

[@ProfessorofRock]

It's so good!

[@LazyIRanch]

I love "Godzilla"! No Halloween playlist is complete without "Godzilla" and the Who's "Boris The Spider"! Creepy, crawly, creepy, crawly, creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly...! My son loved both songs when he was a kid.

[@tkoch7503]

The title at least was used in Bill and Ted's Bogus Adventure. They had just defeated Death in a bunch of contests (including Battleship and Twister) and one of them says to the other "don't fear the reaper".

[@eggsngritstn]

This is how pervasive the cowbell joke got: they still play clips of SNL at Mississippi State football games (IYKYK).

[@eggsngritstn]

@@marktait2371 Starkville is fun on a gameday. However, those bells are LOUD!

[@josephcooter5763]

This interview needs more cowbell.

[@brentcox7772]

Saw their Godzilla Tour!! Incredible show!🤘🔥

[@ProfessorofRock]

Great song! Thanks Brent!

[@musicmamma]

Go go Godzilla!! Points out the folley of man....

[@gregorymoore2877]

This was a great episode. The only thing that could have made it better is if it had more cowbell.

[@coinraker6497]

BOC are 3 hit wonders. Reaper, Burnin and Godzilla.....but they are three of the greatest songs of the classic rock era!

[@ogam5]

.....ohhhh, there ARE a FEW more than that.....

[@coinraker6497]

@@ogam5 oh yeah? Name one. I'm not saying they don't have any other good songs, I've listened to most of their albums, but when was the last time you heard one on the radio? Maybe "In Thee" or "Shooting Shark" every leap year. lol

[@jagman3377]

I think they are much more than “3 hit wonders”. As a teenager in L.A. county Ca in the early 80’s their song “Going thru the motions “ was played regularly on the radio for, I guess years, for a long time I didn’t even know it was them. “Take me away” was played a lot when new and I seem to recall “Dr. Music” too, etc. They were an FM album rock band, a great live band, some people didn’t get them and lots did., they were real popular back then in southern Ca. It never ceases to amaze me how decades later, often people bring them up in conversation (on how much they like them) and the pop culture presence that they’ve had for decades.

[@brianclark3079]

I told a very cool older guy that I was going to see Blue oyster Cult and he asked if I was in it ? Then he asked me if I was part of Red Lobster Religion ? I still love BoC.

[@paulfarley0078]

when this song came out i just got home from school and had the radio on washing my car, and the next day i bought Agents of Fortune . and the rest is history. the only thing i dont get is why "The Revenge of Vera Gemini," didnt take off ,i played it more than the reaper. great interview you stayed on track and got to the point

[@roks2hard]

every once in a great while a perfect song is released. It catches you with the opening line ''All our times have come'' then continues a journey or a descent that we can't escape to the end.I have always loved songs that had that truthful element of darkness. BOC, thank you.

[@mournblade1066]

Rick Beato analyzed the instrumental track of "Don't Fear the Reaper" a while back, and did an in-depth analysis of the guitar solo itself.

[@PowerTree-007]

A great opening riff. The drone note while walking down and back up on the low string... simple but effective.

[@ProfessorofRock]

For sure.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

It’s genius!

[@steveludwig4200]

EXCELLENT interview. Buck and Eric were so intelligent and insightful here......Thx!

[@DaveWillmore]

I always found the song about hope. That there is more to life after physical death.

[@elaineprice6995]

I made arrangements to have Don't Fear the Reaper played at my funeral several years ago. Obviously,I am still kicking and still enjoying the song.

[@ronaldnelson6692]

Going to be interesting to know how many people who watched this episode are now going to have this song played at their own funerals.

[@cannonball666]

Only an idiot would think this song was satanic. It obviously refers to not fearing death which is consistent with the BOC's symbol the ankh which represents the eternal afterlife.

[@ProfessorofRock]

I heard it all through school as a kid. It's evil! They would say. I knew better

[@cannonball666]

@@ProfessorofRock Maybe it was your generation's interpretation. I was in highschool in 1976 when it came out and I never heard any such nonsense.

