“Forty grand leaving, and then coming back again, every day. The song’s crucial line: ‘ Forty thousand men and women every day’ was a ball-park figure of how many people Roeser believed would pass away in any given 24 hours: “I had no way of knowing the exact numbers for sure, it was just guesstimate on my part.”Īnd the following reference: ‘ Another forty thousand every day – we can be like they are’ alluded to spirits being reborn in earthly form to replace those that had died? “And Patti Smith was in our circle at the time,” he adds, “but she didn’t sing on that particular track.” My general health is good again now, but the incident definitely provided me with some timely food for thought. “Of course, it did cause me to start pondering my own mortality. “I wasn’t what you’d call close to death, but a doctor did diagnose that I had a heart condition,” he says of that illness. The other is that Patti Smith supplies backing vocals on it. ![]() One is that an almost fatal health scare of his own had given him the idea for it. Roeser also puts paid to another couple of persistent myths surrounding … Reaper. “It’s not necessarily about suicide, but of course the Romeo and Juliet part was what made people believe that had inspired the song.” “They’re just a couple whose love – you assume – survives suicide,” he explains. In October 2022, Blue Öyster Cult supported Deep Purple at a series of shows in the UK.With its lyrical reference to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet being ‘ together in eternity’, it’s easy to see why people might assume the song is about a suicide pact. So, I’m riding that horse in the direction it’s going.”īlue Öyster Cult released their 15th album, The Symbol Remains, in 2020. If the cowbell has been at all an annoyance for Blue Öyster Cult, it’s got to be 10 times worse for Christopher Walken. It was quite a surprise and phenomenal in its endurance and the way it’s worked its way into the culture. “The band had no idea it was coming, either. “It’s really funny,” said Dharma in 2019 of the SNL skit. Unlike Ferrell’s character, Bouchard covered the bell in gaffer tape and hit it with a timpani mallet to keep the sound down. The actual recording of “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” does feature cowbell, played by the band’s former drummer Albert Bouchard. Throughout the skit, the recording is cut as Will Ferrell’s cowbell playing dominates the other instruments. “I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell,” says Walken’s character in the skit. We purposely let people do that, draw their own conclusions from the lyric.” They’re certainly open to interpretation, and everybody seems to have their own thoughts about what stuff means. “But Blue Öyster Cult’s lyrics have always been, not obtuse, but deep. “It’s not about suicide, although people kind of get that from the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ reference,” said Dharma. Juliet then responds by also taking her own life, which led many people to believe “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” was about suicide, which appalled Dharma. In the play, Romeo swallows poison when he believes Juliet is dead. We’ll be able to fly (don’t fear the reaper) Referencing Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in a verse, some listeners initially believed the song was about something entirely different.Īre together in eternity (Romeo and Juliet)Ĥ0, 000 men and women every day (like Romeo and Juliet)Ĥ0, 000 men and women every day (redefine happiness)Īnother 40, 000 coming every day (we can be like they are)īaby, take my hand (don’t fear the reaper) ![]() Further into the lyrics, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” is also a semi-love song, transcending one’s physical existence on earth.
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