THIS WAS MUCH BETTER!.. | FIRST TIME HEARING Blue Oyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reeper REACTION

[@mdanam]

I think it's hysterical an Amber's first words on this video was "cowbell". I guarantee you every single person watching this who knows this song knows why. Please please please now that you've done this song you have to do a reaction video to the Saturday Night Live skit By Christopher Walken, about the cowbell in this song. Please!

[@johnlong1729]

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!

[@VictoriaCatLady]

😂😂😂😂😂❤️

[@dongrant5827]

Don’t forget Will Ferrell!

[@ChickCiccarelli]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYfWgn-ioJKHZtU

[@robertprochnow2486]

Absolutely!!!

[@RichKohli2]

The band member who wrote this piece, explained that this song is actually a love song to his then girlfriend, now wife, after being diagnosed with cancer, which he had beaten.

[@michaeltaylor8835]

Wow

[@carolinethompson376]

That really puts the song into context.

[@AZambri1]

Really, because I read that the lead guitarist was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, which got him thinking about his mortality and the inevitability of death and the belief that we should not fear it. He was thinking about what would happen if he died at a young age and if he would be reunited with his loved ones after his death.

[@stewartross1030]

@@AZambri1 i thought it was about suicide? 40 thousand men and women every day? come on baby dont fear the reaper.

[@corkydukeII5898]

@@stewartross1030 It is about suicide. These lines should have given it away..."Came the last night of sadness, And it was clear she couldn't go on"

[@bradjbourgeois73]

The "More Cowbell" sketch is over 20 years old and has surely made an impact on the American Lexicon!

[@Maidiac214]

And it's still hilarious 😂

[@johnbuck3374]

I've got a fever. Lol

[@gregorymoore2877]

Until now, that sketch was the only place I had heard this song. So this is what the rest of the song sounds like. Nice.

[@GranFelicia]

I'm even teaching my grandkids the importance of Cowbell!!! LOL

[@becmer]

And the only prescription is more cowbell

[@rubicon-oh9km]

Not many "perfect" songs written in the history of music. This is one of them. Buck Dharma absolutely hit a monster home run with this song. This will be played and enjoyed two hundred years from now.

[@randlnickel9196]

Yes

[@randlnickel9196]

They nailed this Album

[@redled2677]

Agreed; Perfection.

[@RaymondBCrisp]

It'll be played thousands of years from now...that is if we're still here.

[@rsixx6548]

I have to reply and say, every time I listen to this song it is hard not to call this a masterpiece. An all-timer.

[@marygregory2624]

The solo in this song is so haunting/terrifying. It makes me wonder what my baby brother, who died in april, saw. I hope he had no fear. I miss and love you forever, brother, with love always ❤️

[@Thelatinoconservativeview]

This comment hit me so hard I also lost my baby brother 😢😢 I’m so sorry for your loss and pain.

[@slyzombie6166]

This and 'Burnin' For You' are the quintessential Blue Oyster Cult tracks. Great song... MORE COWBELL!!!!!!!!

[@jimamos7984]

Indeed

[@crownandbrim9261]

More cowbell for sure!

[@kroft6799]

Those are probably my favorite BOC songs, but you gotta love Godzilla and some others for something a bit harder rockin.

[@jjr007]

Not to mention "Godzilla"!

[@nzlemming]

@@jjr007 Came here to say this!

[@MsDemeanorsMusings]

This is the opening song of Stephen Kings The Stand TV Miniseries. The original '94 version. I think of it every time I hear this song. The Stand is the greatest novel ever written, fyi, lol. There is also a famous SNL sketch with Chris Walken, centered around this song.

[@jscho8674]

I remember that opening scene so well! The Stand is a brilliant book. Did you watch the new version of the mini series?! I hated it! Loved the original. So much better.

[@kathyastrom1315]

IMO, that opener with this song is the best opening credits scene in tv history. Talk about setting up the creepy vibe of the entire show!

[@kathyk5319]

Love the opening to The Stand. May have to rewatch that again today. This song is also in the original Halloween movie (1978) with Jaime Lee Curtis.

[@CTX700girl]

I have a fever, and the only cure is more cowbell.

[@bobvedder2451]

I have watched the stand ofer and over. Its about today's situation!

[@JGlaister]

I had just taken a drink before Amber said, "cowbell." I literally did a spit-take. 😆

[@mplslawnguy3389]

I love how the guitarist held that note for like 20 seconds after the interlude and back into the chorus. Such a cool transition. Amazing song.

[@RaphaelPetere]

Listen at 7:10 mark

[@richardkeel4875]

I feel like a teenager in the 70"s again when I see you guys jamming to music I grew up on. Thank guys. God Bless

[@joeyrobison6629]

This song came out in 1976, a song that has held up and still sounds good. Another song that I liked, "I'm Not In Love" by 10cc came out the year before, in 1975, was technologically ahead of it's time. Have a listen, I'm sure Amber would go into the same trance!

