“It’s not about suicide, although I can see how people can think that, but that’s not where it’s at": Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser on why Blue Öyster Cult’s (Don't Fear) The Reaper is unlike anything else he's made

Photo of BLUE OYSTER CULT; BlueOystCultA 18A, Blue Oyster Cult, Copenhagen October 1975.

Over 45 years on, (Don't Fear) The Reaper still stands up as one of classic rock’s greatest tributes to everlasting love. Back in 1975, while writing and recording their third studio album, Agents Of Fortune, the last thing on Blue Öyster Cult’s minds was scoring themselves a big hit single but that’s exactly what happened with …Reaper. The track spent 20 weeks on the US Hot 100 peaking at No 12, while it also broke the Top 20 in the UK two years later. 

The song’s breakaway success helped establish BÖC as one of the mainstays of the US  arena circuit in the late '70s, while its inclusion in countless movies and TV programmes has helped ensure its longevity ever since. (On  a side note, if you haven’t seen the hilarious Christopher Walken-led Saturday Night Live skit about the song, do yourself a favour below.