Don't Fear the Reaper: Writing a Horror Classic

[@Polyphonic]

Thanks to everyone who came by to chat in the premiere! I really enjoyed it, I think I'll do it again in a few weeks, though I've learned a few things and definitely won't be posting it as far in advance next time.

[@Bttfmc]

Could you do a video on Damon Albarn or the band gorillaz(specifically the album demon days)?

[@reyoscuro5381]

will you repeat videos about bands or albums from new points of view ? not now but in the future?

[@leereddy6295]

@Thorne I like his voice

[@LycanWitch]

Thorne , I actually like his voice and it's the reason why I am subscribed to Polyphonic and have been for many months now. And to the OP :) yeah 2 days in full advance was way too long, for sure only post premiere no more than 2 hours in my opinion, as sitting in and participating within premiere chat would be more tolerable and your channel fans would be more willing to do.

[@cleorivas6098]

BOC’s “Godzilla”! Not THIS. 😒

[@guidorodriguez96]

I didn't even know this was considered a horror song

[@WillowWytch69]

it isn't

[@DocAlexandrite]

Well it is

[@alrivers2297]

Yeah the words fear and reaper should've givin it away

[@guidorodriguez96]

@@alrivers2297 soooo spooooky~

[@wakemeupinside5526]

I thought it was a little dark but it’s a song I can jam out to so

[@afterlate8866]

The gentle male singing voice (no screaming or yelling) contrasts sharply with the meaning of the lyrics; this is what makes the song intriguing and alluring.

[@hamishhunter2280]

I never thought of this song as creepy until this video I always found it a uplifting song honestly

[@dustinblack2006]

Darth Vader I found it creepy only when I tuned into the lyrics. Then even the melody becomes creepy. Also the support vocals are kinda creepy.

[@Jingles6466]

Same. People are afraid of Death and sometimes we can't change it.

[@keeganhottinger92]

I never did and still don't. I think the lyrics are too philosophical to be creepy. In saying not to fear the reaper, BOC remark on the importance of embracing the natural mortality in life, and should therefore not be feared. The way Polyphonic presents it is inappropriate to the message, I think. For me this song shouldn't be creepy, it should be inspiring. Plus, its one of the best rock songs of its era...absolutely timeless.

[@ronsmith1364]

I bought Tubular Bells as my first album. I wore it out. The melodies are beautiful and relaxing. I have never seen all of the exorcist, I don't have that association with Mike Oldfields creation. Buck Dharma created a lyrical haunting song about love and death. It has been uplifting and positive every time I listen. I also have not associated it with the movies or tv programming it has been used with. Creepy (and funny ) The Headstones 'Cemetery' & Warren's 'Excitable Boy So list a song

[@VeliAntti]

I feel exactly the same. In fact when it's used in movies, it sort of ruins the scariness for me because it's such a recognizable song and I just start jamming in my head. When I first saw The Stand, it seemed almost comical when the camera pans around the lab full of dead bodies and such an uplifting songs plays in the background.

[@DavidMartinez-sp9ll]

Blue Öyster Cult is just criminally underrated. This song and I Love The Night is so chilling, haunting,.and beautiful.

[@Damaged262]

The long form of I Love the Night, in almost all of the versions I've seen played live, which were many, always rocked my world, Even as a grown ass man, even the studio version can bring me to tears if the mood strikes just right. I find it to be the most haunting song I've ever heard, I can't think of any other song that carries the weight in mesmerising and was an instant masterpiece to me the day I bought the album in 1977. Golden Age of Leather didn't suck either. Shit, not one song was shit off of that album, it was a masterpiece. It was an album like Sabotage from Black Sabbath, not well received, but full of MASSIVE gems. Average people have average palets, stupid is as stupid does... Thank GOD for albums like Spectres and Sabotage.

[@chrisbuschendorf3155]

Your right on about i love the night. Beautiful and a dark. It creates a mood. Love that song

[@timprescott4634]

Nosferatu...

[@rafaelrp07]

They're underrated because of managers and how the band was unable to thrive and look for other producers to put the place where they diserve to be

[@Questar_Valdamar]

"This band is underrated They had 2 good songs" Jk guys. Jk. 😁

[@oneammonday]

If you think about it as the Reaper singing the song to the the girl ,(seducing her to her death), it's like dark, but beautiful, classic poetry. I miss the seventies.

