Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear The Reaper
Oingo Boingo - Don't Fear The Reaper (BOC cover)All of times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain
We can be like they are
Come on baby... Don't fear the Reaper
Baby take my hand... Don't fear the Reaper
We'll be able to fly... Don't fear the Reaper
Baby I'm your man...
Valentine is done
Here but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity...
Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday... Like Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday... Redefine happiness
Another 40,000 coming everyday...We can be like they are
Come on baby... Don't fear the Reaper
Baby take my hand... Don't fear the Reaper
We'll be able to fly... Don't fear the Reaper
Baby I'm your man...
Half of two is one
Here but now they're gone
Came the last night of sadness
And it was clear she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew then disappeared
The curtains flew then he appeared
Saying don't be afraid
Come on baby... And she had no fear
And she ran to him... Then they started to fly
They looked backward and said goodbye
She had become like they are
She had taken his hand
She had become like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
Songfacts:This was written by lead guitarist Donald Roeser, also known as Buck Dharma. He contributed his vocals to this track and also wrote their other hit, "Burnin for You."
This was rumored to be about suicide, but it actually deals with the inevitability of death and the belief that we should not fear it. When Dharma wrote it, he was thinking about what would happen if he died at a young age and if he would be reunited with loved ones in the afterlife.
Due to the lyrics, some people thought they were a satanic band. People turned out to protest their concerts. (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, WA)
Some of the lyrics were inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet. In Shakespeare's play, Romeo swallows poison when he believes Juliet is dead. Juliet responds by taking her own life. This led many people to believe the song was about suicide, but Dharma was using Romeo and Juliet as an example of a couple who had faith that they would be together after their death.
For the lines that begin, "40,000 men and women," Dharma was guessing at the number of people who died every day.
The album features vocals and songwriting from Patti Smith. She was keyboardist Allen Lanier's girlfriend at the time and had also contributed to one of BOC's previous albums, Secret Treaties.
A Saturday Night Live skit with Christopher Walken made fun of the extremely loud cowbell in this song. The band would get upset when Will Ferrell would play the bell too loud, but Walken kept calling for "More Cowbell."
Another version of this was recorded for their 1988 album, Cult Classics.
This was Blue Oyster Cult's first charting single, and their only one until "Burnin' for You" five years later.
This has been used in several horror movies, including Halloween, The Frighteners and Scream.
This wasn't released as a single in the UK until 1978, but it still did well.
Stephen King quoted this in his novel The Stand, in which 99.9% of the US population is killed by a manmade disease called "Superflu." It is also used in King's miniseries of the same name during a montage showing the corpses of those who had been killed by the disease. King often quotes songs in the beginning of his books. (thanks, Eric - Suffern, NY)
This song is used in the party scene of the Disney movie Miracle, which is about the US Hockey team beating the USSR at the 1980 Olympic Games. (thanks, Jerry - Boston, MA)http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1607
