(Don't Fear) The Reaper

1976 single by Blue Öyster Cult the song by Blue Öyster Cult other works by the same name Don't Fear the Reaper (disambiguation) October 2024 October 2024 (Don't Fear) The Reaper DontFearTheReaper.jpg yes single Blue Öyster Cult Agents of Fortune Tattoo Vampire July 1976 1975 * Hard rockKelly Boyer Sagert The 1970s https://books.google.com/books?id=9feBCLNhcFQC&pg=PA181 1 January 2007 Greenwood Publishing Group 978-0-313-33919-6 181 Meanwhile, Blue Oyster Cult released two of the decade's hard rock favorites: 'Don't Fear the Reaper' and 'Godzilla'. psychedelic rockMartin Charles Strong Griffin Brendon Lights, camera, sound tracks https://books.google.com/books?id=aSYKAQAAMAAJ 2008 Canongate 978-1-84767-003-8 18 'Reaper' was a one-off return to their 60s psychedelic roots. soft rockAllMusic Jurek Thom https://www.allmusic.com/album/agents-of-fortune-mw0000599232 Agents of Fortune - Blue Öyster Cult The album yielded the band's biggest single with '(Don't Fear) The Reaper,' a multi-textured, deeply melodic soft rock song with psychedelic overtones. March 21, 2019 * 5 08 (album version) 3 45 (single edit) Columbia Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser * David Lucas Murray Krugman Sandy Pearlman Then Came the Last Days of May 1975 This Ain't the Summer of Love 1976 "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" on YouTube Official audio "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is a song by the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult from the 1976 album Agents of Fortune. Written and sung by the lead guitarist, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, it deals with eternal love and the inevitability of death.Simpson Dave How We Made Blue Öyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/feb/19/how-we-made-blue-oyster-cult-dont-fear-the-reaper The Guardian 19 February 2019 20 September 2023 Dharma wrote it while picturing an early death for himself. Released as an edited single (omitting the slow building interlude in the original), the song is Blue Öyster Cult's highest chart success, reaching #7 in Cash Box and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1976. Critical reception was positive and in December 2003 "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was listed at number 405 on Rolling Stones list of the top 500 songs of all time.500 Greatest Songs of All Time https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-151127/ Rolling Stone December 11, 2003 Background The song is about the inevitability of death and the foolishness of fearing it. The singer and lead guitarist, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, wrote it while thinking about what would happen if he died at a young age. He used Romeo and Juliet as an example of a couple who wanted to be together in the afterlife.Ramie Targoff Targoff Ramie Fall 2012 Mortal Love: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and the Practice of Joint Burial Representations 120 17–38 10.1525/rep.2012.120.1.17 1 Lyrics such as "Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity" led many listeners to interpret the song to be about a murder–suicide pact. Dharma said he was appalled that some listeners interpreted the song as encouraging suicide. He instead meant the lyrics as a plea not to fear death, as opposed to actively bringing it about, and said it was "a love song where the love transcends the actual physical existence of the partners".Lien James November 6, 1995 Buck Dharma interview College Music Journal New York City CMJ Composition and recording "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was written and sung by Dharma and produced by David Lucas, Murray Krugman, and Sandy Pearlman.https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-151127/blue-oyster-cult-dont-fear-the-reaper-169981/ 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 7 April 2011 Rolling Stone Wenner Publishing The song's distinctive guitar riff is built on the I-bVII-bVI chord progression in A minor.Rooksby 2002, p. 93 The riff was recorded with Krugman's Gibson ES-175 guitar, which was run through a Music Man 410 combo amplifier, and Dharma's vocals were captured with a Telefunken U47 tube microphone. The guitar solo and guitar rhythm sections were recorded in one take, while a four-track tape machine amplified them on the recording. Recording engineer Shelly Yakus remembers piecing together the separate vocals, guitar and rhythm section into a master track, with the overdubbing occurring in that order.Forlenza Jeff Classic Tracks: Blue Oyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" https://www.mixonline.com/recording/classic-tracks-blue-oyster-cults-dont-fear-reaper-366100 August 2, 2012 Mix June 1, 2009 Mojo described its creation: "'Guys, this is it!' engineer Shelly Yakus announced at the end of the first take. 