[@coolcpa3321]

Yes, 10cc! Great song.

[@robynB424]

Definitely! Also Ten years after “I’d love to change the world” would also be a cool song choice and anything by AMBROSIA.💙💜💚

[@thancrow]

@@coolcpa3321 I always liked A Clockwork Creep. How can you beat a song which is a conversation between a bomb and the jet it is on.

[@FirstSuiGeneris]

_Great song from 10cc!

[@coolcpa3321]

@@thancrow It's a clever song with a rhythm and lyrics that create a sense of increasing anxiety and impending doom. 10cc was always pushing the envelope.

[@krikorajemian8524]

Glad you picked up the cowbell so quickly. This song was the one in the Saturday Night Live sketch that gave rise to the Christopher Walken "more cowbell" meme. This song has forever after been associated with cowbell.

[@that70slifetimetravel]

"Don't Fear The Reaper" is stellar. "Burnin' For You" is a very close second.

[@kidpoker007]

Not even close

[@matthewdrake4385]

Godzilla and Astronomy as well.

[@baileydwyer9773]

Yes please do “Burning for you”!

[@NikkieTwix]

Love Burnin For You

[@kidpoker007]

@@NikkieTwix it’s ok but it’s not Don’t Fear the Reaper

[@ericbogerd5306]

This song, 'Dust in the Wind' and 'Carry on My Wayward Son', 'Sister Golden Hair', 'Hotel California', and so many other absolute CLASSIC songs came out in a period between 1975-77. Add just a couple more years and you others like the entire 'Tusk' album from Fleetwood Mac as well. Every era has it's bangers, but the 1970s were just packed end to end with amazing music. The 80s had it's own brand of awesome music, but the arrival of MTV added a new minimum level of physical attractiveness required to be huge that would have excluded a lot of earlier artists.

[@williambianchi2006]

Heard a rumor in the 80's that video killed the radio star.

[@DarrinLatvala]

The Golden Age Of Music

[@peteralbert1485]

With its hypnotically seductive opening, the hushed, cajoling voices, the sudden, jagged death-throe guitar violence, and finally the souls drifting away on the outro, this song is so beautiful that it’s spooky, and so spooky that it’s beautiful.

[@richardfromtexas]

"I have a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell."

[@AZambri1]

LOL, I commented this same thing and I just came across your comment now. So funny.

[@TheSaltyFloridaCracker]

"Godzilla" a must listen by B.O.C. these tunes are speaker busters.

[@FirstSuiGeneris]

_Right! Ho no there's goes Tokyo, go, go, Godzilla, yea!_

[@deborahfoster3797]

I was gonna recommend this too!

[@kdm71291]

Possibly my favorite BOC song!

[@module79l28]

Probably the only song in history that has more solos than verses. :D

[@TravisOwens-s5q]

Just recommended Godzilla by Blue oyster cult so we'll see if they do it. Godzilla was the best song ever since I was a Godzilla fan already.

[@texasdandv1]

I’m glad you guys like this song, it’s amazing, More Cowbell!!!!!

[@scapito]

I will always see Will Farrell and Jimmy Fallon in my mind everytime I hear this song.

[@debradillard315]

@@scapito exactly! I saw them back in the day. The crowd went nuts when they started this song. But now when I hear it i yell "more cowbell". Don't care where I am at. Had a few strange looks but I don't care.

[@Shrykespeare]

@@scapito Three songs that will be forever connected to SNL - "Bohemian Rhapsody", "What Is Love", and this.

[@guillermoguerrero1951]

I got a fever and the prescription is more cowbell

[@flash218ily]

Christopher Walken has stated that he's grown to hate that SNL skit...."it ruined my life!", he said!

[@m.94]

Blue Öyster cult is so underrated man , my favourite top 5 band of all times

[@bspg53]

"Then the door was open and the wind appeared, the candles blew and then disappeared, the curtains flew and then HE appeared..." Chillingly beautiful lyrics.

[@vincentp149]

Undoubtedly BOC's best song. "Burnin' For You" is a Close Second...The whole "Fire of Unknown Origin" Album is great.

[@heidichristensen7919]

I didn’t buy many albums back in the day, but one I did was Fire of Unknown Origin. You are so right, not a single filler on it.

[@jeffcocco7123]

I disagree Astronomy is their best song.

[@TheForkhandles]

The Last Days of May, ME262, Astronomy, their live versions of Born to be Wild and Ain't Got You. I saw them play live in 1986 or 87 in Derby in the east midlands of the UK but they were past their prime by then.

[@alankoemel3168]

We need more cowbell!!

[@davemcbroom695]

Dang. You beat me to it.

[@twisted2291]

"I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell"

[@alankoemel3168]

Don’t blow this for us Gene

[@doloresbellini6452]

They said they had no idea that will farrell was going to do that, and that he put that shirt on right before the skit started. Jimmy Fallon couldn't keep it together.

