The Real Cryptic Meaning Behind 'Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult

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[@genecase9464]

I always felt it was a song about the spirit of a guy coming back to convince the girl he loves to come with him to a "better place". It's the PERFECT classic rock song. I love everything about it.

[@effdonahue6595]

It’s basically about suicide 😵‍💫

[@rkmklz7562]

I loved this song since the 1970s....the 1960s and the 1970s had the Best Rock ever

[@Skycladatdusk78]

Always loved this song and Blue Oyster Cult, one of my favorite bands.. There was a great scene in the 1978 movie Halloween that featured Don't Fear The Reaper.

[@monmixer]

when I was learning to play lead the live album is what I jammed to, pisses around and noodling on Hot Rails To Hell, great jam song in E. That album, The first Skynyrd album, Tom Petty's first album. In particular Breakdown, very easy song to learn and jam along how ever you want to, all of them were and at least several dozen others. I love this band Blue Oyster Cult. Secret treaties is my favorite. What a kick ass rock album. Not 1 hit on it but it was hit in my mind.

[@jeffhansen1918]

Love hearing the history of great bands and their iconic songs!

[@kenpearce3269]

Love BOC! Thanks for a great interview with the guys! Looking forward to their new cd ❤

[@monmixer]

I would love to Blue Oyster Cult with the BOUCHARD BROTHERS!!!!. I saw them back in the day several times, original band. I worked as a tech on a show in a casino showroom they played about 10 years ago. That's the last time they have been any where around south east Ohio. the last couple decades.

[@rcschmidt668]

Thanks for sharing! Not sure why with my search history that the app never brought me here before… Instant sub.

[@97warlock]

well, if anybody found out the meaning behind the song feel free to let me know. I watched & must have accidently not caught it or something

[@craigtittsworth9440]

Cool stories & interviews!

[@tomgorman748]

Thanks John. Great interviews. Didn’t realize at first you were going to have clips of Albert and Joe in there and when Albert came on the first time I thought I’d hit a button accidentally and jumped to your Albert interview. LOL

[@derekroberts6654]

Not a lot of people remember it was in the 1978 horror film “Halloween” a fitting song, i wished they played it for the sequels..

[@one_with_kevrything9825]

Lots of people do and it is played during the credits of Halloween Ends and there's an instrumental cover of it featured in the same film.

[@Gunners_Mate_Guns]

They also used it for the opening of "Scream," as well as the opening for "The Stand."

[@1Blastarr]

I always thought of it as a ghost story.

[@progger53]

Around 2004 I got to meet the band in Council Bluffs ia. I talked to Eric for awhile and he invited me to their room. They autographed my 5.1 SACD cover of their dvd. I told them I first saw them in Davenport Iowa around 1974. And Buck remembered the name of Palmer College Auditorium.

[@itsmedrooms6071]

I always thought the hi-hat part right before the solo sounded creepy, along with that guitar part of course, but the hi-hat had this weird reverb with possibly some kind of analog delay. I think it worked perfectly.

[@ednafruchey7386]

Love soft white under bellys still have the 8 track tape. BOC witnessed about 15 shows thanks for the memories

[@user-mu9cw8xe4r]

I noticed Amazon had a Soft White Underbelly CD for sale. I didn't buy ... yet

[@AndrewFloydWebber]

Always loved this song. I was blown away when I saw “The Frighteners” in the theater in ‘96 or ‘97 and they played a good cover version at the end. It was the perfect song to close it with.

[@acelarson1872]

Agents Of Fortune is without doubt one of the greatest albums of all times.

[@mokhidakhodjibekova1031]

ABSOLUTELY!! Timeless, wonderful pop-rock nusic :-D

[@SunSimLord]

Yés, no doubt about it, one of the very best albums ever. I've felt for a long time that "Don't Fear The Reaper" is my favorite song of ALL-TIME. It's brilliant. Every part fits perfectly & is pure genius, in my opinion. Great interview. Awesome Rock Channel. Thanks a bunch. -☀️

[@GreatCircle360]

Dharma on Morning Final is the icing on the cake imo

[@user-tc5pl3zw3h]

It sounds like the intended message of the song was "Death is not the end - especially for true love", but most listeners heard, "Embrace suiced - especially for love".

[@todddale7041]

Dharma must have been listening to Kansas’ (my favorite band) “Lamplight Symphony” for ideas 😉

[@fratzogmopars]

It would be interesting to hear the story behind their song The Revenge of Vera Gemini.

[@SunSimLord]

Excellent song also Tattoo Vampire! -☀️

[@user-mu9cw8xe4r]

@@SunSimLord Sinful Love and ETI also on Agents of Fortune (with Tattoo Vampire and Revenge of Vera Gemini.) Too bad the other song penned by Patti Smith (Debbie Denise) and Morning Final kind of let down the closing of Agents of Fortune. Know what I mean? The album became surprisingly too mellow. This is me telling/explaining to you (even though nobody asked ...) why Spectres (1977) is my favorite BOC album. It's their most consistently good album ... with the song Death Valley Nights becoming better the older I got.

[@keitherickson8274]

Pure genius, seen the band several times during that era, and it sounded just like the album live one of the best bands ever😮

[@joenickel2371]

When I first heard this song was on a cheap car radio and I thought it was Don't fear the Reefer! It would have been a bigger hit if it was.