[@donaldgallegos5857]

I’m surprised that they didn’t mention the song in the movie ‘ The Executioner's Song ‘ in 1982. Until then… Don’t fear the reefer 🚬 💨

[@doowopfan]

About 15 years ago I was re-introduced to the song one night in the East Village. The artist Banksy had an outdoor installation in which he used the song on a loop to accompany a giant reaper riding a carnival bumper car back and forth in a cyclone fenced area on Houston St. A 9 years-old Australian boy visiting a friend of mine was called to come see the visual spectacle. But it turned out that his favorite rock song was "Don't Fear The Reaper." I made that kid's night.

[@standandelivery]

So close, from the title I guessed "I'm burning for you" from the same band. Both classics frankly. Great work as always maing

[@waywardwayfarer]

I saw them live around the time that SNL sketch was a big thing. When they played Reaper, they had a bunch of roadies or stage hands come out with cowbells. Nobody can ever claim these guys don't have a great sense of humor.

[@gregwasserman2635]

Ah, B.O.C. Finally "Don't Fear the Reaper". This is classic rock. B.O.C. belongs the Rock Hall, no questions asked. I literally almost met the Reaper when I had a stroke nearly two weeks ago, so the timing is spot on. If you haven't done "Godzilla", it wound be a great vid. Great episode!

[@serendipitouslydivine824]

Epic song: History shows again and again How nature points out the folly of men Godzilla!!

[@puddintang8034]

I saw BOC live in 1980 or 81, they rode their Harleys ion stage at the encore and played “Love me two times” by the Doors 😊

[@beatlesrgear]

That gtr solo is absolutely astounding!! One of the greatest ever recorded! And it comes right after a very haunting bridge section.

[@chrisbenson6683]

Yes, both incredibly good, individually and together. The way the whole song just stops, and then... What is THIS?? 😮❤

[@dfordiligence2398]

I get so annoyed when radio stations play the edited version which has that whole section of the song removed. It makes the song so repetitive and unimaginative. That middle section is what really elevates the song to greatness.

[@PinkyJujubean]

I just happen to be wearing a shirt with Christopher Walken that says "I got a fever and the prescription is more cowbell!!". What a coinkydink!

[@ShortDarknLovely]

It played in the opening scene on the TV series version of "The Stand". 👍🏽

[@audreylittle6229]

I don't plan on a funeral but I will definitely have this song playing at my celebration of life party. I intend to be either cremated and my ashes turned into stones or being composted. I really haven't decided yet. Leaning towards composting tho. Love your channel so much! 😊💜

[@RBS_]

***PROF. DOESN'T FEAR REVELING IN THE TALE OF A PSYCH-ROCK BAND'S CLASSIC 1976 TUNE GETTING A COMEDY TOUCH UP...AND RINGS THE "COWBELL", OF A NEW GENERATION...*** ....wow, Prof. digs DEEP today, into ROCK! ...I was a passing Blue Oyster Kid, so I'm digging the education Prof. is giving me today! ...SO, allow me to reciprocate...Oct., 1976....(cont.) 12. ***Don't Fear The Reaper*** - Blue Oyster Cult 11. Do You Feel Like We Do - *FRAMP* 10. Just To Be Close To You - Commodores 9. Magic Man - Heart 8. Tonight's The Night - Rod Stewart (...up, from #22! ..uh-OH! ...ha-HAA!) 7. She's Gone - Daryl Hall PLUS John Oates 6. Muskrat Love - Captain & Tennille 5. Love So Right - Bee Gees 4. If You Leave Me Now - Chicago 3. The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald - *GORD* 2. Disco Duck - Rick Dees & The Idiots 1. Rock N' Me - Steve Miller Band ....well, "Muskrat Love" got into the Top Ten, but the Oysters didn't.....maybe the 'Cowbell' spooked the RATS, Man! ...ha-HAA! ...keep on Rock N' Me, Prof.! ; )

[@ProfessorofRock]

What an amazing top 12 though! JUST WOW! RBS! for the win

[@RBS_]

@@ProfessorofRock ...the GOOD Ol' Days, Man! ...ha-HAA!