[@alankoemel3168]

You’re gonna be wearing gold plated diapers.

[@wompa70]

BOC has 15 studio albums. 15! They got something for everybody. Y’all need to do Godzilla. Yes, it’s about the big lizard. But so much more.

[@lyndseyclark9067]

It’s really not about Godzilla. Godzilla is a metaphor for the actual topic of the song.

[@Kimberrann]

Seeing them live on New Years Eve and a midnight the Godzilla eyes above the stage started blaring red and then the music starts…..EPIC! The 70s were the BEST!

[@kenqb5450]

There goes Tokyo.

[@ZacCostilla]

GODZILLA FTW!!!

[@robertcole9199]

Halloween is coming! You gotta find as many monster songs as possible… Godzilla is a good start!

[@rachelc8715]

I got a fever...and the only prescription...is more cowbell! 😂🙌🏼 I’ve told my husband and kids if this isn’t played at my funeral I WILL come back and haunt them. Full poltergeist shit lmao This is in my top ten favorite songs of all time.

[@ricenglish4556]

That was a funny skit, but it really depresses me that when people hear this song, that is the first thing they think of. Blue Oyster Cult's Eric Bloom and Alan Lanier saw the Saturday Night live skit when it happened and were duly unimpressed. Don't mess with great songs!!!

[@sherryvt61]

You made me LOL😂😂😂

[@glennafewell]

1/20/23@ 4:40. I am a 64 year old grandmother who raised my two children on this music. Can I just say I love this concept so much. As much as I think I loved the music of me era…. I’m getting a whole new appreciation for what we took for granted. Best music era ever. It guts me. Thank you so so much.

[@flash218ily]

"Don't Fear The Reaper" is just so well produced and engineered....I can't imagine how many takes they had to go through to get this song so perfect.....Christopher Walken just gave us a small glimpse!

[@Milius47]

YES! That Bruce Dickinson!!!

[@silversurfer8935]

Yes, the engineering for the time is insane

[@spikeysnack]

This is one of those songs that hits you again years later when it comes around. When you are older and have experienced more of the ups and downs of life, love, and loss, this old friend sings it to you again and you appreciate is all the more ....

[@jetfowl]

"Veteran of Psychic Wars" - is an amazing song of theirs. And their "Godzilla."

[@mrbrightside719]

Veteran of the Psychic Wars is one of my all-time favorites!!

[@mortensen1961]

@@mrbrightside719: As long as it's the live version. . .

[@edwardkennedy8098]

You have to check out godzilla live in concert

[@jetfowl]

@@edwardkennedy8098 Godzilla would like to see the Blue Oyster Cult perform Godzilla. I think he would approve of their rendition.

[@robertforster9201]

I totally agree. Particularly the live versions. Those songs are so much better.

[@mythdefied9070]

one of the most famous opening bass riffs ever. this song is a monster masterpiece and BOC is an incredible band cowbell. lmao!

[@russellgentile4719]

One of the greatest rock songs of all time! BOC is such an underrated band still! This is a perfect October and Halloween 🎃 song!

[@frankbustamante6833]

Now that you've heard "Don't fear the Reaper" now you need to watch a clip of SNL "more cowbell". Lots of familiar faces and a hilarious dive into this song.

[@jaybirdderby]

It’s impossible for me to listen to a serious discussion about cowbell without busting into laughter. LOL I’d swear I was watching Saturday Night Live if I didn’t know any better.

[@sherrysmith3453]

now you have to watch the SNL skit featuring Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken doing this song

[@peggynichols1400]

And Jimmy Fallon on drums!

[@MarkSteele-bh3hb]

Can't stand Will Farrell or Christopher Walken

[@SirCraig-yp6ds]

Lot of songs have cow bell, so shut the fuck up. Sorry you miss the heavenly glory, go stare at the Sun.

[@sydneycarton9973]

The original TV version of Stephen King's The Stand played this over the opening credits, which was the outbreak of a pandemic. It's one of the best opening sequences in a film/TV series.

[@originaldcjensen]

When Covid was growing, that tv-movie opening kept playing in my head.

[@craignourie8853]

the lyrics in this song are just outstanding

[@keithpetersen2539]

"Burning For You* is an even better song by BOC

[@xtrmfc]

I agree.. 👍🏼

[@BillGraper]

Yes!

[@martinscott-reed5379]

I can do nothing but agree with you.

[@billofalltrades2633]

Yes!

[@reneeheknowsmyname6771]

YES!!!!

[@tekwych]

Listen again closely. As the bridge ends (you called it the transition) you hear the guitar play a note. If you listen that note continues to vibrate through the chorus and into the final verse. It is the world record longest human strummed sustained guitar note ever recorded and in the 50 years since no one has bested it

[@97warlock]

ted Nugent - Hybernation on Double live Gonzo 1977

[@keith4968]

I love this song and never heard that long note till you said

[@Music-Is-Real-Love]

Thank you for your comment. I never noticed or knew that..within the song.

