(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Encyclopedia
" The Reaper" is a song by the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...

 from their 1976
1976 in music
-January–February:*January 5 – Former Beatles road manager Mal Evans is shot dead by Los Angeles police after refusing to drop what police only later determine is an air rifle....

 album, Agents of Fortune
Agents of Fortune
Agents of Fortune is the fourth studio album released by Blue Öyster Cult, originally released in a gatefold sleeve in 1976.The platinum selling album peaked at #29 on Billboards Pop Albums chart, while the single " The Reaper" peaked at #12 on the Pop Singles chart, making it Blue Öyster Cult's...

. It was written and sung by the band's lead guitarist, Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser
Buck Dharma
Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967...

 and was produced by David Lucas
David Lucas (composer)
David Lucas is an American rock and roll composer, singer, and music producer. He has written a number of well-known commercial jingles, such as AT&T's "Reach out and touch someone". In 1981, he received a Clio Award for composing the music to Pepsi's "Catch that Pepsi spirit"...

, Murray Krugman, and Sandy Pearlman
Sandy Pearlman
Sandy Pearlman is an American music producer, artist manager, professor, poet, songwriter, and once was a record company executive...

. It is built around Dharma's guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....

 that opens the song and repeats throughout. The edited single version was Blue Öyster Cult's biggest US hit, reaching #12 on the American charts in November 1976, and is listed at #397 on the Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

s list of the top 500 songs of all time. The song's popularity has been long-lasting. As of 2010 it has sold approximately 922,000 digital copies in the United States. It reached #16 on the UK pop chart in 1978. It is a perennial favorite on classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...

 radio stations and is a concert staple for the band.

Theme

The song's appeal is due in part to its use of well-known archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...

s in American culture. "The reaper" is a reference to the Grim Reaper, a traditional personification of death in European folklore. Also, songs and poetry pairing "Death and the Maiden" date back to before the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

.

Lyrics such as "Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...

 are together in eternity" have led many listeners to interpret the song to be about a murder-suicide
Murder-suicide
A murder–suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons before or at the same time as killing himself or herself. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms, including:...

 pact, but Dharma says the song is about eternal love, not suicide:

Later versions

The shortened single version of the song omits the guitar solo from 2:30 - 3:25. The 2001 remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...

 of Agents of Fortune includes Buck Dharma's original 4-track
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...

 demo of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." The length of the version on the 2002 live album A Long Day's Night
A Long Day's Night
A Long Day's Night is a live DVD by the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, recorded in Chicago, Illinois on 21 June, 2002. It is so named because that day was 2002's summer solstice, the longest day of the year....

is 8:14.

Selected cover versions

  • The Goo Goo Dolls (1987) – Goo Goo Dolls
    Goo Goo Dolls (album)
    Goo Goo Dolls, also known as First Release,is the first album by the Goo Goo Dolls. All of the songs are sung by bassist Robby Takac, who was originally the band's lead vocalist. It is the hardest to find of all the band's studio albums, being only an LP, out of print, and not in wide circulation...

    album
  • Clint Ruin
    J. G. Thirlwell
    James George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...

     and Lydia Lunch
    Lydia Lunch
    Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...

     (1991) – Don't Fear the Reaper 12" EP
    Don't Fear the Reaper (EP)
    Don't Fear the Reaper, the second EP from the duo of Clint Ruin and Lydia Lunch, finds the pair taking on classic covers and new songs in equal measure...

  • Bridewell Taxis (1991) - UK Indie single - Stolen Records
  • Thanatos
    Thanatos (US band)
    Thanatos is a darkwave band whose recordings are distributed by Projekt Records.They released their first album, This Endless Night Inside in 1993, a second, An Embassy to Gais and a final recording Blisters . Another record by the band, under the name Illegalteenagebikini appeared in 2002...

     (1993) – This Endless Night Inside album; Projekt Records
    Projekt Records
    This is the article for the record label. You might be looking for Pro-jekt, ProjeKct, Project Pitchfork, or Projekt RevolutionProjekt is a Brooklyn, New York-based independent record label specializing in gothic rock, ambient, ethereal, darkwave, shoegaze, dream-pop, and dark cabaret created by...

