More Cowbell! Cowbell Confusion:

So, I am assuming that just about everyone I know has seen the Will Ferrell "more cowbell," skit on SNL. If you haven't, check it out. Chances are that you have been pretending to laugh a lot of jokes at a lot of parties that refer to this clip. And, if you find that you don't get invited to a lot of parties, this may be one of the reasons why. But a lot of people have had a couple questions about this video. So, here are some answers and some interesting perspective on the controversial cowbell.

First, in the skit, Christopher Walken plays the role of Big-Time record exec. Bruce Dickinson. This fictional character is NOT to be confused with the very real Bruce Dickinson, lead-singer of Iron Maiden. In the clip, Walken's character is portrayed as helping to produce the song, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," by Blue Oyster Cult. BOC insiders claim that in fact, Walken's character is meant to portray the actual founder, manager, song writer and producer for BOC, Sandy Pearlman. While there actually was a record exec by the name of Bruce Dickinson that worked at Columbia records, he did not have any involvement with "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." Although, we would later work on the band's Greatest Hits album.

Second, some have wondered about the prominent presence of the cowbell in the actual recording in the first place. Sometimes, people really do have a fever, and the only cure is MORE COWBELL. It may well be that the cowbell was used where and when it was in the song simply because it sounds good. That's cool... but here is a fun perspective on way many bands use it.

Consider this:

When recording, the vast majority of bands will use a "click-track" in their headphones that helps them to consistently play the right tempo and stay on the beat as much as possible. The click-track is not a part of the actual recording, but is simply provided to the musician as a reference beat to play their part to(you probably already knew that).

Sometimes, when you are recording you have a problem with what is called, "bleeding." This just means that somehow, a sound is being picked up by the recording microphones that shouldn't be. This can happen with the click-track. When a drummer sits down to record his parts, he will often be literally surrounded by microphones on each of this drums and cymbals. If the click-track in his headphones is too loud, it may "bleed" and get picked-up by one or more of the very sensitive mics around him. Well, sometimes a cowbell can be an EXCELLENT way to mask or cover up some bleeding of the click onto the actual recording.

Some Classic examples of brilliant cowbell articulation:

"Welcome to the Jungle"-Guns 'n Roses: at about 3:23.

"Reach for the Sky"-Firehouse: at about 1:10 going into the choruses.

"River of Love"-Lynch Mob: full-throttle cowbell almost the whole time!

"Girl Money"-Kix: If I had a nickel for every time he hit the cowbell!

"We're Not Gonna Take It"-Twisted Sister: during the intro.

"Dance the Night Away"-Van Halen: cool cowbell groove in the intro.

"Got No Shame"-Brother Cane: classic 4 count up front and heavy during the chorus.

"Photograph"-Def Leppard: heading into each chorus.

"Shake & Tumble"-Firehouse: no-fear cowbell exploitation.

Did I miss any? Please let me know! Comment below!