(Don't Fear) The Reaper

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"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is a song by the Blue Öyster Cult from the 1976 album Agents of Fortune. Written and sung by guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, it is Blue Öyster Cult's biggest hit, reaching #12 on the American charts in October, 1976 and remaining in the top 100 for twenty weeks. 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 and in 2004 the magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" ranked it at #397.

Related Topics:
Blue Öyster Cult - 1976 - Album - Agents of Fortune - Guitar - Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser - Classic rock - 1997 - Mojo - Rolling Stone - 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

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The reaper is a reference to the Grim reaper a traditional personification of death in European-based folklore.

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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, though Roeser has attempted to explain it as just a song about love lasting for eternity.

Related Topics:
Romeo and Juliet - Murder-suicide

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