  • Apollo 440
    Apollo 440
    Apollo 440 are an English band formed in Liverpool in 1990. Apollo 440 have written, recorded and produced four albums, collaborated with and produced other artists, remixed as Apollo 440 and as ambient cinematic alter-ego Stealth Sonic Orchestra, and created music for film, television,...

     (1994) – single on Millennium Fever
    Millennium Fever
    Millennium Fever is the debut album by electronic group Apollo 440. It was released in 1995.-Album Cover:The album cover depicts a scultpure of the British artist Marc Quinn titled 'Self'.-Track listing:#"Rumble/Spirit of America" – 9:07...

    album
  • Buck Dharma
    Buck Dharma
    Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967...

     (1994) – Buck Dharma covers his own song as an "Acoustic" version on the various artists compilation Guitar's Practicing Musicians Vol 3
  • The Mutton Birds
    The Mutton Birds
    The Mutton Birds was a band from New Zealand formed in 1991 by Don McGlashan, Ross Burge, and David Long.-History:All three members came into the band with experience: McGlashan came from Blam Blam Blam and The Front Lawn, guitarist Long had played in the Six Volts and Burge had played in the...

     (1996) – b-side of the 1996 single She's Been Talking, from the soundtrack to the film The Frighteners
    The Frighteners
    The Frighteners is a 1996 comedy horror film directed by Peter Jackson and co-written with his wife, Fran Walsh. The film's cast includes Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, John Astin, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace, Jake Busey and Chi McBride...

    (1996)
  • Gus
    Gus Black
    Gus Black is an American singer-songwriter/producer from Los Angeles. He signed to Almo Sounds, a subsidiary of A&M Records, and released two albums on the label, 1996's Gus and 1999's Word of Mouth Parade. He covered Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" for the Scream soundtrack...

     (1996) – covered for the Scream
    Scream (film)
    Scream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette...

    soundtrack
  • HIM (1997) – Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666
    Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666
    Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 is the debut album by Finnish band, HIM. It was produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa and guest vocals were provided by Sanna-June Hyde and Asta Hannula on " The Reaper" and "For You", respectively. In keeping with the theme of 666, the album is 66 minutes and 6 seconds long,...

  • Evanescence
    Evanescence
    Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...

     (1999) – Played live. Can be seen on the 'Live At Vino's' Footage on Youtube
    YouTube
    YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

    .
  • Big Country
    Big Country
    Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...

     (2001) – Undercover
    Undercover
    Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...

    album of covers, includes picture of 'Agents Of Fortune', the original Blue Öyster Cult album with 'DFTR'. Also appears as a B-Side on the 1993 single "Ships (Where Were You?)".
  • Elliott Smith
    Elliott Smith
    Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...

     - various shows in 2001
  • Jec (2001) – Titled We can be like They Are
  • Tenacious D
    Tenacious D
    Tenacious D is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. Composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums – Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny...

     (2002) – included in their medley, found on Tenacious D - The Complete Masterworks
  • Unto Ashes
    Unto Ashes
    Unto Ashes is a musical ensemble based in New York City that incorporates madrigal, folk, and elements of neo-medieval and dark wave. Founded by Michael Laird and Susanna Melendez in 1997, the band has released five full-length CDs on the Projekt label...

     (2003) – empty into white album
  • The Beautiful South
    The Beautiful South
    The Beautiful South were an English alternative rock group formed at the end of the 1980s by two former members of Hull group The Housemartins, Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway. The duo were initially joined by Sean Welch , Dave Stead and Dave Rotheray , all of whom stayed with the group throughout...

     (2004) – Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs
    Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs
    Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs is the ninth and penultimate album by The Beautiful South released in 2004. It is almost entirely a covers album; the track "This Old Skin" was originally claimed to be by an obscure band called The Heppelbaums but was in fact the only original track on the...

    album
  • Wolf
    Wolf (band)
    Wolf is a heavy metal band from Örebro, Sweden. Formed in 1995, the band has since released five albums and toured with Saxon, Tankard and more recently, Trivium.-Members:*Niklas Stålvind - vocals, guitar *Anders G Modd - bass guitar...