[@HoaNguyen-zl5hs]

if you expected to think that way instead of convince of doing so, you are missing the point

[@Cuttl.e]

oneammonday that's exactly how I'd always interpreted it, none of this "power of love" nonsense

[@paisleyprincess7996]

oneammonday Very 1970’s...I miss them too, even though I was just a kid

[@iiRaiku]

xxxtentacion

[@chivalryalive]

oneammonday -- Romeo & Juliet were the offspring of two feuding families and their love was forbidden for that reason. Juliet is to be married off to another man but she and Romeo go behind the backs of their families... A scuffle ensues and, each lover believing the other is dead, they commit suicide! Leaving them only the bleakness of death to be together. (Although dead, they would still be with the one they loved!) It is a very tragic tale of unfilled love. (Although, don't quote this interpretation... I never studied any classic literature while I was at the universities.)

[@nursesarehot5172]

I always thought the song was about to embrace death when it comes for you and to not be afraid of it

[@newman6434]

yeah i thought the last verse was about her taking the reapers hand, and not her lovers hand.

[@TimeToGetAGoodLife]

Correct. Well, mostly. The main message of the song is all about the idea of embracing death. But Buck wrote the song as the story of two lovers, and he has explained that he wrote the song with the idea that love is so powerful, perhaps it can even bridge the dimensional gap between this plane and the one beyond.

[@TimeToGetAGoodLife]

@@newman6434 It is. I guess the maker of this video interpreted it differently. I also kind of like that interpretation, even though it's wrong.

[@IronianKnight]

Hot take: SNL's more cowbell skit was, thematically speaking, Western culture attempting to laugh off its crippling fear of death

[@herbilk8093]

This

[@NOYOUSHUTUP3.14]

And by choosing Christopher Walken to do the skit was also meaningful. Walken was the Headless Horseman in the film adaptation of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman being a spectre who was cursed to be a wandering with whom that rest will never come, and prior to the curse he was a ruthless Hessian who were a physical embodiment of impending death. In the larger story the Horseman found something beyond death and was searching to be made whole to truly transcend death itself and wander no more. I am sure Walken if he didn't write the skit by himself he was there every step of the way with his first edition printing of Sleepy Hollow.

[@DMSProduktions]

It was based on fact also!

[@stormcrowlegendary3512]

That's fucking deep bro.

[@alexwilson9940]

Ten more likes on this post. Current: 656

[@yesiam4705]

To me, what makes DFTR creepy is the main character's acceptance of the very dark, very scary concept of death and our fleeting exiatance. He is alluring this girl into death, trying to convince her of its cathartic properties. It's a harmonically beautiful and peaceful piece about a dark topic and that's exactly what makes it creepy. When the girl finally gives in and the solo kicks in, it's as if the dark nature of the man is revealed. Atleast that's my take on it.

[@jhonathansanatcruzpaz9871]

Really nice interpretation dude!

[@Damaged262]

What kills me is the harmonic at the end of the solo. Too bad Eric cheats with that U shaped device now, I can't remember what it's called right now, but I almost bought one myself, but as a novice, I figured I'd better earn it before I short-cutted it first. I'm not there yet, but I'll be damned if I don't keep trying!

[@MDBowron]

or the end of mortality and the beginning of eternity/infinity?

[@coopdville855]

I feel like that's a very nice, very apt interpretation of this song.

[@Dead_Pegasus]

This song gives suicide pact vibes for me

[@Polyphonic]

To all those complaining about premiering, I'm trying something new. I haven't used this feature and I thought it could be a fun way to build hype. I didn't realize it showed up in your feed as if it were a new video. I won't be premiering every video, but I will be trying to find new ways to interact with you guys and improve your experience of watching my channel.

[@thefrogger6507]

Didn't understand how premieres work until now. It's fine really just hope people don't use them too much

[@Polyphonic]

I also didn't understand how premieres worked until now lol

[@mcyeet4206]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rquQmGx3mtpnjMk

[@LycanWitch]

It's cool to use the new premiere feature.. but god damn, 2 days away, that's way too long? LinusTechTips did tried out a premiere today, but it was only scheduled for an hour away and that was fun to sit through and just chat and have fun with others in it.

[@Polyphonic]

Yeah, I upload early to iron out kinks, I didn't realize that it would be in your sub feeds 2 days early, I thought that it would be available with the link but didn't think it would appear in your feeds until shortly before it went live.

[@TheHealerIzAwesome]

I was talking to my dad about this song yesterday. We were talking about the context of the third verse. It's clearly about a couple where one of the pair has passed and the other can no longer find the will to go on. He said that he felt it was the boyfriend comforting the girl as she died of heartache. Me, personally, I saw it as the girl is driven to take her own life out of grief. And, instead of death sending a reaper, death sends her love to come and get her. "The curtains flew and he appeared" he appears just outside her window. "She ran to him" "she had taken his hand" "they were able to fly". She ran to the open window and was reunited with her lover. Even if the meaning of the song was never about suicide, that last verse really implies it.

[@Justin_Kipper]

Great songs can have different meanings to different people, but your take on these lyrics is one of the best I have ever seen.

