(DON’T FEAR) THE REAPER
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” is a song by the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult from their 1976 album, Agents of Fortune. The song is built around Dharma’s opening, repetitive guitar riff, while the lyrics deal with eternal love and the inevitability of death. Dharma wrote the song while picturing an early death for himself. Released as an edited single, the song was Blue Öyster Cult’s biggest chart success, reaching #7 in Cash Box and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1976. Additionally, critical reception was mainly positive; and, in 2004, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” was listed at number 405 on the Rolling Stone list of the top 500 songs of all time. (More from Wikipedia)
Patti Smith was under consideration as the lead singer for the psychedelic/hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, and she contributed to several songs by the band, including “Debbie Denise” and “The Revenge of Vera Gemini” on what for my money is their best album, Agents of Fortune (1976); the latter song features the memorable spoken introduction: “You’re boned like a saint / With the consciousness of a snake”. Agents of Fortune also includes the biggest hit single by Blue Öyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper”.
(February 2014)
