| "More Cowbell" | |
|---|---|
| Saturday Night Live sketch | |
 Bruce Dickinson (Christopher Walken) demands "more cowbell" | |
| Written by | Will Ferrell |
| Cast | Jimmy Fallon Will Ferrell Chris Kattan Chris Parnell Horatio Sanz Christopher Walken |
| Original air date | April 8, 2000 |
"More Cowbell"[a][2] is acomedy sketch that aired onSaturday Night Live on April 8, 2000. The sketch was written by regular cast memberWill Ferrell[3] and depicts the recording of the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" byBlue Öyster Cult.The sketch stars guest hostChristopher Walken as fictional music producer Bruce Dickinson, and Ferrell as fictionalcowbell player Gene Frenkle, whose overzealous playing annoys his bandmates but pleases Dickinson. The sketch also featuresChris Parnell asEric Bloom,Jimmy Fallon asBobby Rondinelli,Chris Kattan asBuck Dharma, andHoratio Sanz asJoe Bouchard.
The sketch is one of the most popularSNL sketches ever made; in many "best of" lists ofSNL sketches, it places in the top ten (ranked number nine byRolling Stone,[4] for example). As a result of its popularity, "more cowbell" became anAmericanpop culturecatchphrase, and it has even entered the dictionary.[5]
An episode ofVH1'sBehind the Music documenting the bandBlue Öyster Cult showcases footage of the group from a 1976 recording session that produced the band's biggest hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". The producer Bruce Dickinson (played by Christopher Walken) tells the band they have "what appears to be a dynamite sound". The first take seems to go well but the band stops playing because thecowbell part is rather loud and distracting. Dickinson, to the surprise of most of the band, asks for "a little more cowbell" and suggests that the cowbell player, Gene Frenkle (Will Ferrell), "really explore the studio space this time". Frenkle's exuberance in following this advice causes him to bump into his bandmates as he dances around the cramped studio, thrusting his pelvis wildly in all directions, and the band aborts another take.
After the other band members voice their frustrations, Frenkle sheepishly agrees to tone down his performance in the spirit of cooperation. Hepassive-aggressively plays the cowbell very close toEric Bloom (Chris Parnell)'s ear and fails to keep time with the rest of the band. The rest of the band expresses frustration with Frenkle, but Dickinson remains focused only on getting more cowbell onto the track. Frenkle makes an impromptu speech to the rest of the band, declaring that Dickinson's stature lends a great deal of weight to his opinion about the cowbell part and that the last time he (Frenkle) checked, they didn't have "a whole lot of songs that feature the cowbell" and therefore he would be "doing himself a disservice, and every member of the band" if he "didn't perform the hell out of this". In the end, the band agrees to let Frenkle play the cowbell part his way. The sketch ends with a freeze frame on Frenkle with the superimposed message: "In Memoriam: Gene Frenkle: 1950–2000."
Will Ferrell's idea for the sketch came from hearing "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" over the years: "Every time I heard [the song], I would hear the faint cowbell in the background and wonder, 'What is that guy's life like?'"[1] Ferrell, who had experience writing sketches for himself from his time withThe Groundlings, first submitted the sketch for the episode withNorm Macdonald as host, which aired on October 23, 1999.[1][6][7] Some sources credited Donnell Campbell as a co-writer, but this was disproven in an interview with Ferrell and aSNL archive of scripts.[6]SNL creator and executive producerLorne Michaels was unsure about the premise, though the sketch played well among crew at the table read.[1] According toSeth Meyers, who served as head writer several seasons later, the sketch was submitted over seven times before making the show.[8] Early iterations of the sketch used awoodblock, not a cowbell.[9] Ferrell re-wrote the sketch when Christopher Walken was scheduled to host to fit the actor's rhythm.
The actors who appeared in the sketch had trouble keeping straight faces. They found Ferrell's acting, along with Walken's stone-faced performance, so funny that they were all on the verge ofcorpsing and ruining the sketch several times.[10][11][12] On "Take Two", Walken can be seen through the booth glass, laughing, as Ferrell's too-tight shirt rides up, exposing Ferrell's abdomen while he is dancing and playing the cowbell. Even Ferrell at one point can be seen laughing for a moment soon after Jimmy Fallon laughs for the first time in the sketch. According to Ferrell and Michaels, the sketch did not do well in dress rehearsals, and Ferrell had the idea of performing in a smaller shirt in the live sketch.[13] According to Fallon, Ferrell's tighter shirt made him unable to stop laughing, and he had to bite his drumsticks to avoid breaking the scene.[14]
While the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" byBlue Öyster Cult does indeed include a cowbell playing throughout, its sound is largely drowned out by the rest of the instruments. According toDonald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, the lead singer and author-composer of the song, the sketch accurately portrays the band's look during the 1970s, but it inaccurately portrays some of the details of the actual recording:[15]
The sketch's offbeat nature, as well as the actors breaking character, made the sketch an immediate fan favorite.Marc Spitz called it "one of the first super-memes of the new century" inThe New York Times.[21] Walken continued to hear from fans about the sketch in years afterward: "I hear about it everywhere I go. It's been YEARS, and all anybody brings up is 'COW-bell.' I guess you never know what's gonna click."[22] Ferrell even speculates that it "ruined" Walken's life.[23] Members of Blue Öyster Cult reacted favorably to the sketch. The song's lead vocalist, Buck Dharma, asserted in 2016 that the song had been deemed creepy before "Ferrell pretty much sabotaged that" but that its initial intent "has not only been restored but also seems to be unstoppable".[21]
Will Ferrell has since played the cowbell alongside other artists, either in character as Gene Frenkle or as himself.