[@meninagreen5704]

What a good interpretation!

[@valerievillacorta7968]

I always though an aspect of death was the girls lover and wants to be United with her and she is convinced to be with him

[@felixcharles9773]

BÖC eternally underrated

[@joshr5132]

Felix Charles amen

[@xxblackthorngamingxx602]

My favorite band of all time

[@jasonjarnet8141]

This is just the truest thing I've heard in a while

[@TheRisingIcarus]

Felix Charles they are amazing. They're like a secret gem just for yourself to keep

[@iliketowatch.]

Seen them four times...once was in a small club when they played a ”secret” gig using the name "Soft White Underbelly." When I saw that name in the paper, I immediate went out and bought a bunch of tix. It pays to know your rock trivia!

[@purplehaze2358]

The very name alone, _Don’t Fear The Reaper,_ is so threatening and unnerving.

[@specialknees6798]

You see shit like this all the time Dr Bright. Besides, why should you be afraid of the reaper? You’re immortal.

[@marshawargo7238]

@@specialknees6798 Another Fact Of Life! Don't fear something that happens to all of us! One way or another it's going to happen Why spend your life worrying & afraid of something that's going to definitely happen? Live your life to be the best life possible, when the end comes don't be in fear of it! It's not a threat, it's a fact! I'm 65 & This is been my favorite song since first time I heard it. Went to Toledo, Oh. to see them in 77

[@Aetherismə]

You really don't need to fear the reaper

[@bencurtin573]

Am I the only one who has never found this song haunting at all? I thought the lyrics were very good, the main theme and riff and chorus are all pretty chill, but definitely not haunting. The only section that's haunting in any way is the guitar solo, and that's really it... still a great video though

[@SilverSurferr320]

Ben Curtin yeah I don’t think it sounds haunting at all idk where people get that from

[@parkercollins7946]

I grew up in the 80’s-90’s, maybe a bit too late to have heard it used in many of the horror movies and maybe never made that kind of association. I always just heard it as a bad ass song with a bad ass solo in my re-discovery of my dads rock and roll sometime in the late 90s. TLDR: no, you’re no alone. But I did love this analysis of the song, nice work!

[@franciscobaltazarlabranago6248]

I like to see the song kinda like a story. The Reaper is luring his victim with the calm melodies and nice, but kinda eerie, lyrics, but then he reveals his true intentions in the guitar solo, then the calm harmonies come back as The Reaper goes after his next victim

[@arkhitektz3150]

it has macabre connotations to it.because hes basically telling you to embrace the nothingness of death.which goes against every natural instinct living beings posses.making peace with (nay EMBRACING) death can only be a last ditch effort or last resort in order to escape something truly and unimaginably horrifying.the upbeat and seemingly hopeful and uplifting lyrics juxtaposed to the subject matter at hand create an eerie contrast...i wouldnt want to meet a man who is "ready for death" (especially not one who is so casual and nonchalant about it)...conjures up images of brainwashed cultists drinking the kool-aid...death is to be feared!because it takes away the most precious gift we have(life).

[@Sofiaode18]

@@arkhitektz3150 Interesting perspective, though I still personally believe that death should be embraced and not feared because it's a natural occurence and everyone dies someday.

[@Kokonutzlz]

6:26 even though his talking breaks up the music, I still got chills when I heard the guitar solo just by itself

[@zagred4226]

Ikr that chills made me smile..idk why

[@pcproductions8790]

Hey bro, fancy meeting you here.

[@Kokonutzlz]

@@pcproductions8790 woooooaah broooooo

[@bretmena5180]

i always thought of the solo as the girl committing suicide to join “the reaper”

[@reyoscuro5381]

this is the reason why i suscribed to polyphonic, i knew that he, sooner or later, had to make a video of the godly Blue Öyster Cult

[@amberlabrecque1318]

This song is just badass, I never thought it was creepy...

[@bilbobaggins4710]

Epic

[@sharokrokni5317]

Great band, song, music 🎶🎵👌

[@DGneoseeker1]

It's creepy in Returnal.

[@NoTraceOfSense]

The only thing haunted about this song is its lack of adequate cowbell.

[@thebeingdestroyerofworlds8690]

god fuking dammit, stop it with the cowbell jokes

[@masonhoover165]

no u

[@giljamolislagers7894]

But there IS cowbell in the song?? They just placed it more in the background, or it sound like it because of the triangle

[@NoTraceOfSense]

@@giljamolislagers7894 *adequate* cowbell.

[@giljamolislagers7894]

@@NoTraceOfSense its pretty fucking adequate as is. Also its not a funny meme

[@padmakshkhandelwal1832]

I consider it one of the most romantic songs of all time. The main acoustic riff is one of all times best. The lyrics, chorus are just magical. I consider the meaning as the lovers have transcended beyond mortality and reality and their love has become immortal. I never thought it as suicide or killing or death. Now I believe, how fantastic this song is that it has 2 drastically opposite ways to perceive it.

