Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
Home Music

How ‘SNL’ Made Blue Oyster Cult Bring Back Cowbell on ‘Reaper’

rmtsa by rmtsa
July 27, 2024
in Music
0
How ‘SNL’ Made Blue Oyster Cult Bring Back Cowbell on ‘Reaper’
74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


You might also like

Mariah Carey Celebrates 20 Years of ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’: Listen

Bruce Springsteen Boosts Mexican ‘Soldaderas’ On ‘Adelita’

Hours of Unreleased DMX Freestyles Are Being Sold at Auction

Blue Oyster Cult guitarist Buck Dharma said the band was forced to start using a cowbell while performing their classic track “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” as a result of Saturday Night Live’s famous “More Cowbell” sketch.

Written and aired 24 years after “Reaper” became a hit, the 2000 scene features Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell in a recording studio. Walken plays fictional producer Bruce Dickinson, who repeatedly insists that Ferrell, playing fictional percussionist Gene Frenkle, increase the amount and energy of his cowbell playing, driving the musician to the brink.

In a new interview with Guitar Player, Dharma – who wrote the song – said the “More Cowbell” skit altered the chemistry of “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”

“The cowbell [laughs] was an afterthought,” he said. “The funny thing is, before the Saturday Night Live skit, the band never played the cowbell live. We had to start playing it after the skit came out and became so popular.”

READ MORE: Top 10 Blue Oyster Cult Songs

How Real-Life Peril Inspired “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”

Dharma revealed that the initial musical idea for “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” came quickly. “The guitar riff that opens the song just came out of my head when I sat down and played my guitar,” he said. “I realized I had something nifty, so I recorded it and messed around with that. The first couple lines of lyrics basically were stream of conscious, and the story emerged from that.”

The lyrics were inspired by a moment of real-life peril that caused Dharma to reckon with his mortality. “It came from me being diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia, which I’ve had my whole life, so it’s not a big deal; I take medication for it,” he explained. “But at the time I was thinking of being mortal and just the idea of dying early and leaving your loved ones behind, and then sort of getting back together again, imagining there’s some life after death.”

“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Blue Oyster Cult’s biggest chart success, much to the band’s surprise. “BOC were never a singles band. We were lucky to have a few that did well, starting with ‘Reaper,'” Dharma said. “I thought, ‘This song’s gonna get some FM play,’ but I didn’t think it was gonna be big. So it surprised me. It surprised all of us, I think.”

Listen to Blue Oyster Cult’s ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’

Blue Oyster Cult Albums Ranked

They have never been a paint-by-numbers rock ‘n’ roll band.

Gallery Credit: Dave Swanson



Source link

Tags: BlueBringCowbellCultOysterREAPERSNL
Share30Tweet19
rmtsa

rmtsa

Recommended For You

Mariah Carey Celebrates 20 Years of ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’: Listen

by rmtsa
May 30, 2025
0
Mariah Carey Celebrates 20 Years of ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’: Listen

Just over 20 years since its release, Mariah Carey has revisited her chart-topping tenth album, unveiling The Emancipation of Mimi (20th Anniversary Edition). Released April 12, 2005, The...

Read more

Bruce Springsteen Boosts Mexican ‘Soldaderas’ On ‘Adelita’

by rmtsa
May 30, 2025
0
Bruce Springsteen Boosts Mexican ‘Soldaderas’ On ‘Adelita’

Bruce Springsteen pays tribute the female Mexican “soldaderas” who aided the country’s fight for independence on “Adelita,” the latest preview from his upcoming seven-album rarities boxed set, Tracks...

Read more

Hours of Unreleased DMX Freestyles Are Being Sold at Auction

by rmtsa
May 29, 2025
0
Hours of Unreleased DMX Freestyles Are Being Sold at Auction

Another huge hip-hop auction is going down online, and it features several items related to the late DMX, including hours of unreleased freestyles.Hip-Hop Spring 2025 AuctionOn Wednesday (May...

Read more

NYC Council Passes Resolution Supporting Higher Pay for Artists on Streaming Services

by rmtsa
May 29, 2025
0
NYC Council Passes Resolution Supporting Higher Pay for Artists on Streaming Services

The New York City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution endorsing federal legislation that would create new royalty payments for musicians whose work generates billions in revenue but...

Read more

Jason Bonham Extends Tour of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti’

by rmtsa
May 29, 2025
0
Jason Bonham Extends Tour of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti’

Jason Bonham has added a string of North American shows on a tribute tour to Physical Graffiti, the chart-topping 16-times-platinum Led Zeppelin LP powered by his late father...

Read more
Next Post
Luann de Lesseps, Gizelle & Shannon Set to Star on ‘Love Hotel’

Luann de Lesseps, Gizelle & Shannon Set to Star on ‘Love Hotel’

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse by Category

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized

CATEGORIES

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
No Result
View All Result

Recent News

  • Mariah Carey Celebrates 20 Years of ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’: Listen
  • Miley Cyrus ‘Something Beautiful’ Album Review
  • I Ate Everything on Burger King’s ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Menu

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In