Got a Fever? 8 1970s Hits with ‘More Cowbell’
In the more than 40 years that Saturday Night Live has been on the air, few, if any, lines from the program have become more iconic and quotable than Christopher Walken’s proclamation that he wants “more cowbell.” The origin of that comment was a skit which aired in April 2000 and featured Walken as rock producer Bruce Dickinson, who was working with the ’70s rock group Blue Oyster Cult.
Told through the platform of an episode of VH1’s tell-all series Behind the Music, the skit looked at the day Blue Oyster Cult recorded their 1976 hit, “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” Will Farrell steals the show as cowbell player Gene Frenkle (a fictitious character) who dominates the room with his clanking cowbell and quivering stomach. Despite that, and despite the fact that his bandmates get annoyed, Walken’s Dickinson wants more cowbell with each take. “Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!” If you’ve ever seen the skit — and if you’ve read this far I’m guessing you have — it forever changed the way you hear that song. You can’t help but hear the cowbell when you hear the song now, and “Don’t Fear the Reaper” has arguably become the most famous song to use cowbell in the history of music.
While the song did well on the charts at the time, peaking at #12, it was the group’s only Top 40 hit during the ’70s, and one of only two they had overall. You could make a pretty strong argument for the fact that the group was heard by a lot more people, and became a lot more famous, after the SNL skit than they were when they released the song.
Oddly enough though, the cowbell isn’t really featured all that prominently in the actual recording of “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” It’s there, and you hear it in the background, but many songs before and since used the cowbell more integrally and were even bigger hits. Today’s list is a look at eight other songs from the ’70s — all Top 10 hits – that use cowbell even more prominently than “Reaper.”
1) “Hitchin’ a Ride,” Vanity Fare (1970); Billboard #7
This was a big hit in 1970, and Vanity Fare’s second and last Top 10 hit. You hear the count in with the cowbell at the beginning, then again at about the 1:28 mark. That distinguishes it as a “cowbell” song, but it’s not all that noticeable throughout most of the recording.
2) “All Right Now,” Free (1970); Billboard #4
The ultimate one-hit wonder, “All Right Now” is a rock classic from a band that seemed to promise so much more in the way of hits than they ever delivered. And it’s even better because it’s cowbell-heavy from almost the first note of the song.
3) “We’re an American Band,” Grand Funk Railroad (1973); Billboard #1
I chose the attached clip of the band playing live in 1974 not because it’s the best recording of the song, but because once drummer Don Brewer starts singing at about the 29-second mark, you can see the drumstick in his right hand beating the hell out of the cowbell high and in front of him. I’d argue that this may well be the cowbell song of the 1970s, as few songs feature the cowbell more prominently.
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4) “Boogie Fever,” The Sylvers (1975): Billboard #1
In the first three songs on the list we see that both pop and rock recordings used a cowbell — why not disco? Indeed, as you see from this clip and several that follow, disco songs apparently used a lot of cowbell. In “Boogie Fever” the cowbell is ever-present, and if you’re listening closely you hear it almost from the first note to the last. They rode that cowbell all the way to #1.
5) “Get Down Tonight,” KC and the Sunshine Band (1975); Billboard #1
About 15 seconds in, the cowbell kicks in and is a relentless presence after that. More disco, more cowbell.
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6) “Low Rider,” War (1975); #Billboard #7
Then again, maybe this song, and not “We’re an American Band,” is the cowbell song. It’s a tough call. The iconic opening of this song is all cowbell, and it’s there throughout.
7) “More, More, More,” The Andrea True Connection (1976); Billboard #4
The cowbell comes in at about the 15-second mark and is ever-present afterwards.
8) “Play That Funky Music,” Wild Cherry (1976); Billboard #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRr2kf84V2M
Another disco song means more cowbell (at about 10 seconds in) and another #1. At this point it seems pretty clear that the cowbell was the perfect percussion for a disco song.
These are just a few songs that featured cowbell in the 1970s, and there were literally dozens more that I could have listed here as well. All in all, it’s pretty obvious that that SNL skit could have featured any one of many groups and songs for their skit. As it turns out, Blue Oyster Cult were just the lucky ones.
What’s your favorite cowbell-laden classic? Let us know in the comments!
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