Blue Öyster Cult

Blue Öyster Cult was a hard rock band popular in the seventies and eighties. They were phenomenally successful, with numerous bestselling albums and six rock hits with The Reaper being an additional pop hit. Two concert albums were bestsellers. The Reaper was parodied on popular latenight comedy show Saturday Night Live for needing "more cowbell", where the group attempts to play the song while the cast adds cowbell in dumb ways (the song actually has a subtle amount of cowbell). The Reaper has been controversial for its lyrics seeming to promote suicide, but the band claims it is about "accepting death for what it is". The song has become a classic rock staple. Their name uses a "heavy metal umlaut" to make themselves look European when in fact they are American.