[@marybrant9586]

I didn't know that. Cool history 😎

[@Genesimmons8]

Actually that's not true. It is definitely not the longest sustained note ever recorded. Not sure where you got your information.

[@derwoodbowen5954]

Blue Oyster Cult: try Cities on Flame, Godzilla, Dominance Submission, Veteran of the Psychic Wars (do the live version), Astronomy, Hot Rails to Hell. There are a lot of really good songs from them.

[@freedomlost08]

Yes!! Veteran of a thousand psychic war from "extraterrestrial live" is must! The solo is out of this world!

[@txheadshots]

I was gonna comment Godzilla is another great BOC song

[@dphalanx7465]

This song is indelibly connected in my mind with the TV miniseries of Steven King's apocalyptic masterpiece _The Stand_, where it was used as the most appropriate opening.

[@rockero1313]

The Stand opening always comes to mind when I hear this song. I wasn't that into Classic Rock yet when I saw the miniseries and instantly fell in love with this song.

[@clarencehale9145]

King also referenced this song in his book "Salems Lot".

[@annmedis4449]

I think this is the best song ever recorded. It's not about the words or meaning. It is the beat. It's instruments. It's the harmonies. It hits every mark.

[@mdanam]

For those here Thinking this is a pro Suicide Song, it is not. Here is the meaning from the songwriter himself "I felt that I had just achieved some kind of resonance with the psychology of people when I came up with that, I was actually kind of appalled when I first realized that some people were seeing it as an advertisement for suicide or something that was not my intention at all. It is, like, not to be afraid of [death] (as opposed to actively bring it about). It's basically a love song where the love transcends the actual physical existence of the partners." - Buck Dharma, lead singer[5]

[@Dana-ld4wf]

Yes, I was one of the people the thought this song about suicide. I just recently learned it wasn't. I always thought the person jumped out of the window, because she went to him. Lol

[@richpeltier9519]

Buck had recently been informed of a serious medical condition, that could have lead to an early death. He's said that this song came from his working through that event.

[@JesusGarcia-cs9wl]

I know what Buck said in a later quote. But I saw BOC in concert the year this song came out. Before playing the song he mentioned how it had taken off. And was receiving lots of air play. He also said, the song was about a couple's forbidden love. And how they resolved the situation the way Romeo and Juliet did. Soon afterwards, Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest found themselves in ligation over writing similar songs about suicide. I think he just changed his story. In case someone took the song to heart. He was covering his butt. Just like the Eagles did with Hotel California. But in that case. They didn't want to pay 50 years of royalties to the hotel. Which is in Todos Santos, Baja California. I know I've been there.

[@karlsmith2570]

That's actually pretty profound

[@paulwalters7268]

Of course it's about suicide. Romeo and Juliette died of suicide. "We can be like they are" "Come on, baby". The cover story that it wasn't came after the fact.

[@GradyBroyles]

this song is SUCH a vibe. it even pops up in DJ sets (not covers or techno versions, the original song) that's some serious lasting power and broad appeal.

[@samson9535]

This is a quote from an article about the meaning of the song: Nothing boosts a song’s popularity like a little controversy, and there was plenty surrounding “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Donald Roeser said in 1998, “The second verse is the one that’s caused all the trouble all these years. ‘Valentine’ is a metaphor for mortal love. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ I used as an example of a couple who had faith to take their love elsewhere when they weren’t permitted the freedom to love here and now. What I meant was, they’re in eternity cause they had the faith to believe in the possibility. It frankly never occurred to me that the suicide aspect of their story would be plugged into people’s take on ‘Reaper,’ making it an advertisement for suicide. The “40,000” number was pulled from the air as a guess about how many people died every day worldwide, not how many people committed suicide.”

[@themobseat]

The song is based on the Twilight Zone TV episode "Nothing in the Dark". The instrumental break in this reaction video @6:24 is even based on the Twilight Zone intro theme music. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6XJqqlqd7-Fq8k

[@joiedevivre2005]

I always took it to mean to live your life to the fullest & if you live a life full of love, purpose & great experiences, then you shouldn't fear death, because you've lived a good life.

[@AZambri1]

Yes, but that was a reaction to the rumor about it being about suicide. The real meaning of the song, or so I read, is that the lead guitarist was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, which got him thinking about his mortality and the inevitability of death and the belief that we should not fear it. He was thinking about what would happen if he died at a young age and if he would be reunited with his loved ones after his death.

[@jkbowers56]

The 40,000 is a low guess... actual daily fatalities worldwide is somewhere over 150,000.

[@davidjames3080]

@@jkbowers56 Well, that's the present rate, but this was written in 1976 when the world population was lower. More like 120,000 per day then, but as you say 40,000 was still a low guess, but a lot easier to fit in a rhyme than the true figure!