On May 14, 2005, on an episode that Will Ferrell hosted, the Gene Frenkle character made a reappearance on the set ofSaturday Night Live as musical guestQueens of the Stone Age played their first song of the night, "Little Sister" – which features ajam block, an instrument similar to a cowbell. In his Gene Frenkle costume, Ferrell played the song's jam block part using a large cowbell along with the band, drawing much applause.[24]
At the end of the May 16, 2009 Will Ferrell/Green Day episode, Green Day performed "East Jesus Nowhere" with Ferrell on the cowbell. Ferrell's appearance was unrehearsed and it was unknown to Green Day that Ferrell would appear. Additionally, Ferrell was unfamiliar with the song and not aware of the sound-break near its end. As the sound-break continued, Ferrell elaborately played single "final" cowbell beats, expecting the lights to fade, then began to leave the stage. Lead singerBillie Joe Armstrong called him back, saying, "Wait, goddammit!" and began his vocal. Ferrell came to the microphone and asked, "Wait, is this song still going on?" Laughing, Armstrong answered, "Yes."[25]
Ferrell guest-starred on the final episode ofThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, playing cowbell in reference to the sketch.[26]
Ferrell appeared in the 2011 video for "Make Some Noise" by theBeastie Boys, in the front of a limo, playing a cowbell.[27]
Ferrell andRed Hot Chili Peppers drummerChad Smith (with whom Ferrell is often[when?] said[by whom?] to bear resemblance) appeared on the May 22, 2014 episode ofThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a charity drum-off battle. Despite Smith clearly giving the better performance, Ferrell was named the winner and awarded a giant gold cowbell after Ferrell, realizing he could not outplay Smith, pulled out a cowbell after the latter's third solo, whereupon both were joined by the rest of the Chili Peppers (Anthony Kiedis,Flea andJosh Klinghoffer) for a performance of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" with Ferrell playing cowbell.[28]
At Ferrell's all-star cancer benefit concert Best Night of Your Life on October 6, 2018, Ferrell joinedColdplay'sChris Martin on cowbell for the song "Viva la Vida".[29]
In the 2025Peacock documentarySNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, the entire second episode was devoted to the "More Cowbell" skit. The creation and legacy of the skit is discussed from its conception until its live airing, featuring interviews with Fallon, Ferrell, Kattan and Parnell, as well asRachel Dratch,Fred Armisen and the founding members ofBlue Öyster Cult, while Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith portrays Gene Frenkle in flashback clips of the character.[30]
The quote from Dickinson, "Guess what! I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" has become a legendarySNL quote, and is parodied, homaged, and referenced by many forms of media.[31] The sketch was referenced on various episodes ofSNL in subsequent years. Promotions for the April 5, 2008 Christopher Walken/Panic! at the Disco episode ofSaturday Night Live referenced the "More Cowbell" sketch.[32] The cowbell did not appear during the actual episode.
"(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is one of the songs included in the firstRock Band game; when the song is selected, several of its different loading screen messages reference the skit.
Ferrell claimed in 2019 that the "More Cowbell" sketch "ruined" Walken's life because Walken is best known by the general public for his role in this sketch.[33]
In the 2016 filmThe Jungle Book, the character ofKing Louie, voiced by Christopher Walken, appears afterMowgli, played byNeel Sethi, shakes a cowbell.[34]
In St. Charles, Missouri, a marathon/half marathon race is held annually called MO' Cowbell Run. The race name was inspired by theSNL sketch.[35]
AtWashington State University during their historicNCAA basketball tournament runs in 2007–2008, coached byTony Bennett, power forward Robbie Cowgill prompted student section chants of "I've got a fever and the only prescription is more Cowgill."[citation needed] Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets outfielderCollin Cowgill was the subject of similar fan jokes.[36]
Due to its long-running history with cowbells,Mississippi State University has adopted the skit as a part of itsathletic teams' public image (particularly theirfootball division), traditionally playing a clip of Dickinson's speech before home football games.[37]
InThe Lord of the Rings OnlineMMORPG, there is an item that can be used for music generation called the "Moor Cowbell".[38][better source needed]
SomeTesla automobiles feature some of the "More Cowbell" soundtrack when "Rainbow Road" is chosen from the Toybox options and autosteer is engaged.[39]
'You always cracked up!' says Franco.
...Fallon ... often had difficulty keeping a straight face. In a new interview, Fallon recalls why he broke up in the middle of the famous 'More Cowbell' sketch...
Lucas sings the background vocals and played the now famous cowbell
Ferrell, who whipped out his storied cowbell in an homage to his Saturday Night Live's Blue Oyster Cult skit.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)A timeline of the catchphrase
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