I think the "Seasons don't fear the reaper / nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain / We can be like they are" line is the real key. The singer's persona is expressing a desire to be free of the fear of death, so that they can properly live their life, or so I hear it.
@, Romeo killed himself because he thought that Juliet was dead, but she was faking her death trying to be free from obligation from family. Juliet came to and realizing Romeo had killed himself with the real poison she had not taken she realized he had not left one drop and thus took the dagger and slew herself realizing though free she would never get the desire of her heart. Both could not see the possibility of the desire of their heart. SUICIDE is the key for Romeo and Juliet for loss of love. Valentine is done. Here, but now their gone. The ability of getting love is lost, then do not fear the reaper. You will not get the desire of the heart so follow me into death. The singer is thinking of one slated for death and saying follow.
And Blue Oyster Cult still goes on the road in the good weather. I definitely think it's a summer song, and Burnin' For You too. I look forward to summer every time and these BOC tunes.
Meaning of the song by the song's author, "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[4]
The band would then go on to catch similar shit about the video for Burnin For You... THEN they released the one for Joan Crawford... which had someone going down on catholic schoolgirls
Though the band insists this isn't about suicide it must be noted that these claims were only made after a massive outcry against the song... which is clearly about suicide. Referencing Romeo and Juliet, a couple who committed suicide, and references to 'take my hand' and 'come on baby' all shift the weight from just accepting the reality of death to actively accepting death NOW. Also, the 40'000 men and women every day, at time of writing, was FAR closer to the suicide rate than the general death rate. If they didn't intend to write a song about suicide, then they accidently wrote a hell of a song specifically about suicide. Don'cha just hate it when that happens?
@@markpayne1748 I don't quite understand why people apologise for saying the the same things in comment sections. What confuses me more is the people that give others shit for doing it. It's pointless.
@@seb5542 You have a point. I suppose it's convention. There is so much in society we've been trained to do without understanding the logic (or lack thereof) behind it.
This could be the most profound song ever written, and I'd still only think of Will Ferrell playing the cowbell with his gut hanging out every time I hear it.
Creepy song about death and ole Will really took the piss out of it! Before the SNL skit, I always thought of the opening scene of the Stand miniseries when I heard this song. Stephen King referenced this song several times in the novel. In the miniseries, this song is playing at the beginning opening credits right when the virus escapes the military lab. Really creepy and scary as they play the song and you see all the dead bodies everywhere
@@willyburger - He was good early on. He was good up until about Zoolander. He was great in that. Anything he did before Zoolander he was really good. Now he kind of half asses it. The same schtick but not as good. The other thing is that he's great in a supporting part. When he's the main character it doesn't work. When he can come in and be weird and not have to worry about the story.
This song is an unforgettable musical masterpiece. The way in which Death is personified as a gentle, welcoming figure is sheer poetry. After the second musical interlude, how the underlying sonic tone carries into the final part and ramps it up across the crescendo is astonishing!
The term “more cowbell” came from this song....... initially, the drummer was supposed to count them in with a four count but the recording engineer kept asking for “more cowbell” eventually the singer banged the hell outta it throughout the whole damn song...lmao
This song is basically the philosophy of the ancient Greek Epicurus put to music. "Death is nothing to us. When we exist, death is not; and when death exists, we are not. All sensation and consciousness ends with death and therefore in death there is neither pleasure nor pain. The fear of death arises from the belief that in death, there is awareness.”
@@jpf7942 Yeah nothing to fear about being dead. Shit we've all experienced non-existence before we were born. Scary part is how we get there. That's all I'm scared of. Be nice to just go in my sleep. Lucky for me. Tough on my family. But I'm not fucking lucky. LOL
I was going to start watching this a few weeks ago, but I was trying to actually get to bed at a decent hour and figured I'd probably want to watch it all the way through.
This was the huge SNL classic skit with Christopher Walken!!! Look it up! “Needs more Cowbell ! “ So funny. Btw Their song Burning For You is the jam!!!! Very fun. Thank you 🙏
I still prefer The Dead Zone, but it is a fine book. And yeah, those tracking shots of the dead bodies in the street are what I always think of when I hear this song - after the cowbell, of course. ;D
I'd argue the opposite Those who don't fear death will meet him quickly - you cannot enjoy life from inside a dark pine box. Almost as important though, is not allowing reasonable fear to become terror and paranoia, taking over one's life and sapping all the joy from it. As with everything else, there is a middleground that must be reached for health and happiness
It's hard to listen to this song without a beer in my hand and smokin' a dube. Every party I went to in the 70s that's exactly the way it was. Good times! 🤘
I honestly can't explain how epic that song is. Dharma blisteing guitar solo....man. The lyrics are about love transcending death. It's Blue Oyster Cults' masterpiece and it is.
A long time ago, maybe 2-3 years ago my son, recovering from a second surgery, brought his ipad down and said "mom, you have to see this guy". I think you were reacting to Bee Gees. I have been watching you ever since.