[@BPaul803]

As major BÖC fan, this is brilliant and seasonally appropriate gift. If you could, please consider stepping into the Imaginos story and Sandy Pearlman's eclectic lyricism present in BÖC's earlier works

[@lorenzogiani7190]

YES that's BÖC's really good material.

[@yimonozi]

Yeah Astronomy is one of my favorite song of all tine

[@rodrigoparedes7764]

I really like Nosferatu from the album Spectres

[@BPaul803]

Their "black and white" period features some seriously golden songwriting. While I very much enjoy their work after that, I wish they had continued to let Sandy continue to offer lyrical ideas after that.

[@BPaul803]

You and me both. It deserves a seat along side their other massive radio hits if you ask me.

[@chronovac]

To be fair, BOC wrote a lot of songs that could be called creepy. Veterans of the Psychic Wars feels even creepier to me than Don't Fear the Reaper

[@taunoctua245]

The lyrics to that song were Michael Moorcock. His singular hero figure dies tragically often.

[@Smile4theKillCam456]

After Dark, Joan Crawford, Morning Final etc

[@LukaRadosavljevic03]

True

[@abelq8008]

Harvester of eyes, then came the last days of may.

[@BishopKing.308]

The person that wrote it was literally dying he had a heart problem he spent 9 days in the basement writing it. It made him feel better bcz he knew he could die at any time.

[@neverafrown6308]

Is that true?

[@lonnieporter8566]

@@neverafrown6308 yes, very much so. Buck Dharma found out he had a heart condition and it kind of wigged him out. He sequestered himself in his basement and wrote this song to clear his head. Fortunately, he and The Reaper haven't shaken hands yet. He's still rockin'!

[@thomasaghotmail]

I just saw a video interview of Buck Dharma talking about DFTR. If that's true, he isn't talking about that anymore. He insists that it's about the contrast of love & death. And love bridging that gap.

[@onbearfeet]

That makes me like it even more, tbh. I was born with a medical condition that I survived only through experimental surgery, and even after that I could still drop dead at more or less any moment, with no real way to prevent it. I made peace with my mortality pretty young, which is probably why this song resonated with me and I never considered it creepy. You fear the reaper less when it's always been walking beside you. Nice to know someone else felt like I do, and wrote a kickass song about it to boot.

[@AvailableUsernameTed]

It needs more cowbell.

[@zolin6840]

Pipe2DevNull Yeah more than just on every beat in the whole song

[@lbboardingb3356]

I got a fever

[@eaturgutsout]

I heard it cures fevers

[@HommerThadeu]

And I'm already using my pants, time to make a golden record

[@southernoregoncatmom6519]

Lol!

[@2ndarmoredhellonwheels106]

The grim reaper eventually smiles at all of us. All you can do is smile back.

[@astronautical1060]

The main man Marcus. 👍👍

[@reidgowan2670]

Polyphonic: This song has a deep and haunting meaning. Me: HAR HAR COWBELL

[@treesap2566]

COWBELL GO DING DING

[@sabbatking]

Another great BOC song with this theme is “I love the night” at first glance it sounds like it’s a song about someone breaking up with their girlfriend and meeting an enchanting vampire woman who invites him to join her into the beauty of the night... but really, he is kissing his girlfriend “goodbye” in the beginning and meeting an angel of death figure afterwards. Once again embracing the enigmatic beauty of death. Listen, and read the lyrics it’s hauntingly beautiful... Also ANOTHER more dreadful song BOC has about death is “Deadline” very cryptic lyrics... they won’t make sense unless you know the backstory. It’s centered around the true story of an acquaintance of the band who was brutally killed by the mafia- the song speculates on what he was doing before his death and other people’s perceptions of his death... In my opinion, the most overlooked rock band, right next to Budgie and Thin Lizzy. All of which have such amazing songs in their discography.

[@shaneburst5661]

sabbatking, not sure if you agree, but Thinn Lizzy is the most underrated rock band ever!!!...

[@kingboobs20]

I Love the Night is my favorite BOC song, your interpretation is interesting, I'm pretty sure it's about a vampire, lyrics like "no mortal was meant to see such wonder, one look in the mirror told me so" make it obvious. Of course vampires are associated with death so maybe it's both?

[@Yarkoonian]

sabbatking hey. Have you heard the cover of this done by overly sarcastic production’s video on Dracula. That woman’s voice cured my headache

[@Smile4theKillCam456]

Morning Final is another one you can add to the list. Seemingly an uplifting song but is about a motiveless murderer being shot. Or Joan Crawford. Or After Dark. Or my personal favorite, Harvest Moon. BÖC is full of great songs.