[@AnnaTrail-xp8pr]

Yes my favorite Bee Gees song! Look at the variety of songs so epic. What a great list muskrat love must be love so right as long as you don't fear the reaper and stay off Fitzgerald!

[@EddieTHead2266]

​@ProfessorofRock Can we add "Hocus Pocus" by Focus? PROF ever do any content on them and the song? It's a Banger still to this day. Would love to learn the history of it. Especially the yoddleing.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I need to put these all in a Playlist except for Disco Duck

[@ericansems]

What a great interview POR! You and the guys from BOC were amazing!

[@robertmagee3006]

First time i heard this song I was going into a haunted house. The song made the experience so cool. It was actually a cheesy carnival ride but the song scared the hell out of me and my friend. But love the song ever since.

[@brentgardner5103]

Blue Oyster Cult...the best of the best!! I remember my early days in the radio business when I had to run the board for the NASCAR race on Sundays (when humans were a necessity). MRN and PRN would always send some music down so that we would know that we were getting the satellite feed. One Sunday, they were sending Blue Oyster Cult. I thought that I was in heaven. Buck Dharma had one of the best videos back in the '80s with his solo record "Your Loving Heart". It always reminded me of watching a Roger Corman movie at a drive-in movie theater. Great stuff!! Thanks again for a wonderful video!!

[@GypsyFlamingo]

Great interview! Thanks for revealing the concept behind this song. ❤

[@moodyblues1273]

One of the books in Robert Galbraith's series of Cormoran Strike novels, 'Career of Evil' had titles and lines from the band's songs as part of the narrative.

[@chrissullivan9143]

An interesting bit of historical trivia is that when the Loma Prieta Earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area on October 17th 1989 it was playing on one of the local Rock stations. KSJO was one of the largest radio stations in the bayarea and had a large audience and anyone who was listening to Don't Fear The Reaper on their way home from work (it hit at 5:04PM) were struck by the eerie circumstance! The song was playing, the earthquake hit and 63 people died............ what an unusual coincidence.....

[@christinetarquin3773]

OMG!

[@Electrichead64]

This song was all over AM radio when I was about 12 years old , but Born To Be Wild was probably the song that turned me onto the band and the very first BOC album I bought was one of the first albums I bought in general, was On Your Feet Or On Your Knees and I still have the original vinyl. It took me literal DECADES before my schedule synced up with theirs and I got a chance to see them live and now I've seen them twice, and they are fantastic live. Ill go see them every time they are in town when I can.

[@spark556]

Masterpiece of a song 🔥

[@ProfessorofRock]

Amen! So great!

[@stratman1021]

As I type this there are 666 comments. Creepy. Anyways I was quite burned out on this tune until BOC played at our city 4th of July celebration here in little ole Las Cruces, NM. back in 2017. Of course they played Reaper and I totally got into it. It refreshed my interest in this tune. Buck Dharma is one of my all time favorite guitarist. Such a melodic style.

[@daveautzen9089]

I am in that group who thought this was a song about suicide. In fact mere days ago, I heard a bit of this and told friends exactly that. But being a believer, I do feel there is life after death. Fascinating to learn the truth of this song!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for watching!

[@arribaficationwineho32]

I never thought suicide

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Me too. I took it as “when the devil comes, give in to him.”

[@Starsk25]

Me too!

[@gordonhinkle6126]

BOC was the first concert I ever attended, back in 1982,and Don’t Fear the Reaper was the highlight for me. One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands ever! Oh you should do something on Their song Joan Crawford. The lyrics are really intriguing.

[@scottweissensee3717]

I remember $15 $20 for rock shirts

[@musicmamma]

Me too! Now, they are worth $300-$500 on ebay.

[@marktait2371]

few ones like we had had police rush etc niw sell.big dollara store manager said some reprints vintage over 40.each in store we looked at like reissue records replicas manager reord store was showing me on phone origunal tees huge dollars now

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

That’s pretty cheap compared to today’s standards.