[@BlueAdept596]

I cracked up when Rob stopped the music the first time. Amber was clearly in a zone, eyes closed, swaying to the music and then he pauses it. The look are her face when the music stopped was like "Why did you do that to me"

[@timwhitnell7145]

This was BOC's massive, massive hit. The break in the song is so different and cool.

[@chaoticneutral3487]

Buck Dharma, lead singer, said (i am paraphrasing) the song is about the inevitability of death and the foolishness of fearing it, and love between partners, transcends death.

[@dv3507]

I've always loved the vibe of this song. I also love that we are still discussing the possible meaning of this song...45 years later! That's what good song writers and artists do! 🌟🎶

[@dv3507]

Almost forgot to add, "More COWBELL!!!"

[@jimedwards667]

To me, it's about suicide. 40,000 people everyday. Oh yeah. More cowbell!

[@mattshaw6180]

"Veteran of the Psychic Wars", "Godzilla", "Burning For You", "Astronomy"....so many killer songs by BOC. Don't quit on 'em here!

[@CalvinCaylor]

Rather than tire of this song, I love it more each time I listen to it.

[@jameshunt2815]

I love watching Amber. You can tell she REALLY feels music. I love that trait in a person.

[@margaretdonohue2387]

“More Cowbell!!” One of the funniest SNL skits

[@ChrisHaar]

When I hear this song I immediately think of SNL's "More Cowbell" skit.

[@Siansonea]

"Burnin' For You" should be next if you liked this one. "Don't Fear The Reaper" always makes me think of the original "Halloween" movie from 1979. I know a lot of people think of the SNL sketch, but that kind of undercuts the awesomeness of this song to me.

[@alrivers2297]

78

[@carlvanderbush664]

I've always loved how the feedback from the last note of the guitar solo sustains halfway through the next verse (7:12-7:43).

[@nixon2tube]

I saw them in Columbus about 5 years ago. They were all together, and when they sang this song, they ALL sang, and it was like you'd hear them singing around you. Coolest vocal effect I'd heard live.

[@davidreynolds1516]

Uhhhhhh....NO! They weren't ALL together. The Bouchard Brothers haven't been with the band in YEARS!!!

[@rubentullenaar2934]

This song, “Burnin’ for You” and “Then Came the Last Days of May” are a must listen.

[@kaybee4143]

“Then Came the Last Days of May” LIVE from "On Your Feet Or On Your Knees"

[@NoCanDu]

Time to play B-sides!

[@headofbaphomet]

One of the greatest rock songs ever recorded and one of my all time favorite songs. I used to cue this song up and listen to it over and over. Burning For You is a good next song for sure. The tune is pretty simply about accepting that death is a part of life but when I first heard this song I thought it was maybe about vampires, "She had become like they are". BTW you two NEED to see the "more cowbell" skit on SNL if you've never seen it, it's so damn funny.

[@susanball692]

Jay, everyone feels the way you do about the dynamics and transitions of this song. It's brilliant and so groundbreaking for its time. So glad you both enjoyed it!

[@richardtaylor8595]

i saw this band at the Agora in Cleveland, Ohio years ago and after the show I went to the bar across from the ballroom and sit down and got a beer and then People sat beside me and it was non other than Eric Bloom, vocals guitar and the rest of the band and we had a drink together and ,yes. I got there autographs. P.S. I love you both. You are my favorite folks. Burnin FOR yOU IS another great. And lets not forget Godziila.

[@lgk55]

Blue Oyster Cult should be in Rocking Roll Hall of Fame for this song alone!!!!One of my favs of all time.

[@CuttinEJ]

That transition is an absolute masterpiece. This is one of the few times I'm going to recommend listening to the live version (but only because you heard the original 1st). From the album Some Enchanted Evening. They play a bit faster and with a little harder edge without sacrificing the quality of the sound AND there's a flaming guitar solo at the end that will blow you away. You owe it to yourself to hear that.

[@stonebringer1]

Yes!!l

[@FeaturingRob]

"Burning For You" should be next...and find the Saturday Night Live "More Cowbell" Skit with Christopher Walken...it's hysterical!!!!

[@visionaryventures12]

Many say this is about suicide. I like to think of it as not letting the fear of death prevent you from taking chances, exploring further, etc.

[@pauld6967]

Ever the optimist eh? It's about suicide. As evidence I point you the official video as well as the lyrics. Citing how many people die every day & Romeo and Juliet & saying "we can be like they are" plus that she was overcome with sadness before she took his hand and started to fly, i.e. fell to her death.

[@robindavisduckworth8992]

@@pauld6967 40, 000 every day, ...it is Suicide.

[@Motorheadhesperia]

"Donal Roeser explained to Louder Sound that he drew the words from a very inspiring well: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. "I was thinking about the concept of an eternal love, one that transcends the borders of death," he said"

[@pauld6967]

@@Motorheadhesperia It's nice that he said that and I guess "hurray for love eternal" but when all is said & done, one or both of the couple are still dead.

