“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” is a song by the rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their 1976 album, Agents of Fortune. It was written and sung by the band’s lead guitarist, Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, and is built around Dharma’s guitar riff that opens the song and continues throughout. The edited single version was Blue Öyster Cult’s biggest US hit, reaching #12 on the American charts in November 1976. The song remains a staple tune on classic rock radio playlists. In 1997, Mojo magazine ranked “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” at #80 in the “100 Greatest Singles of All Time”. Rolling Stone magazine voted the song “Best Rock Single” of 1976, in 2004 the magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” ranked it at #397 and in 2009 it was named the 55th best hard rock song of all time by VH1. Part of the song’s appeal consists in its resonance with archetypal themes. The reaper is a reference to the Grim Reaper, a traditional symbol of death in European folklore. Moreover, songs and poetry pairing “Death and the Maiden” date back from before the Middle Ages. Lyrics such as “Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity” have led many listeners to interpret the song to be about a murder-suicide pact, but Dharma says the song is about eternal love, not death. The song has been covered an amazing 22 times with the 2 most popular covers by “The Goo Goo Dolls” and “Big Country” It has appeared in 19 different TV shows including “Saturday Night Live,” “Smallville,” “Bones,” “The Simpsons …
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first song i learned on guitar
Thumbs up if you watched the movie “stoned age” and then came here
i’ve heard 2:30-3:25 on the radio before o_o
I think i could listen to this song every day every hour and still not get tired of it!
My favorite rock song of all time
THIS SONG IS KICK ASS AWSOME
dont fear the reaper
the song is about suicide and doing it with the person you love so you can both go to a “better place” so get your facts straight ppl
This is my dads fav song but i havent talked to him in such a long time. he just had surgery about a month ago and i havent heard from him and im only 13. i wouldnt know this song if it werent for it being his fav. its like my top 10 i know that. Thanks dad.
Thumbs up if you got brought here from Zombieland….Also…..MOAR COWBELL!!!!
Needs moar cowbell.
@blaakrose this song isn’t about suicide but it’s about not fearing death and accepting it as a phase. However, I don’t do that pussy shit because I fear the Reaper and would happily fight for my life instead of dieing like a bitch.
This song is all about suicide. I never realized that until I read the lyrics. All I can say is if a person commits suicide, they will have a lot to worry about in the afterlife.
FoxyElianGedeon and ieatmistressshit FOREVER! I have never seen a better match, one who eats SHIT, and the other who is SHIT! You both have my Benediction!
) *astral kisses*
i fucung love that heavy riff!! m/
this song needs more cowbell!!!
@DennisGW10 There was a skit on SNL that included Christopher Walken telling the Blue Oyster Cult band and Gene Frenkle(Will Ferrell) that the song needed more cowbell.
what a great song… i didnt even know about the blue oyster cult until i read about this song in a book by harlan coben… this song was the main characters favourite song…it really is wonderful
has anyone heard the pierce the veil 1? cause i think that Blue Oyster Cult did sooooooooo much better
love it
i am a reaper…dont fear of me…
Why is it half the comments on here are “more cowbell”?
needs more cowbell
lol…i’m high ^_^
It needs more cowbell.