On This Day in 1976: Blue Öyster Cult’s Biggest Hit Broke Into the Billboard Top 40 and Later Earned a Spot on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
via BLUE OYSTER CULT / YouTube
Blue Öyster Cult’s Hit Reaches the Charts
In 1976, the Blue Öyster Cult single “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” cracked the Billboard Top 40 and climbed to number 12 on the Hot 100 chart. It marked the band’s most successful single in the U.S., leading to more attention for their album Agents of Fortune, which peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200.
The song speaks about love that lasts forever and the idea that death is a part of life. It was written by lead guitarist Buck Dharma, who imagined an early death for himself. The lyrics mention “Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity,” a nod meant to show endless love, not suicide.
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Recognition by Rolling Stone
In 2004, Rolling Stone placed “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” at number 397 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. However, when the list was updated in 2010, the song moved down to number 405.
Reviews were mostly positive. Record World remarked that the track featured “An ‘Eight Miles High’ guitar line is complemented by smooth vocals”. Denise Sullivan of AllMusic praised its “gentle vocals and virtuoso guitar” and noted the “haunting middle break which delivers the listener straight back to the heart of the song once the thunder is finished”. Nathan Beckett called it the band’s “masterpiece” and compared its vocals to those of the Beach Boys. PopMatters described it as a “landmark, genre-defining masterpiece” that was “as grand and emotional as merican rock and roll ever got”.
Key Album Details
The album Agents of Fortune was released on May 21, 1976, and went platinum. It featured this single and became the band’s biggest success to date. The single itself stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for twenty weeks and held its peak position of number 12 during the weeks starting November 6 and November 13, 1976.