This is my favorite song in the history of music. It inspired me to play guitar and I play it everyday. Theres an advantage to hearing it live, as there are blistering, long solo outros and it makes this song perfect to play with on my electric guitar with lots of distortion and delays! Please stay safe!!!
When I watched The Stand as a TV mini series, and heard this song, my mind was mind blown! Lyrics to the song are written in the beginning of Stephen King's The Stand novel which I read a dozen times, but hearing it play out, as the mini series began, was absolutely chilling!! Stephen King is, and always will be a genius. You should RU-vid the first 10 minutes of the movie, and catch those chills yourself. In fact, go watch The Stand wherever you can find it.
@Comicbookstoreguy177 When introducing someone to a new artist it is usually better to lead them down the path to the deep cuts instead of throwing them right into the deep end.
I actually don’t remember that. Now I gotta rewatch Halloween ( not that I needed a reason to rewatch such a great movie ) but thanks for giving me something else to look for ! ❤️
@@a-cell4564 Secret Treaties is the weaker of the 2 but emotionally more impactful and dreamlike. Imaginos version more assertive and commanding. Both are so good.
As I listened to this song it reminded me of something I once heard: Not sure who wrote this, but it’s deep: ”Every minute someone leaves this world behind. We are all in “the line” without knowing it. We never know how many people are before us. We can not move to the back of the line. We can not step out of the line. We can not avoid the line. So while we wait in line - Make moments count. Make priorities. Make the time. Make your gifts known. Make a nobody feel like a somebody. Make your voice heard. Make the small things big. Make someone smile. Make the change. Make love. Make up. Make peace. Make sure to tell your people they are loved. Make sure to have no regrets. Make sure you are ready.”
I agree, this song is so deep. It has different meanings at different parts of our life. When I 17-19 this song made me feel better as I lost young friends and it gave me an excuse to live even more reckless, then in my 40-50’s it resonated with me again as I dealt with more friends/family dying still way to young. I’m almost 60 and it still resonates as people I love die and like the song says “Don’t Fear The Reaper” it comes for us all. It’s a timeless song.
@@jjflash1645 You got it right, the song is about life after death. That's the point of the seasons reference as they are in a constant cycle of death and rebirth.
The song was penned by Don Roeser who sings this track and is also the lead guitarist. He was diagnosed with a heart condition and wrote the tune as a reflection on his own mortality. It is a dark haunting, mesmerizing tune in A minor hence the melancholy overtones. The lyric regarding the 40000 is a symbolic reference to the banality of mortality as people die in their thousands every single day. So Roeser was feeling pretty humble about the whole thing. Amazing how such things provide inspiration for what is an absolutely brilliant and highly revered rock classic. It was also their most successful song commercially.
At 5:06 you say 'Sounds like The Reaper playing" the solo. :-) This has been my favorite song since it came out in the mid 70s, and my favorite band since the late 80s, but I never thought of the solo that way. You have a great point! Thank you for giving me new aspect to appreciate on something I have been enjoying for almost 45 years!!
Buck Dharma found out he had a heart problem n was worried naturally. This is when and why he wrote it and sings it. FACT! Check it out for yourselves people. Peace n love . . .
Hi Jamel, thanks for checking out this incredible song! ..so many cool interpretations for each of us are there. This song has always been hauntingly beauty.
One of my favourite tunes, my sister brought the album home in '76, still love this to this day. The music you like when you were a teen always stays with you.
The fact that you immediately picked up the cowbell in like the first pre-verse is insane to me. So buried in the mix. But once you know it’s there, it’s all you can hear
It’s so true. I showed my son the Cowbell Skit and the moment he saw Wil Ferrell hit the cowbell he turned to me and said I’ll never hear this song the same way again. 😂😂
I saw BOC at the Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY in the late '80's. I went with a buddy that was supposed to meet up with two dudes that were absolute die-hard BOC fans. We didn't run into those guys until the show was over when we went to the bar for some beers. While we were all getting drinks, Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma stepped up to the bar. Those two die-hard fans started asking them what the lyrics to a bunch of their songs meant. Nearly in harmony, they both shouted, "they're just songs man, it don't mean sh*t". They went on to say that their manager, Sandy wrote some of the lyrics that those guys were so obsessed about. Those dudes were like two popped balloons; totally deflated. An experience I'll never forget. BTW, I nearly fell out of my chair when you mentioned the cowbell. The SNL skit is a classic. More cowbell.
Excellent Choice.....LOVE THIS BAND !!!....YOU ARE RIGHT....THIS IS THE SONG...WILL FARREL COWBELLED TO ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE WITH CHRISTOPHER WALKEN....MORE COWBELL !!!!!!!
Very, very close about the meaning of the lyrics. It was about an elderly lady on her deathbed, afraid of dying, being visited by the spirit of her beloved husband. He is reassuring her, there is nothing to fear. Let go. Take my hand, Mary. Actually a beautiful love story. (Love these vids. Keep 'em coming)
There’s a movie/film called “the Stand” that’s based off of a Stephen King book. This plays near the start, and paired with the videography, it sends chills down your spine. Definitely one of my favourite songs! (And movies.)