[@kc0lif]

i used to think they were singing don't smoke the reefer. i never knew there was a cowbell until snl episode then yeah there is a cowbell.

[@davej9228]

Yea we did

[@brianwaloweek6770]

“Reimagine happiness”

[@monmixer]

Hey Albert, I know you will watch this. I'm just like you buddy, I screwed up a couple great opportunities by not seizing the moment out of respect.

[@rkmklz7562]

I didn't know that Patti Smith was in B O C... amazing 😮

[@dabhidhm4093]

She wasn't technically in the band but she did write lyrics for them on occasion and guested on "Vera Gemini."

[@russellj.s.257]

I think at the time she was dating Allen Lanier,I could be wrong.

[@martybrilley3406]

It’s about the power of love between two people being able to propel their spirits from this existence to another place. “Here…but now there…gone”

[@yenbbc8840]

Reaper is a very unique song and Buck's guitar work is amazing!

[@RF944]

Without a doubt the loudest band that I've ever seen.

[@martybrilley3406]

Actual lyric…”Here, but now THERE…gone”

[@SunSimLord]

They're (?)

[@user-tb9rw7dh2t]

Listening to the beginning of the interview about what the song is supposed to mean, etc. It reminds me exactly of what Jim Morrison's girlfriend talked about consistently prior to her death shortly thereafter about meeting Jim and going to a special place, etc. I watched an interview with her best friend and she was totally blown away by all of this self fulfilling prophecy along with clips of Jim's girlfriend. It's pretty far out.

[@markschlehr6911]

What inspired the middle eastern flavor and symphonic rhythm of the bridge? I expect to hear a tympany drum going boom boom boom boom-boom-boom boom boom boom boom-boom-boom and a Bedouin tribesman singing in microtones doing a call and response with Buck's lead guitar.

[@Primetimetoons-bx2mj]

Dude who wrote the song was blowed out of his mind when he wrote it, he cant remember even writing it. It just went and he went with it.

[@gordonteats298]

DON'T FEAR THE PEOPLE by APOLOGETIX a great parody of that song

[@anthonypanneton923]

I saw them live once in the late '70s. I went to the show because Cheap Trick was the opening act, and I wanted to see them. I didn't really care about BOC. They weren't bad, but they weren't great either. Especially following Cheap Trick. I was impressed by the last song they did - where all of them were at the edge of the stage playing electric guitars, including the drummer. That really worked and what they were playing sounded really good. But I have to say, much of their show was rather pedestrian.

[@ItsAMadHouse360]

Always made me think of Vampires, or ghosts.

[@user-mu9cw8xe4r]

Gotta love Al Bouchard saying "It coulda been me on The Band of Gypsies...!" Good story by Albert B; and good interviews of a band that too many people saw as a one-hit wonder. Fear the Reaper or not. Other great songs, jams and musicianship in general by Blue Oyster Cult The Last Days of May Astronomy This Ain't the Summer of Love Sinful Love Godzilla The Golden Age of Leather I Love the Night R U Ready to Rock Joan Crawford Veterans of the Psychic Wars Burnin' for You The Red and the Black (Original title: I'm on the Lamb but I Ain't no Sheep) Before the Kiss, a Redcap Take Me Away (this would be my selection of songs -- other than Don't Fear the Reaper -- I would request BOC perform live ... The Last Days of May to be played last or at least part of encore).

[@garycurtis6046]

Love BLUE OYSTER CULT!

[@bigbenguitarslinger494]

There was a lot of occult stuff in it. Manifestation of spirits,candles,it's got some woo woo

[@SunSimLord]

Blue Oyster Cult's ULTIMATE KZbin Archive with TONS of live, historical & remarkable recordings is on KZbin at: 208gerry Please check it out. If you Love BOC, you'll be totally blown away. Blessings. Thanks to this top tier Rock Channel. Number one, in my opinion. -☀️

[@GeV-gd7tt]

verse 2: "valentine is done"... ... ?

[@BluMecker-ox6sx]

BOC are the Greatest more BOC please

[@uscitizen7665]

I thought it was about the reaper trying to convince a girl to take some LSD and jump out of a window.

[@DavePlaysTrombone]

🐄🔔

[@jerryparsons5888]

MORE COWBELL!!!!!

[@Number4lead]

The cowbell skit was lame. Thats when saturday night live was in steady decline.

[@user-ub9tw8gi3j]

Yeah your right that was a real Eeeerrrrr time for SNL

[@plasticweapon]

it doesn't have a cryptic meaning. everything you need to know is spelt out in the lyrics.

[@nunyabusiness3666]

Yes, the song is great, but let's not fool ourselves. The song is clearly about suicide. This is from a band whose symbol is an upside down question mark cross. A mocking of the Christian faith. Literally questioning if Christ died on the cross. If that's how they feel its fine, but to play all dumb now is weak. Just own up to it if you feel that way.

[@kdawgaz]

Honestly never liked the song at all. Not sure why it is so popular. I don't get thirty seconds into it before turning the dial.

[@jamieburgess1460]

What about "Veterans of the psychic wars"?