     (2004) – Evil Star
    Evil Star (album)
    Evil Star, released in 2004, is an album by Swedish heavy metal band Wolf.-Track listing:#"Evil Star" - 6:09#"American Storm" - 6:06#"The Avenger" - 5:41#"Wolf's Blood" - 3:54#"Transylvanian Twilight" - 1:27#"Devil Moon" - 6:52...

    album
  • Snuff
    Snuff (band)
    Snuff are a British punk rock band formed in Hendon in 1986. Their name reportedly came about after a long discussion about names ended up with one of them claiming "That's Enough", which was then shortened to Snuff...

     (2005) – comedic cover on Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other double CD
  • Heaven 17
    Heaven 17
    Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...

     (2005) – BeforeAfter album
  • Alana Davis
    Alana Davis
    Alana Davis is an American singer-songwriter. Her father, Walter Davis, Jr., was an African-American pianist who played alongside such jazz greats as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie....

     (2005) – Surrender Dorothy
    Surrender Dorothy (album)
    Surrender Dorothy is the third album by Alana Davis. It was released in 2005 on Davis' own label, Tigress Records."Surrender Dorothy" is a line from the film The Wizard of Oz.-Track listing:...

     album
    (It is titled simply The Reaper)
  • Caesars (2005) – track on the Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends
    Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends
    Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends is a soundtrack album to the HBO drama series Six Feet Under, released in 2005 on Astralwerks...

    soundtrack album
  • Sever Your Ties
    Sever Your Ties
    The band's debut album, Safety in the Sea, was released on Solid State Records, a division of Tooth & Nail, on July 8, 2008. The album charted at #49 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.-Track listing:# "Voice Like A Nova" - 3:16...

     did a cover in 2006 and then they recorded in (2008) -Safety in the Sea album
  • Scooter
    Scooter (band)
    Scooter are a German hard dance band founded in Hamburg, who have sold over 25 million records and earned over 80 gold and platinum awards. Scooter are considered the most successful single-record German act with 23 top ten hits. The band is currently composed of members H.P. Baxxter, Rick J....

     (2007) – sampled on the 2007
    2007 in music
    This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame...

     single Behind The Cow
    The Ultimate Aural Orgasm
    The Ultimate Aural Orgasm is the twelfth studio album by Scooter. Two singles were released from it: "Behind The Cow" and "Lass Uns Tanzen". This is the first album released with new member Michael Simon...

  • The Blanks
    The Blanks
    The Blanks are an a cappella group. Most notably, they appeared in the TV series Scrubs in a recurring guest role, under various names such as Ted's Band and The Worthless Peons...

     – Scrubs, 2009, My Lawyer's In Love
  • Van She
    Van She
    Van She is an electropop band formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, with Matt Van Schie on bass guitar/vocals, Tomek Archer on drums/sequencer, Michael Di Francesco on synth/guitar and Nicholas Routledge on vocals/guitar...

     (2009) - for the Bacardi B-Live free downloads series
  • Pierce The Veil
    Pierce the Veil
    Pierce the Veil is an American post-hardcore band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2006, the group was founded by brothers Vic and Mike Fuentes after the disbandment of the group Early Times which was formed out of the San Diego punk rock scene...

     (2010) - for the compilation Punk Goes Classic Rock
    Punk Goes Classic Rock
    Punk Goes Classic Rock is the ninth album in the Punk Goes... series, released by Fearless Records. It was released on April 27, 2010. This also features Your Love by The Outfield for the second time to be covered. And also has a Bonus Sampler CD with it...

     in 2010
  • L.A. Guns
    L.A. Guns
    L.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...

     - Covered in Guns
    Covered in Guns
    Covered in Guns is a cover album released by Phil Lewis's version of L.A. Guns in 2010.-Track listing:#"Pour Some Sugar on Me" – 4:23#"Rock & Roll All Night" – 3:36#"Crazy Bitch" – 3:23...

    (2010)
  • Dave Matthews Band
    Dave Matthews Band
    Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...

     - Dave Matthews Band Caravan Gorge 9/3/2011

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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