(Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#12); 1976
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The band-that-would-become Blue Oyster Cult began life as Soft White Underbelly – from a Winston Churchill quote – in 1967, guided by rock writers Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzer.
Much personnel and musical experimentation ensued. Both Pearlman and Meltzer took a turn singing lead, albums were recorded and shelved, the band changed its name to the Stalk-Forrest Group; all to no avail until 1971 when the now-named Blue Oyster Cult caught the ear of an ad jingle producer at a nudist party gig.
A demo was recorded and Columbia Records snagged them. The group’s first two albums performed disappointingly, while the next two picked up enough steam to go gold.
With 1976’s Agents Of Fortune the biker/occult heavy metal approach had given way to a more mainstream sound as evidenced by (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. Written by lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser and sung by Eric Bloom, Reaper became BOC’s signature song and staple at classic rock radio.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- David Lucas
- Murray Krugman
- Sandy Pearlman
Lyrics Written by:
- Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).