'The legendary once-in-a-lifetime groove!' ... What evolved in the studio was the extended solo section; it took them nearly as long to edit the five-minute track down to manageable length as it did to record it."Mojo, August 1997, p52 The song features the cowbell percussion instrument overdubbed on the original recording. Bassist Joe Bouchard remembered the producer requesting that his brother, drummer Albert Bouchard, play the cowbell: "Albert thought he was crazy. But he put all this tape around a cowbell and played it. It really pulled the track together."https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46074-2005Jan28.html Blue Öyster Cult, Playing Along With 'More Cowbell' August 2, 2012 Farhi Paul January 29, 2005 The Washington Post However, both producer David Lucas and bandmember Eric Bloom claim credit for the performance.http://www.wivb.com/dpp/entertainment/music/Blue-Oyster-Cult-cowbell-ringer-honored Blue Oyster Cult cowbell ringer honored June 30, 2011 August 2, 2012 WIVB-TV George Eli dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110702084549/http://www.wivb.com/dpp/entertainment/music/Blue-Oyster-Cult-cowbell-ringer-honored July 2, 2011 Blue Oyster Cult's innovative use of a cowbell will never be forgotten http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090917/A_ENTERTAIN/909170308/-1/rss03 September 17, 2009 Sauro Tony The Record (Stockton) August 7, 2012 August 2, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200802183250/https://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090917/A_ENTERTAIN/909170308/-1/rss03 dead Reception The song was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 20 weeks, reaching number 12 for the weeks of November 6 and November 13, 1976.Agents of Fortune http://www.blueoystercult.com/Studio/5Agents.html Blue Öyster Cult August 6, 2012 June 24, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203545/http://www.blueoystercult.com/Studio/5Agents.html dead It was the band's highest-charting U.S. song and helped Agents of Fortune reach number 29 on the Billboard 200.https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blue-%C3yster-cult-mn0000061938/awards Blue Oyster Cult awards AllMusic August 2, 2012 "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" charted even higher in Canada, peaking at number 7. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5106A&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=7a7rmq4tj4spq4av5sjtuq7e75 RPM Top Singles 26 7 November 13, 1976 August 2, 2012 RPM RPM Music Publications Ltd. https://web.archive.org/web/20141101214359/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5106A&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=7a7rmq4tj4spq4av5sjtuq7e75 November 1, 2014 dead mdy-all The single edit was released in the UK in July 1976 (CBS 4483) but failed to chart. The unedited album version was released as a single (CBS 6333) in May 1978, where it reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.Betts 2004, p.89 The song received critical acclaim. Record World said that "An 'Eight Miles High' guitar line is complemented by smooth vocals."Record World July 17, 1976 1 2023-03-04 Hits of the Week https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/76/Record-World-1976-07-17.pdf Denise Sullivan of AllMusic praised the song's "gentle vocals and virtuoso guitar" and "haunting middle break which delivers the listener straight back to the heart of the song once the thunder is finished".Sullivan Denise (Don't Fear) The Reaper review https://www.allmusic.com/song/dont-fear-the-reaper-mt0033404854 AllMusic June 19, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20120821004925/https://www.allmusic.com/song/dont-fear-the-reaper-mt0033404854 August 21, 2012 Nathan Beckett called it the band's "masterpiece" and compared the vocals to the Beach Boys.Beckett 2004, p. 88 Writing for PopMatters, James Mann called it a "landmark, genre-defining masterpiece" that was "as grand and