The rock classic song inspired by Shakespeare

 One of the greatest writers to ever put pen to paper. His various plays and poems have been essential elements of the cultural fabric of the United Kingdom for centuries, and yet the 16th-century playwright is often seen as archaic, outdated, and of little relevance to modern life or art. In opposition to these claims, Shakespeare continues to inspire countless artists within the modern age, including one of the defining rock and roll outfits of the 1970s.

Blue Öyster Cult has existed, in one form or another, since the counterculture age of the 1960s, but their influences immediately set them apart from the other acts making up the rock scene of America at the time. From the geto-fo, band leader Buck Dharma channelled his interest in the dark world of the occult into his songwriting. More so than that, though, Dharma is an incredibly well-read individual, and the influence of many of his literary loves can be heard plainly within his songwriting.

The band’s defining track arrived in 1976, with the release of ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’. A dark, mysterious, and pretty morbid track, the iconic hard rock song went on to play a significant role in the development of heavy metal. Reportedly, though, Dharma was first inspired to write the song as a result of existential dread and a particular penchant for Shakespearian literature – a match made in heaven.

Prior to composing the song, Dharma had been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, which led the songwriter to reflect upon his own life, relationships, and mortality. During this period, he was consuming a wide range of literature pertaining to death, love, and the occult, which resulted in the captivatingly dark atmosphere of ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’. However, nobody does dark and mysterious literature quite like William Shakespeare.

Stratford’s finest son drew upon themes of both death and love quite regularly within his work – which is partly the reason why these themes still dominate art, music, and the theatre all these years later. For ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’, Dharma took particular inspiration from one of Shakespeare’s most popular works, Romeo and Juliet. The definitive tale of love and loss, it is easy to see the links between the Oyster Cult’s song and Shakespeare’s play. In fact, Dharma once described the track as “a love song where the love transcends the actual physical existence of the partners”.

That quote could easily work as a description of Romeo and Juliet, too. As if that was not enough, the band namedrop Shakespeare’s play within the lyrics, singing “Romeo and Juliet, are together in eternity,” referring to the dark ending of the play, which sees both characters commit suicide. However, Dharma’s ode to Shakespearian romance was misunderstood by many, who thought the song was advocating suicide in the spirit of the play.

Setting the record straight, the songwriter once shared, “It’s not about suicide, although people kind of get that from the Romeo and Juliet reference. But BÖC’s lyrics have always been…not obtuse, but deep.”

Much like the writing of a certain Tudor-era playwright. Shakespeare might not have been the most obvious influence over hard rock and metal music, but the evidence of his inspiration is clear to see within ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’.