[@mikepastor.k6233]

Wow. You names my two favorite BOC tunes. I just love the driving bass and sublime keys of Deadline and hauntingly beautiful chords and melodies of 'I Love The Night.(also underated vocal cadence). Why that song wasnt a bigger hit on the radio and in mainstream is beyond me..

[@D34DParadise]

In my opinion, the quintessential song about the romantic quality of death is Echo and the Bunnymen’s ‘The Killing Moon’. It’s so beautiful and yet so haunting.

[@stevenwilkinson1265]

The Killing Moon is a great song as well ... Buck made the Reaper a bit more cryptic & it confuses people to this day ...

[@dirarmis672]

A beautiful timeless classic!!

[@coolhandchris5960]

In my opinion not a bad song but not in the same league

[@franz8072]

To me, the song was always about The Reaper helping that woman accept her own unevitable death by taking the form of her deceased lover. That's why the last verse says "she had become like they are" cause she's the only one dying.

[@treesap2566]

I never thought of that before. I really like that, that's nice.

[@Orson2u]

YES.

[@serkin2988]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES BLUE ÖYSTER CULT BOIS

[@musashih8633]

10,000 subs with no videos PLEASE nice pfp

[@Hevvvyyy]

Ur profile pic is godlike

[@erikjanke6389]

Rush is God

[@tornadoblue4997]

blue oyster bois

[@arkonslorman1670]

@@tornadoblue4997 are swimming now, hear them chatter on the tide. We understand, we understand, but fear is read and so do I.

[@ethana8450]

I found this song like a month ago and i can’t stop listening to it

[@Hevvvyyy]

The guitars and bass in this song are amazing holy shit

[@liquidsolids9415]

I feel like the “horror” interpretation may be a case of people only listening to part of the lyrics - “it talks about the reaper so it’s horror”. Kind of like how people think “Born in the USA” is patriotic but it’s actually about the Vietnam war if you actually listen to all the lyrics. Great video - thanks!

[@cubbymumma3941]

I've always seen it as encouraging you to live well in the face of mortality . Although that may be because I've had many friends pass away far too young due to health issues .

[@lonnieporter8566]

As I lay dying, I want this song playing near my deathbed. I want to breathe my last as the outro is playing. That would be the quintessential ending to my life. That fading five-note riff is just awesome! So peaceful, yet beckoning to whatever adventures lay on The Other Side. I've seen BOC three times and they were incredible each time.

[@austinwakeman89]

I still get chills every time I hear the guitar solo in this song. It's so freaking good

[@domingosneto2264]

There's so much to be said about Blue Oyster Cult's history and albums. So many interpretations and hidden lore, especially on the whole "Imaginos" storyline. Looking foward to this, they're my favorite band after all.

[@reyoscuro5381]

curse of the hidden mirror is the best album but i agree in the hidden lore of imaginos

[@joer5595]

@@reyoscuro5381What is your favorite song from Curse of The Hidden Mirror?

[@brianwinston8627]

I have always loved this song, not for the death or romance, but for the instrumentals. The change in rhythm, and the different turns the song takes. Great vid and info. I sub'd.

[@absea7918]

Excellent. I had a different impression for the last verse, when it says "she had taken his hand", and "she had become like they are", I thought it was the man seeing his lover leave with the reaper. Then they turned back to the man to say goodbye. It felt like his lover was dying, and he was comforting her as she accepted death. Or not? Just my take.

[@apollo421]

That's sad, but I thought so too tbh

[@CASEMSTR]

There is a reason that this song is considered one of the all time greats. Hands down. No questions asked. This song is amazing. Its so well done. Its delightful to listen to. While also being deep, and every section of it having meaning. It is emotional and dragging when you want it to be, but also cheerful and uplifting when you want it to be. Not many songs can change how they sound based on the mood of the person listening.

[@CityOfNashville]

This is the first time I’ve encountered premiere anything and I am confused, do your thing though Polyphonic it’s nice seeing creators trying new things out

[@Nocturn4lAnim4L]

Eliteshoe3000 video essays are a cool format on KZbin

[@kittycat1302]

@@Nocturn4lAnim4L Is this a video essay?

[@Nocturn4lAnim4L]

Karen Lemonds yeah I would say so

[@notasovietspytrustme4392]

I always thought it was about two lovers killing themselves like Romeo and Juliet

[@sairehn]

I’m honestly surprised everyone overlooks that this information in particular is what led to the whole song being considered about suicide. Plus, 40,000 men and women everyday was assumed to be the numbers of suicide deaths, not just deaths in general.

[@TrashTheory]

An acoustic cover of Don't Fear the Reaper appears in Scream, because Scream was all about referencing classic horror.

