Come on baby, don’t fear the reaper/
Baby take my hand, don’t fear the reaper.
I didn’t realize that Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper” was the song that Saturday Night Live used for the cowbell skit. But as I was listening to this in preparation to write about it, I was thinking “Is this a rock song with an effective use of a cowbell?” Funny. It actually does add to the song. A good producer can make or break a song.
The electric guitars and harmonies are what really stand out in this song. This song is a bit of a throwback. It was released in 1976 but it sounds like something straight out of the psychedelic rock phase of 67-69. I could see this being Jefferson Airplane, the Grass Roots or even The Association.
This song’s message is a good one: we shouldn’t fear death. Just as Romeo and Juliet will be together forever in the afterlife, so will the hundreds of thousands of loved ones when they die. So grab the reapers hand…it’s okay. It is a similar but different take on certain aspects of the Judeo-Christian tradition. I think many people think of heaven as a place where they reunite with loved ones.
Other religions have similar concepts of the happy afterlife: Valhalla, Nirvana, Paradise, etc. Roeser is imagining something very similar. In this case The Reaper would be similar to The Holy Spirit. The Reaper sounds cooler though…and more demonic. Apparently, this caused quite a stir upon its release.
The bridge is great. It sounds so different from the rest of the song. It does sound “bolted-on” in a sense, in that there is no transition and very little melodic similarity. But it sounds kind of creepy, and it works for me. The Moody Blues “Tuesday Afternoon” has a similarly disjointed bridge, which is another link to the psychedelic rock era.
Don’t Fear The Reaper Lyrics
All our 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
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
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
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
Love 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 goodby, 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
Songwriters: Donald Roeser