[@pauld6967]

@@robindavisduckworth8992 Thanks for standing with me on the meaning of the song.

[@erinhoffmanofficial1412]

This song was written by Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, their lead guitarist and singer on this song because he had heart issues and was wondering if he was going to die.

[@laurakent750]

Oh my, Amber saying cowbell! If she only knew. Loved it.

[@tomward876]

When this came out there was something of an uproar because of, "Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity." Were they pushing suicide? The band came out and stated absolutely no. The story of their love is eternal. This is an amazing song.

[@jasonhalil2591]

Yeah I'm not buying it, even if the dude denies it the words don't lie -"Romeo and Juliette, together in eternity , (background vocals harmony), we can be like they are" pretty unambiguous especially if you know the story of R&J ie: suicide for love. Either way it's a good number but not the best message for teenagers listening to it.

[@alphaomega7191]

@@jasonhalil2591 - Arghhh - one of them was diagnosed with a heart condition and told he would be lucky to live to 30 - it's about coming to terms with that and the hope of love persevering after death. It's really not hard to find quotes from them about what it's about and why. They've admitted that if they had of realised the Romeo & Juliet bit would have been taken to be suicide rather than eternal love they would have chosen other people. The intended meaning was about hope and suiide is of course about hopelessness and the opposite of what they were going for. It's an easy misconception to make because they chose a poor example of a couple to represent eternal love but they were chose because one of them expected to die young like Romeo.

[@jasonhalil2591]

@@alphaomega7191 I realise what you say has merit and I've heard the band explain the lead singer's partner had cancer etc , so I guess you gotta take their word for it but it's not hard to imagine how a troubled lovesick teenager would comprehend the words to mean suicide , especially the Romeo and Juliette reference - she suicides then he finds out and suicides so they can be together in eternity - nothing about illness there right? Couple that with the chorus - don't fear the reaper (death) , so in the end you've got don't fear death, kill yourself like the story of Romeo and Juliette and the outcome will be an eternity together in love and I find it very difficult to read it any other way and I think most people unaware of how you explain it would reach the same conclusion. Bit of a shame really but either way it's an interesting track musically.

[@alphaomega7191]

@@jasonhalil2591 - Oh I get how it can be misinterpreted as being about suicide for sure. I was unsure either way and actually went hunting for the information and found out about Buck's heart condition (see below) Dharma was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, which got him thinking about his mortality and inspired the song. "I thought I was going to maybe not live that long," he said in a Songfacts interview. "I had been diagnosed with a heart condition, and your mind starts running away with you - especially when you're young-ish. So, that's why I wrote the story. It's imagining you can survive death in terms of your spirit. Your spirit will prevail." As soon as I read that it all clicked logically in my head and I totally understood his intention and what the lyrics meant but without that it's a vaguely creepy song about love and death. The Romeo & Juliet reference unfortunately is easy to read as suicide. "dont Fear the Reaper" is of course meant by him to mean dont fear death because something else happens after which is a pretty common view for those of a religious bent. Frankly once I knew about his heart condition I find it very hard to actually read the suicide interpretation into it now because it just makes total sense as a song about the possibility of dying young but not being afraid because of the afterlife. My guess is a lot of people don't necessarily like the quasi-religious interpretation because spirituality isn't edgy and people prefer rock to be edgy. Musically it's a compelling piece of music with a lot of interesting hooks.

[@setdrift]

If they never wrote another song this would make them legendary

[@kenperk9854]

Anybody listening for the cowbell, MISSED a great song!

[@morningcoffeebreak7367]

This was the opening song for the movie "The Stand" and has given me the creeps ever since. If you haven't seen the movie...you should. The story starts with a virus escaping from a lab...... Be warned though, it's like a 6 or 8 hour movie....story by Stephen King.

[@jscho8674]

The original version of The Stand was soooo good. I hated the new one! Ugh!

[@Stingseven]

I love the darkness of this song...used it as the theme to The Stand mini-series in the 90s -- perfect personification

[@matthewbailey6206]

You got it! One of the best classic rock tunes with true genius from Blue Oyster Cult. Don't fear death (the Reaper), live your life as best you can. I'm 65 and am still waiting to feel "old". I got to see BOC during their heyday.

[@wm.patrickmilford4589]

Most of the guys here go back to the SNL skit, more cowbell. I go back to Steven King's The Stand original version as the opening credits song. Really highlights the scene.

[@jscho8674]

Yes!!!! That was an amazing use of the song!

[@stephanieo2509]

I've always heard the comment "made me fly back in my chair" but had never seen it in action, before this--when the guitar solo came in hard. So great!

[@KayeWhye]

What I love most about this channel, is knowing when the eyes are gonna pop open, and the jaws will drop. You two are priceless! Keep it up!