[@bjornironside6707]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYPNhoSOr5enr8k that would be a band by the name of gus

[@christopherword8515]

H.I.M. Does a good version too. Evanescence does an acoustic version also.

[@localneo-graphic4647]

I just like the song because it uses the simplified version of the Andalusian Cadence, the i-VII-VI-VII minor chord progression. Once I started learning guitar and my friend pointed out it's use in many LEGENDARY songs, I instantly realized why I like those songs so much. Stairway to Heaven, Don't Fear the Reaper, and All Along the Watchtower are probably the most well known ones. Best song I ever wrote is a bit more complex and creative interpretation of the Andalusian Cadence myself, and I didn't even realize it at the time (I was barely 20, 10 years later I still haven't topped it. Only song I have that labels want to buy from me, plus it can get anyone jamming.)

[@markrymanowski719]

This song is about loves victory over death. Pathos in spades. One of my all time favorites.

[@GoddessofWisdom]

This song is honestly comforting for me. Whenever I’m sad, angry, anxious, or just miserable with life, I just listen to DFTR and instantly feel better. This video was amazing.

[@amyyy762]

Everytime someone makes a cowbell fever joke god kills a puppy

[@zippy-zappa-zeppo-zorba-etc]

How do you know? Do you pray for him to kill puppies?

[@franklehouillier8865]

Don't fear the reaper.

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

It's because they needed more cowbell! It's the only prescription for the fever!

[@thedude4672]

In the end, all puppies die.

[@doncooperjr4817]

They made a song about that. "Deeeead puppies aren't much fun/ They don't come, when you call/ they don't chase, squirrels or balls/ Dead puppies aren't much fun." Its actually pretty funny.

[@tombydeesh]

I’ve never even thought about this song in a negative light. For me, it’s one of the most uplifting messages in music. My ear was always drawn the light shining through the darkness feared by so many.

[@joebrad275]

You deserve way more subs tbh

[@lptomtom]

He basically does video versions of Wiki pages along with very superficial interpretation, it's fine but not exactly genius work

[@ivannas5540]

One of my favorite songs of all time, I never get tired of it

[@thebeingdestroyerofworlds8690]

but that ending bassline tho...

[@_serenexseas_]

The guitar riff was honestly my favorite part of the song!! Also this was a really cool video to watch more insite on how we can easily miss the true message

[@Solid_Brownies]

this was the best birthday present ever, thanks Polyphonic BÖC forever!

[@Physeter]

Simon Happy Birthday! :)

[@Solid_Brownies]

@@Physeter thanks dude!

[@eatpant52yearsago30]

Hell yeah! Love Big Östrich Cock

[@whokilledanthony1126]

Eat Pant • 52 years ago underrated comment here

[@smokin714]

6:33 this part in the song gives me chills all the time

[@ethanheron8153]

Even after listening to the analysis, it doesn't seem to be a creepy song to me. Just astonishingly beautiful, and magnificently layered, both in poetics and instrumentals. Such a great song

[@e32b61]

I’m disappointed there was no talk about how the song is often interpreted as approaching the subject of a suicide pact. The songwriter denies this, but the words do veer into that territory of two lovers dying together. At first with the mention of being like Romeo and Juliet, but after the break and being with the specter of the Reaper in the background, it can be seen as saying the transcendence (she became like they are) is death itself.

[@johnmorrell3187]

Lol there's literally a section of the video talking about this. Section title called "On Suicide".

[@super8412]

40000 men and women everyday like Romeo and juliet......

[@lauraarcher1730]

That’s what I feel.

[@andradeeduardo85]

Next video should be about King crimson, Just saying

[@notaguy4289]

I support this

[@EzioMonty117]

Yes please!!!

[@thebeingdestroyerofworlds8690]

you mean discount Pink floyd?

[@EzioMonty117]

The being destroyer of worlds Discount Pink Floyd?? I don’t hear any pink floyd in the band’s music! Well maybe a bit of Syd Barret’s stuff but that’s kind of it

[@santiagopacheco504]

Eduardo Andrade their music just works

[@leob4738]

This song actually helped me deal with my anxiety around death. Great video!

[@allentate3760]

Saw them play this song three weeks ago, and then after the show met the entire band. They were cool!

[@ytubeanon]

+Greg Starbuck Nice, if I met them I'd say 'you need more cowbell' and then we'd all laugh and they'd invite me to be part of their band, good times

[@allentate3760]

I wish, I didn't go with the cowbell stratagem. I did get their autographs & selfies with Buck & Bloom

[@iliketowatch.]

I've heard that if you use the word "cowbell" in their presence, you get two sharpened drum sticks right up front to the back of your skull. Well that's their sign that you are dead. And their list for you checks off as null. Don't do it!