Is that the book with like a chess game on the cover??? Random question. I just remember trying to read it when I was a kid and giving up. I was a nerd, reading pretty big adult books by 4th/5th grade - read IT, read the talisman, read the shining, loved his books, and I feel like I remember the stand and being really pissed that I just couldn’t get into it. I should try it as an adult and see how I do now lol
@@taniele84 It is also a book... I'm not sure about the cover; most books have more than one cover design anyway. Sadly I've never read the book, but I do plan to sometime.
This was my jam when I was high school, albeit 25+ years later lol. Godzilla is a must for BOC. BOC would lead me to Golden Earring, another incredible band that is severely underrated. Radar love and Twilight Zone. Still here for Zappa!
@@aquemeni1979 It's gotta be the live version of "Cities on Flame with Rock n Roll" from the On Your Feet or on Your Knees live album. I love that version.
@@reallymysterious4393 🎵"Bad Company, til the day I die"🎵 I once had an opportunity to see the Firm in concert and I had to turn it down. It still hurts to this day.
Buck Dharma himself has explained that this isn't about suicide. He wrote it as an ode to his wife, hoping that their love would transcend their deaths. That hopefully one day they'd meet up on the other side and continue their love affair. The 40 000 reference is about the amount of people who die every day, that death is inevitable and there is no use fearing it. It's a song about optimism in what lies beyond.
Being a fan of good drum work, you need to check out Golden Earring - Radar Love. I have trouble keeping my speed down when I’m driving home and this song comes on.
The song that took on mortality, generated the all time best SNL skit and featured one of my favorite guitar riffs. Performed live in 2002 with more cowbell. The song, written and sung by lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, deals with eternal love and the inevitability of death. Dharma wrote the song while picturing an early death for himself after being diagnosed with a heart defect. Good therapy apparently. Check out the live version at the Jammys in 2002.
Jamal, had the worst week ever. Plopped down and watched this and I’m crying with happy tears. You make a difference in my life, for the better! God bless you!!! Laurie
I think this song is about eternal love and embracing the inevitability of death. It was a dark, edgy concept at the time of the songs release. When band member Buck Dharma was writing the lyrics, he was just guessing when he penned the line, "Forty thousand men and women every day" . It was 1976 and he was off by about 100,000.
My Dad, for some odd reason gave me a disclaimer before he played this song for me, stating: “this isn’t a song that promotes suicide. It’s a song that you accept and be at peace when death finds you. Don’t seek death, but if it finds you, be at peace with it.” I always found this song soothing and gentle. It’s a beautiful reminder that no matter who you are, no matter your station in life, Death is the greatest equaliser. We’re not alone, and we are one amongst many who pass away daily. The protagonist in this song, to me, is simply having a beautiful vision before she passes and slips into a good death. I hope to have a similar experience once my time comes.
Almost everyone in the band handled lead vocals at one time or another. Guitarist Eric Bloom sang the most songs for the group. But lead guitarist Buck Dharma sang their two biggest hits, this song and "Burnin' For You." He also sang one of my favorite BOC songs "I Love the Night."
The Allen Lanier sung True Confessions is one of my favorites from this same album. Agents of Fortune is actually not one of my favorite BÖC albums, but the first 4 tracks are perfection.
True story-I'm a huge BOC fan, since first encountering their stuff in the early 80s. I love this song and all those with Buck Darhma on vocals (Eric Bloom is great; but, Buck has smoother vocals). A few years back, I had a cat, named Mr Man (I didn't name him) who adopted me as much as I adopted him from the local Humane Society. He hung out with me and hopped on me every night when I went to bed, to snuggle for a bit, then did the same in the morning. He was my little buddy. He turned out to have a kidney disease that wasn't curable. We did the best we could for him and he didn't complain. However, eventually, it took its toll and he was very weak. We decided to end his suffering and arranged to have the vet put him down. The night before, he came to me, one last time, to say goodnight and snuggle. The next day, we spent our last hours together and he had a habit of crawling on my wife's laptop to warm himself. She usually pushed him off; but, didn't have the heart to do it, this time. He stepped on a key and, somehow, set off a music file of "Don't Fear the Reaper." It was a perfect moment that made us smile through the tears. About an hour later, I held him as life left his body. Forever more, this song makes me smile and tear up, simultaneously.
One of my fav's........loved this song when it came out in 76" , still love it!!. One of the songs that defined the 70's...........in my opinion.......Thanks Dr G
i was sitting in holiday inn bar,,along time ago.. and in walked the whole group blue oyster cult... got around a big table and partied.. didnt bother anyone.. had concert in town and got canceled because of power problem..
Not to one-up you but I have my own encounter. A good friend of mine had a fine McCartney tribute band that opened for BOC in Tampa once upon a time. Great concert and I got to spend some time with them aboard their bus. Good times.
Whenever I hear this song, I cannot help but think of my all time favorite movie - Stephen King's "The Stand". It's an Awesome movie!! Love this!! Now I need to go watch my favorite movie, again. Haha. Thank you for the reaction and the reminder that it's been a minute since I have heard this. A Timeless song, for sure!