[@brgreg8725]

This song is so haunting it’s in the original Halloween and the beginning of Stephen Kings book The Stand

[@DonPetersimes-tz8ny]

It's talking about a love so strong they always die in each other's arms. That transition was the chaos of change and how we all fear or at least find change distasteful, but that once you're through dying there's a peace in that transition waiting at the end of it.

[@IisDeeps]

Buck Dharma is one of the most underated guitarists out there.

[@martharunstheworld]

Agreed!

[@krisdoggett483]

For sure! The band is underrated🤔

[@debbiemccain5850]

The lyrics are haunting!! Until I looked them up, I didnt really understand some of them, but a very powerful message in this song🎶🎸 On a fun note, watch SNL's sketch on this song...its hilarious and spawned the phrase " more cowbell"!!😆🎶🎸

[@lordessducky8494]

It would be really fun to see them react to the SNL sketch.

[@debbiemccain5850]

@@lordessducky8494 yesss!!😆

[@ericwalker8636]

I've got a fever!

[@debbiemccain5850]

@@ericwalker8636 🤣🤣🤣

[@chriso6719]

This is their most well known song, but my favorite is GODZILLA.

[@Purplespice250]

Fuck yeah!!!!

[@ajruther67]

I always laugh at that song. Maybe because of the movies and those lyric lines.

[@chriso6719]

@@ajruther67 It's just a fun song.

[@greg2976]

my fav too

[@Herbert04]

I used to like Godzilla. Than one day I was singing along and realized how repitious the song was. I was turned off after that.

[@trucker0317]

Blue oyster cult is an awesome group. I seen them at the Showcase theater in Corona, Ca years ago, and they played their music as it was recorded....Awesome

[@KandiStomper]

I've loved this song since I was a little kid (a long time ago 🤣) the guitar melody is probably my favourite of all rock songs.

[@djm0111]

You should DEFINITELY review the More Cowbell sketch from SNL. It’s is a classic that lives on today.

[@gregorymoore2877]

I second the nomination. And since they are adding interviews to their reactions, I want to see them react to Chris Foley interviewing Paul McCartney also from SNL.

[@jeffjones6221]

70's at it's finest. The cowbell was wrapped in a shitload of tape to muffle it.

[@aidankirwan9904]

Honestly, there are so many songs I could recommend from this band. They are so diverse in their sound while still being recognisable as them. This song is from the 70s but they are still going, and have some of the best guitar solos I've ever heard.

[@susanpolice8465]

WOW!!! I had just forgotten how AMAZING this song really is! thank you!

[@richardblack5710]

This came out when I was in the navy. An older Petty Office who didn't really care for Rock, said this album was very sensual.

[@jamesredman1263]

Yes it is!

[@johnstarace8369]

I’ve been a HUGE Blue Öyster Cult fan since I was 15 years old, the band has been around since the 70’s and has a huge music library. The band started out as a sort of Pink Floyd progressive type band but they also had some songs that could really rock. This song was on the bands fourth studio album in 1976 and this song was their most popular song as per the billboard music charts. This band moved from a sort of progressive style towards a more hard rock one in the 80’s when rock and metal was at its absolute highest. I can recommend a plethora of BOC music for you, starting from their earlier music in the 70’s: Third album Secret Treaties: Harvester Of Eyes {These three songs close out the album Flaming Telepaths And are, in my opinion, the three best Astronomy. Songs on the album} 1976’s Agents Of Fortune their fourth and most powerful album (Don’t Fear) The Reaper E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) This Ain’t The Summer Of Love Fifth studio album Specters: Godzilla R.U. Ready To Rock I Love The Night Sixth Studio Album Mirrors 1980 Dr. Music The Great Sun Jester Seventh album Cultosaurus Erectus 1981: Black Blade (the strongest song on the album) Lips In The Hills The Unknown Tongue Eighth studio album Fire Of Unknown Origin 1981 (one of the bands strongest albums to date) Burnin’ For You (the bands second billboard song) Veteran Of The Psychic Wars Joan Crawford (a personal favorite of mine) Ninth Studio Album Revolution By Night 1983: Take Me Away Eyes On Fire Shooting Shark 1986 Club Ninja Beat ‘Em Up Perfect Water White Flags Dancin’ In The Ruins 1988 Imaginos I Ain’t The One You Warned Me Of Astronomy (new Remake) Imaginos 1998 Heaven Forbid (It had been 10 yrs since they had a studio release of new songs) Harvest Moon See Ya In Black Cold Grey Light Of Dawn 2001 Curse Of The Hidden Mirror Dance On Stilts Pocket 2020 The Symbol Remains (first new album in 20 yrs) That Was Me Box In My Head The Machine Short list of Blue Öyster Cult stuff, enjoy.. Stay cool 😎 and… \m/ Stay Metal \m/

[@godsofohio6734]

The instrumentation of this song tells its story along with the lyrics. The cowbell is the ticking of heart of life, the dramatic solo is the arrival of the reaper, and the part after the solo is the transition to the afterlife. Your reactions are genius!