[@allentate3760]

At the show last month they posted signs saying "NO COWBELLS" but last summer the two shows I attended didn't have the sign (or cowbells). I dunno when cowbells became a problem, but they did.

[@ronaldshank7589]

@@allentate3760 Sounds like they're going through Cowbell overkill...or something like that...

[@ultrastuss8217]

The imagery towards the end of the song is my favorite part the reaper appearing

[@Teelirious]

Excellent. Requesting "Radar Love"...

[@Scorbffeghy]

this is my favorite polyphonic video. growing up in the 80s, this song was just ubiquitous. i enjoyed the music, but never payed attention to the message. until polyphonic broke it down for me. much appreciated!

[@thomasdelege2382]

Buck Dharma was a genious, this song is amazing, Agents of Fortune is amazing. Blue Öyster Cult is amazing.

[@dougmphilly]

From their debut to agents of fortune, a string of 4 to 5 star albums

[@BOTCHED]

This is my favorite song of all time, and one of the greatest songs ever written IMO. I will have this played at my funeral one day.

[@queerlydeparted7650]

“Whoops; accidentally made a horror!”

[@darioushg.877]

Every time I hear this song I get the chills, but the good ones. Such an amazing piece.

[@westmezzanine4321]

7:18 Wow. I never thought of it like that. Overall this was an amazing video, but that was my favorite point. It never struck me like that, that it could be so much deeper

[@SarcasticPossum]

I never found the song to be that haunting. I find it more of a philosophical type of song. Makes you think of how Death can be seen from a different perspective. That or the cowbell.But always have cowbell.

[@cyandinomashups]

This channel is called polyphonic, but most of time, there's only one voice.

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

*notices pfp* wait a minute

[@TheActualCathal]

Let's take a closer look... ...... yep, you're right.

[@Damaged262]

And your point? Make your own channel, I'm pretty sure nobody is stopping you. Be well, try not to make your channels very ignorant. If it's good, I'll be happy to sub and bell it :-)

[@whohappened]

@@Damaged262 it was a joke

[@johnathanmushet7128]

@@Damaged262 How did you interpret that joking observation as an insult? I dunno about you but "This guy only uses one voice" sounds like a very weak insult to me even if it was an actual insult, which it clearly wasn't.

[@panosdampanis3991]

Incredible video man. Also an incredible song among many by an awesome, yet so underated band, BÖC.

[@cadenrobl473]

Also next Halloween you should do number of the beast

[@ryanrohn4561]

One of my all-time favorites since childhood. It draws me in with a peculiar sense of comfort mixed with a sobering chill, and release...which I believe makes it a work of art in audio form. I'd love to hear it being played out of an ice cream truck on a Sunday morning 🙂

[@Trunks1200]

I have never thought of this song as even remotely creepy

[@swanpond14]

One of your best videos! Great work!

[@kerbonaut120]

Please do Fugazi.

[@calebmckinney3605]

Yes please

[@dashagar2059]

I'm so tired PLEASE

[@dragonheadholden]

yessssss

[@NickMattia44]

Yes!

[@seanfoley7323]

I seventh that. Fugazi!!

[@Jester1411]

this is a really nostalgic song.. it gives you (at least me) a sense of finality, like the end of a summer, the end of highschool and the beginning of (say) university when you know that you wont see your friends again or even if you do nothing will be the same again. It's like saying goodbye and being melancholic about it. which in a sense is what death is to this life.

[@emmjea6913]

No matter how creepy the shit you use this song as a backing for, I just can't fucking hear it. It is so uplifting and happy to me.

[@babalon7778]

I remember, I was 8 or so years old, the first time I heard this on the (car) radio, the world fell away and I was transfixed. The feeling never really left.

[@daltonriser1125]

I've never really found the song haunting if anything it is one of the most life affirming songs I can think of given that it is a love song

[@pineapplejester7191]

I've never really thought of the song as creepy. It just makes me feel really calm in a way. I love it

[@DodgerFanAD_23]

I’m ignoring the “cowbell” comments, and just watching this video cause it’s one of my favorite songs.

[@theomegaconcern9564]

I thought I'd mention the word "cowbell" here.

[@stormcrowlegendary3512]

Honestly the "Cowbell" skit is one of the few times I ever found Ferrel funny, despite it being over such a masterful song.