[@mvader7188]

Dropped 60 for Stones tour shirt in Glendale.

[@jameswoodruff7182]

I always loved this song, but never really noticed the cowbell until SNL did their skit. Now it jumps out at me when I listen to this song.

[@ericbgordon1575]

"Reaper" is one of those Blue Oyster Cult tunes that I heard on the radio during my classic rock-fueled teen years. (It was also neat hearing Buck with John Hall and Larry Hoppen of Orleans at a 2010 fundraiser when John was seeking a 3rd congressional term.) I didn't catch that SNL sketch with Christopher Walken until decades after it was on the air. It was easily telling how impacting that sketch was when my Dutch-born neighbor whose trade was musical theater and classical singing referenced it on a friend's Facebook posting about recipe ingredients; he simply typed "More cowbell" in his comment.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing Eric. That's cool!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

To give the recipe some groove

[@lockedonlaw]

Donald Roeser's guitar is so unique you know it's him immediately. He bucks chords, too. Fingers are not meant to bend like that!

[@rEdf196]

I was 12 years old when Don't Fear The Reaper was released one of my favorite rock songs from that incredible year of 1976.

[@terryblack9710]

"Cities on flame now;with rock and roll!!!"

[@mybestfriendisamonkey173]

Dude, the level of research that you do to create these episodes is next level man. I always thought that I had a very broad knowledge of music from the time I can remember hearing the first song that I ever fell in love with. Having been born in 1970 I've had the pleasure of enjoying music for several years. But I have to tell you you never cease to amaze me. And I always look forward to the next video

[@treywyatt1842]

❣️❣️❣️❣️ DO!- ‘NO MORE LIES!’ by SCHONN & HAMMER!!! Neil Schonn & Jan Hammer! $$$

[@carlacook5181]

My son had a friend in high school who asked if he could use my album to play along with and was so very happy when I told him that he could keep the album but I never got to hear him play, he used metal garbage cans as drums on this song, maybe in lieu of cowbells? I dunno. Great song, great band.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing that! Very cool!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I wonder what that sounded like.

[@mrbniederer]

Love Blue Oyster Cult - what a great name for a band! City’s on flame with rock and roll!

[@Missunderstood103]

Saw them at a casino around 20 years ago. They were mesmerizing. The sound just gently wove it's way through the crowd, covered the room and embraced us like a warm familiar friend.

[@malekmo64]

The irony of Don't Fear The Reaper is that two bands, unknown to each other at the time, recording wise, included Cowbell in their respective songs. Whilst Blue Öyster Cult had airplay for the longer version and AM radio created the condensed version, the other band, at the same time, didn't condense their song featuring Cowbell. The other band is Hawkwind. Their album Astounding Sounds Amazing Music, featured Steppenwolf, not with one drummer but two. Why I said irony, both bands have worked with Michael Moorcock in their respective careers!!! 😊

[@footwearisoptional8766]

Oh My Goddess... I just saw them in concert the night before last. They put on an amazing show. I loathe the cowbell sketch with a great loathing though. I hadn't seen it when it first aired, wanted to know why the internet seemed to think everything needed more cowbell. So, I found the sketch on KZbin and sat there and watched the song that had gotten me through so many bad road trips with my parents being desecrated. I was actually traumatized. It was three or four years before I could listen to Dont Fear the Reaper because all I could hear was that damn cowbell. I would try every few months but, nope. Tok tok tok tok. Then one day, I queued it up and realized that the cowbell is actually pretty far back in the mix and then I knew my soul had healed. Seeing the snippets from the sketch is causing me physical pain but I was like, in an auditorim with these guys a couple of nights ago and I'm still buzzing.

[@MaryMoser63]

I saw Blue Oyster Cult in a very small venue called the Agora Ballroom in Connecticut in 1984. The local radio announced a band named Soft White Underbelly would be performing and I had heard that was the band's previous name. We scored tickets and it was great!

[@DTIMainline]

i bought the double album cassette just for the Reaper on one side, and Godzilla on the other...back in the early 80`s... love BOC !!!! Rock on Dudes !!!!