[@kenray8048]

BOC has many different sounding songs. This one, 'Burning For You,' 'Godzilla,' and 'Veteran of the Psychic Wars' are my favorites.

[@jerwwilliams]

I really like 'I Love the Night' and 'Harvest Moon'. Saw BOC in concert last year and they still sound great.

[@1972myc]

Am lucky enough to have seen Blue Oyster Cult band live, back in early 2000's. They played all their classics!

[@nancysmith38]

Was so daring and exciting back when this first came out. Trip back to my teen years.

[@chipdamutt108]

Junior high school. When my clock radio went off in the morning, "Don't Fear the Reaper" or "More Than A Feeling" were playing several days in a row.

[@jaycorby]

Chip DaMutt I was a Junior High teacher back when this song was new, and I woke up to the same sounds. Time seems to travel with warp speed. I was in my early 20s then...I turned 76 last month! OMG, how did THAT happen?

[@chipdamutt108]

@@jaycorby God bless you and all of the great teachers past and present!

[@jaycorby]

@@chipdamutt108 Thank you very much for such a nice sentiment, Chip. I really enjoyed teaching and mentoring children from the late 60s to late 90s. Not sure I could cope with what's happening in American schools today. The thought of a mass shooting inside the walls of a school back then would have been ridiculous. How did 'things' run off the rails the way they have?

[@chipdamutt108]

@@jaycorby one of my sister's is a k-5 principal. She got moved to a crummy school in hopes that she could get their test scores raised. It's absolutely insane what is going on in public schools these days. I will refrain from making a political comment

[@allendesalme197]

Another classic rock song! BOC was amazing in concert. VERY loud, very talented. Another great 70's band. I am pretty sure that background song on the beat before the verse is wood block (they are hollow blocks that resound) rather than cowbell - sounds wooden rather than metallic.

[@muzikman4399]

No, it really is a cowbell. It was the last thing added to the track, one of the producers thought it needed a little something else and took a cowbell and nailed it on the first try, the rest is history!

[@mrkake]

The light shows at their concerts were also amazing!

[@helindove2237]

@@muzikman4399 And a guiro sound?

[@michaelfisher7170]

HA! It was this music that got me through the hell that was high school before you guys were born! And I'm so glad that younger people like you are discovering this band and appreciating their music. Buck Dharma is a criminally underrated lead guitarist, his work speaks for itself and why he and this group aren't in the Rock and Roll hall of fame is to me just...unfathomable. But...screw the hall of fame...the point is you found it and you GOT it! Thanks for the video! Glad to have found it!

[@delisamarchetti5926]

in a lot of ways this song is a masterpiece, but at the time back when it was written (I was there) :) most people thought this song represented a woman who was in pain emotionally from losing her love and was being coerced into suicide by the Reeper or angel of death, who was calling her to take his hand and fly away from land of the living. Then like Romeo and Juliet she would be reunited in death. 40,000 men and women die every day, its just what happens, "just take my hand" he urges. I have read comments below about what they are now saying the meaning is or the intention of the writer. It is a song that is truly unique and I have never heard another like it. But I think because it has suicidal imaging it should be recommended carefully. It is a very dark work of art, that is sung with an angelic voice, which captures your attention immediately. Love your channel guys and look forward to listening to it everyday. you two would have been awesome radio hosts back in the 70's.

[@tonialoconte]

That's how I always interpreted it, at least the third verse.

[@gregorymoore2877]

I was expecting more cowbell. You see, I have a fever. And the only prescription is more cowbell. And I was hoping they would really explore the space with that cowbell.

[@talon7132]

I saw BOC & Black Sabbath in Dallas in 78 Then a few years later at Six Flags , they were touring with Molly Hatchet. Loves me some BOC. MY FAVORITE song is Veteran of the Psychic Wars

[@larsbonzai]

"Astronomy" is also a great song- and Metallica did a fantastic cover of that tune also

[@gravelydiggs2139]

Nailed it. Been going as Gravely Diggs for years. Every once in awhile someone will ask if it's from the song. Yep and it's a place not a name.

[@dasteelerfan1]

Cities on flame with rock and roll 🎸

[@matthintz9468]

"Burnin' for You" is another great one by them. Another personal favorite of mine is "This Ain't the Summer of Love," which is a really nice, hard rocker!

[@thomaskelley1718]

This song leads into "the revenge of Vera Gemini" another banger. "Tattoo Vampire" has some great guitar work. Now I have to go play that album. Love your reactions. You two are a great couple and always entertaining.

[@martharunstheworld]

With Patti Smith!!!!!!!!!!!!! It does not get cooler than that!

[@gravelydiggs2139]

Actually it goes into E.T.I., great rocker will dual guitars, then revenge... the whole album flowed well.