[@docproc144]

One of the greatest songs ever made imo

[@Gregorovitch144]

Why does everyone say this song is in Am? OK, it starts with the Am7 chord. The chords under the famous riff are Am7-G-F6add9-G. G is played twice as long as either Am or the F6/9 thing and G is repeated. On top of that one guitar, the loudest one, hammers home the G by droning it at the beginning of every bar (pulling off the A to it on the first bar). This makes G the tonal centre of the main riff, overwelmingly so to my ear. So since the tune is in the base key/scale of C major but G, not A, is the tonal centre this makes Don't Fear the Reaper G Myxolidian (AKA the Myxolidian mode of C major) rather than A minor (AKA the Ionian mode of C major). This is why it sounds haunting raher than simply sad, and confusingly a tad hopefull and bit whimsical as well. This is why it's so effective and everybody loves it. And of course why everybody everybody should learn their modes :)

[@iliketowatch.]

Damn. Consider us SCHOOLED.

[@iliketowatch.]

(and that's why I can't really play BÖC on guitar... I'm playing the rhythm guitar part, reading the chords, and suddenly I see something like "D°6#√aug5-1/2π” and I when I stop and look it up, I see a chord shape that my hand is incapable of making. Then I switch to AC/DC.)

[@Gregorovitch144]

@@iliketowatch.Actually DFtR is easy to fret but a bugger to pick. The F6/9 thing is simply fretting the F on the 6th string and the C on the 5th string and playing the open D and open G strings on top (D being the 6th and G being the 9th of F the chord). But to get it to sound right you have to switch pick the arpegio metronomicly. Up stroke the top note back to the down stroke on the first of the next bar is the tricky one to get dead on time. But it's even harder if you downstroke each note as you have to break your right hand rhythm even more to jump/rush back to the first note of each bar.

[@MagitudeOfHorror]

I'm glad I play the drums. Me hit stuff!

[@magneto44]

it’s in Am, you are overthinking it that’s like saying the melody of a song is going to change the key, the droning G sounds haunting because it’s NOT the 1

[@WobblyBootsDuke]

I've been watching (and liking) your stuff. Love your work. As a young 15 year-old going on sixteen -- working my first job in the darkroom at a photographic studio, where the radio played all day -- stoned out of my head -- and it was 1976. I don't think '76 to early '77 will ever be beaten for a year of amazing music. Everything fell into place -- and then fucking Disco.

[@dimitrispapadopoulos3595]

Edgar Allan Poe at 1:13

[@hkat321]

This song is even better than I remember. Catch me playing that main riff not stop for the next couple weeks.

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

Next Halloween-y song I'd like to suggest that you do a video on is Bauhaus' "Bella Lugosi's Dead".

[@thescrub7682]

As someone who tends to have very dark views on life, this song is beautiful to someone who's seen some stuff go down. It's absolutely amazing.

[@12DAMDO]

"it shouldn't be creepy... sure it's in A minor but-" name ONE A minor song that's actually creepy in my experience A minor is (together with F minor somehow) the happiest minor chord try E minor for a real confronting tune

[@lucasnadamas9317]

Yeah, this song isnt even creepy

[@firemarshal2629]

Your videos are master classes on how music history could and should be taught. You deserve every sub you get.

[@r3d5ive87]

This video will eventually have a video, right?

[@elafimilo8199]

This analysis really helped me appreciate this song, which I already loved, anew. Thanks, Polyphonic.

[@luciferfallenangel666]

If we take the perspective of Buck (or the person asking to take his hand) as 'the reaper', the reaper is just calming her down before taking her soul away. _I don't know why my brain works like this, sorry if I'm wrong..._

[@rudra62]

I've always found it soothing, in my own death-positive way.

[@idiotshittiot]

I watched this when it first came out. I kept coming back because the analysis is amazing. It got my back into a song that I wrote off as a radio hit. Very good analysis, I love this video.

[@jennhill8708]

I've always loved this song & it brings me peace & joy. I've never understood why people fear death, when it's obviously part of life AND I strongly believe in a loving God & our ability to turn any circumstance into joy. I've had chronic pain for 40 years, plus a multitude of other illnesses. I've found its all in the way you perceive your life.

[@ghettospacefsh6251]

I swear I adore the visual editing in these videos

[@alexandergilles8583]

You gotta do one on rage against the machine!

[@martybrilley]

Here, but now there…gone. The song is about love transcending death, both time and space.

[@selmakhattab7105]

Can you please do a video on "Don't let me be misunderstood" by the animals or "dust in the wind" by Kansas

[@brandonmontemayor8178]

There is so many things going on in this song, I've noticed it from childhood and the older I get (30 now), the more love lost, the more love gained, the more life gets hard and is followed up but overwhelming peace after the thunderstorms. My ole lady doesn't understand it. She thinks "yea its a good song", but she isn't hearing what I'm hearing. Will ALWAYS be one of my favorite songs. And when the time comes for us to pass on, This will be playing in my head.

[@TimothyCow23]

Jeremy Clarkson: “Reassuring tunes coming up”

[@thefrogger6507]

This was worth the two hour wait, dude. One of my favourite songs ever and a great analysis of it