emotional as American rock and roll ever got". Pitchfork also called the song a masterpiece.http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1488-the-essential-clash/ The Clash: The Essential Clash Album Reviews Pitchfork Pitchfork 2015-01-18 2015-09-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20150916041249/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1488-the-essential-clash/ dead In 2020, Classic Rock wrote the song "remained one of the most instantly recognisable tracks in the whole genre, and it continues to turn up in surprising places even today".Dome Malcolm Ling Dave Ewing Jerry Barton Geoff 2020-03-30 The 30 albums that built heavy metal https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-30-albums-that-built-heavy-metal 2025-06-14 Louder en Track listing 7" Vinyl "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (Roeser) – 3:45 "Tattoo Vampire" (Albert Bouchard, Helen Robbins) – 2:40 Personnel Eric Bloom – guitar, backing vocals Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser – guitar, lead vocals Allen Lanier – keyboards, guitar Joe Bouchard – bass Albert Bouchard – drums, percussion, cowbellhttps://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/blue_oyster_cult_drummer_reveals_truth_about_cowbell_on_dont_fear_the_reaper_says_it_sounded_like_crap_first.html Blue Oyster Cult Drummer Reveals Truth About Cowbell on 'Don't Fear the Reaper,' Says It Sounded Like 'Crap' First Ultimate-guitar.com with: Michael and Randy Brecker – horns (their contribution appears only on the extended album track and was edited out of the released single)Refer to the personnel listing and artiste credits provided on the sleeve notes of the LP Agents Of Fortune, CBS records (1976) David Lucas – backing vocals, keyboards, percussion Charts Chart (1976–1978)PeakpositionCanada RPM 7 3762 June 6, 2024 trueIreland2 17 Don't Fear the Reaper true June 6, 2024UK 16 19780709 true UK1 June 6, 2024Billboardhot100 Blue Oyster Cult 12 true June 6, 2024 Chart (2017–2025)PeakpositionBillboardrocksongs 9 Blue Oyster Cult true November 12, 2025 Certifications United Kingdom single Blue Oyster Cult Don't Fear the Reaper Platinum 2005 2022 April 29, 2022 13912-4251-1 United States single Blue Oyster Cult The Reaper Platinum 6 1976 2024 RIAA August 7, 2024 true true true Covers New Zealand band the Mutton Birds recorded a version for the soundtrack of Peter Jackson's film The Frighteners.May 2022 In 1997, it peaked at No. 48 on the Australian ARIA singles charts, the only Mutton Birds single to chart in Australia.https://australian-charts.com/search.asp?cat=s&search=mutton+birds Australian charts portal Australian-charts.com October 1, 2024 Accolades In 1976 Rolling Stone named "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" the song of the year, and in 2004 the magazine placed the song 397th on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"; http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#500Songs https://archive.today/20110718180414/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#500Songs usurped July 18, 2011 The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time May 2, 2010 Rock List Music the 2010 version of the list moved it down to 405th. In 1997 Mojo listed the song as the 80th-best single of all time, http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo_p2.htm#singles https://archive.today/20120908114215/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/mojo_p2.htm#singles usurped September 8, 2012 Mojo – The 100 Greatest Singles Of All Time August 6, 2011 Rock List Music while Q ranked it 404th in its 2003 countdown of the "1001 Best Songs Ever." https://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/Q1001bestsongsever.htm Q – 1001 best songs ever (2003) August 6, 2011 Muzieklijstjes.nl nl When The Guardian released its unranked list of "1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear" in 2009, the song was included. The publication wrote that the song's charm "lies in the disjuncture between its gothic storyline and the sprightly, Byrdsian guitar line that carries it."Life and death: 1000 songs everyone must hear https://www.theguardian.com/music/table/2009/mar/19/life-death-1000-songs-everyone-must-hear August 6, 2012 The Guardian March 19, 2009 In his book The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made, rock critic Dave Marsh ranked the song 997th.Marsh 1999, p. 628 Legacy "More Cowbell" More Cowbell The song was memorialized in the April 2000 Saturday Night Live comedy sketch "More Cowbell". The six-minute sketch presents a fictionalized version of the recording of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" on an episode of VH1's Behind the Music. Will Ferrell wrote the sketch and played Gene Frenkle, a cowbell player. "Legendary" producer Bruce Dickinson, played by Christopher Walken, asked Frenkle to "really explore the studio space" and up the ante on his cowbell playing. The rest of the band is visibly annoyed by Frenkle, but Dickinson tells everyone, "I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" Buck Dharma said that the sketch was fantastic and he never gets tired of it but also lamented that it made the song lose its "creepy" vibe for some time.Spitz Marc '(Don't Fear) the Reaper' Is a Creepy Tune, Even With the Cowbell https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/22/movies/dont-fear-the-reaper-blue-oyster-cult-creepy-tune.html The New York Times 20 May 2016 23 June 2018 en Red Hot Chili Peppers performed a segment of the song on May 22, 2014,Newman Jason Chad Smith, Will Ferrell Talk Trash for 'Fallon' Drum-Off https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/exclusive-chad-smith-will-ferrell-talk-trash-for-fallon-drum-off-20140516 Rolling Stone 31 January 2015 16 May 2014 as the conclusion of a drumming contest between Ferrell and the band's drummer, Chad Smith. As in the SNL sketch, Ferrell played cowbell for the rendition, which appeared on an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.Will Ferrell and Chad Smith Drum-Off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uBOtQOO70Y https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/0uBOtQOO70Y 2021-12-12 live The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on YouTube Google, Inc 27 May 2014 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Video upload 22 May 2014Thomas Sarah More cowbell: Will Ferrell, Chad Smith face off on Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/more-cowbell-will-ferrell-chad-smith-face-off-on-tonight-show-with-jimmy-fallon-20140523-zrmlw.html The Sydney Morning Herald 23 June 2018 en 23 May 2014 In other media Stephen King cited the song as one of his inspirations for his novel The Stand. He began the novel a year earlier, in 1975, but developed writer's block. The song was released around that time and its lyrics are quoted at the novel's beginning.https://performingsongwriter.com/blue-oyster-cult-dont-fear-the-reaper/ (Don't Fear) The Reaper Performing Songwriter 25 October 2011 July 31, 2022 It also appears as the opening theme song for the 1994 TV miniseries based on the novel,Mann James Blue Oyster Cult: Agents of Fortune / Tyranny and Mutation http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/blueoystercult-tyranny/ August 2, 2012 PopMatters July 25, 2001 and was used as the end credits music for the fifth episode of the 2020–21 miniseries adaptation. In the 1978 film Halloween, the song plays in the car when Jamie Lee Curtis's and Nancy Kyes's characters, Laurie Strode and Annie Brackett, are being stalked by serial killer Michael Myers. It is the only licensed song featured in the film.https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/22/movies/dont-fear-the-reaper-blue-oyster-cult-creepy-tune.html '(Don't Fear) the Reaper' Is a Creepy Tune, Even With the Cowbell The New York Times 20 May 2016 22 March 2019 Spitz Marc It is used again in the 2022 sequel Halloween Ends, playing over the final scene and ending credits. https://dmtalkies.com/halloween-ends-ending-explained-2022-slasher-film-david-gordon-green/ 'Halloween Ends' Ending, Explained 15 October 2022 17 October 2022 In the 1994 book The Discworld Companion, by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs, the family motto of Mort of Sto Helit is revealed to be "Non Timetis Messor", dog Latin for "don't fear the reaper".https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/the-discworld-companion.html The Annotated Pratchett File v9.0 – The Discworld Companion Lspace.org 2 September 2022 This is referenced again in Pratchett's 1997 novel Hogfather,https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/the-discworld-companion.html The Annotated Pratchett File v9.0 – Hogfather 2 September 2022 the first reference in the mainline Discworld series. In 2010, Hubert Chesshyre