25.[Dont Fear] The Reaper by Blue Öyster Cult,
Blue Öyster Cult's death song, a creepily seductive exhortation to go gently into that dark night, became an instant rock classic when it came out in 1976, and has been a staple of horror culture ever since, notably in Halloween and Scream. [Its unconventional percussion also inspired a beloved Saturday Night Live sketch, with a shaggy Will Ferrell cavorting in an undersize tee and Christopher Walken barking I gotta have more cowbell, baby!] BOCs lead singer and guitarist, the colorfully named Buck Dharma, insisted that the song was not about a romantic suicide pact, but its hard to know how else to read lines like Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity... We can be like they are. The velvet sheath of Dharmas mellow vocals doesnt cover the scythe.