designed Pratchett's coat of arms, which features the motto "Noli Timere Messorem", a corrected Latin translation of "don't fear the reaper". https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/newsletter/item/27-september-2010 The College of Arms September 2010 College of Arms September 2010 2 September 2022 The 1994 film The Stoned Age features the song when a character calls it "a pussy song" despite being performed by Blue Oyster Cult.https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/22/movies/dont-fear-the-reaper-blue-oyster-cult-creepy-tune.html '(Don't Fear) the Reaper' Is a Creepy Tune, Even With the Cowbell (Published 2016) Marc Spitz The New York Times May 20, 2016 The 2022 horror film X by A24 has the song playing on the protagonists' van radio at the film's climactic midpoint. The slasher nature of the scene, as well as the film's setting in 1979, suggests an intentional homage by director Ti West to Halloween.https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/x-review-sxsw-1235203851/ 'X' Review: '70s Horror Meets '70s Porn in the Rare 'Chain Saw' Homage That Earns Its Fear Gleiberman Owen Owen Gleiberman March 14, 2022 Variety June 22, 2022 The 2006 video game Prey features the song playing on a jukebox as Jen's bar is attacked.Prey Goes For The Gut With In-Game Music https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/07/14/prey-goes-for-the-gut-with-in-game-music ign.com 16 June 200610 Video Games That Peaked Too Early – Page 11 - WhatCulture.com https://whatculture.com/gaming/10-video-games-that-peaked-too-early?page=11 Whatculture.com 6 August 2019 The 2013 television series Orange Is the New Black features the song in Episode 26 (the last episode of Season 2) before the end credits roll.https://observer.com/2014/06/orange-is-the-new-black-season-2-finale-dont-fear-the-reaper/ 'Orange Is The New Black' Season 2 Finale: Don't Fear The Reaper The New York Observer 13 February 2023 13 February 2023 The 2021 video game Returnal features the song playing in the background while Selene is driving.Notis Ari Bonkers Returnal Fan Theory Suggests The End Is Actually The Beginning https://kotaku.com/bonkers-returnal-fan-theory-suggests-the-end-is-actuall-1846940511 Kotaku 21 May 2021 The song was featured in the video game Fortnite Festival.Coulson David 2024-03-20 Latest Fortnite Festival Songs Add Muse, Kansas, and Carly Rae Jepsen to the Game https://insider-gaming.com/latest-fortnite-festival-songs-add-muse-kansas-and-carly-rae-jepsen-to-the-game/ 2024-08-08 Insider Gaming en-US The 2nd season of television series Wednesday (2025) features the cello solo arrangement for the song in Episode 6Morris Lauren 6 January 2023 Wednesday soundtrack: Every song in Netflix's Addams Family comedy https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/wednesday-netflix-soundtrack/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20221126023518/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/wednesday-netflix-soundtrack/ 26 November 2022 24 January 2023 Radio Times en and the cello pop arrangement sang by Bella Poarch on original soundtrack. The 2022 television series Reacher features the song in (Season 4, Episode 6) as the protagonist and costar await their death before the end credits roll. The trailer for a 2026 television series Crystal Lake, using the song.https://www.slashfilm.com/2256201/crystal-lake-tv-series-trailer/ Crystal Lake Trailer Gives Us A Bloody Jason Voorhees Origin Story Slash Film Ryan Scott September 13, 2026 September 13, 2026 Notes 30em References Graham Betts 2004 Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004 1st Collins Press London 0-00-717931-6 Brackett Nathan The New Rolling Stone Album Guide 2004 Simon & Schuster New York City 0-7432-0169-8 4th registration https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac Marsh Dave The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made 1999 Da Capo Press New York City 0-306-80901-X Rooksby Rikky Riffs: How to Create and Play Great Guitar Riffs 2002 Backbeat Books 0-87930-710-2 Rock music United States Category:1976 songs Category:1976 singles Category:Blue Öyster Cult songs Category:Songs written by Buck Dharma Category:Song recordings produced by Sandy Pearlman Category:Songs about death Category:Fiction about personifications of death Category:Columbia Records singles Category:Music based on Romeo and Juliet Category:American soft rock songs