The Cowbell: More Than Just A Punchline

_{Amazing cowbell photo courtesy:
Anthony J. Grazioso ©2025}

I’ve complained about this before…

As of 2000, by and large the cowbell can no longer be brought up without it being immediately associated with a certain Saturday Night Live sketch:

With both Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken, in memorable performances.

Let me be clear that I like that sketch. I just don’t love that it seems to be the primary thing many people think of regarding the cowbell when, in fact: it is a glorious instrument that stands on its own as having been a vital part of the beat of countless songs from a variety of musical genres.

How do I love thee, cowbell? Let me count the ways.

It all started when I was playing piano in the jazz band freshman year of high school. We were learning an arrangement of an obscure 60s Latin Boogaloo song called “Brass Boo-Ga-Loo” by Sounds Tropicana:

One of the drummers was tasked with playing the cowbell, and the instrument instantly stood out to me. Its wonderful metallic clang cutting through the mix and giving it an extra pop.

I dreamt of the day when I might get a chance to play it.

That day finally came senior year when a freshman piano player arrived and now there were two of us, almost literally. He looked eerily similar to me when I was a freshman, and in addition to the piano, he also played the clarinet, as I did. (shudders)

When junior-me took a turn at the piano, I had nothing to do, so when a song came up that required cowbell and I wasn’t on piano for it, I quickly volunteered and was given the part.

I embraced my role with unbridled exuberance, once to the point of throwing the cowbell across the room when the song was over. That was probably a little too much.

In the days before social media’s prominence, I once was part of a recurring email group that formed from amongst people from various churches where I played, all of whom loved music.

We would get into all sorts of topics, one of them being “What are songs that feature cowbell?”  We kept going back and forth on that one for days and probably would have never run out of ideas if we hadn’t eventually moved on to something else.

It struck me that there were just so many songs where cowbell played an integral part in the sound and feel of the groove that I hadn’t even thought about.

It was just there. It renewed my love for the instrument and gave me a more heightened awareness of its presence.

Back in 2009, I had been working as an arranger for Sr. Kathy Sherman, CSJ, a prolific Catholic composer and recording artist.

Her songs are mostly reflective and often centered around themes of peace, oneness, the love of God and social consciousness.

One of the songs that she wanted me to arrange for this particular project featured a powerful, repeating chorus with a direct and urgent message about taking a stand against gun violence. I envisioned the song with a gritty feel:

As an homage to the soundtracks of the urban films of the 70s that were inspired by the civil rights movement.

Once we got into the studio to record it, as the band broke out into a funk groove, it felt great.

But I knew it was missing something.

“It needs cowbell,” I stated. The drummer confirmed that he had one at the ready. Sister Kathy strongly resisted, sensing that the song was already getting pushed to the edge as it was. It certainly was not sounding like anything she had ever recorded, and she wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. I assured her that the cowbell would fit perfectly with the feel and asked her to give it a chance.

She reluctantly let us try it.

It blended right into the groove and was mixed so that it didn’t stick out at all, like I think she feared it would. In the final assessment, we all knew everything felt just right, although Sister Kathy was probably still a bit nervous.

She told me she went back to her order that night and announced to her fellow sisters, “I have a funk song on my recording.”

Back in the late 2010s, I was singing karaoke almost weekly.

One night when preparing some songs, I decided I wanted to sing “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper…”

…or if you prefer, the “more cowbell!” song.

Because sometimes you just have to steer into the skid, I planned to bring a cowbell with me and play it along with the track. Yes, I own a cowbell because of course I do.

Unfortunately, it got left behind on the dining room table.

And let me tell you, without a gimmick? That super long guitar solo in the middle gets awkward. I won’t be doing that again.

What I find ironic about the SNL sketch is that the cowbell part in the actual recording of “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”, is rather muted in tone and not at the forefront, though still very much present and essential in driving the song.

Even if somebody had actually lobbied for more cowbell, whoever was doing the mixing wisely knew not to overdo it and found the right sonic place for it, in keeping with the overall vibe of the song.

It’s actually perfect.  

I know what you’re saying. It’s time to end this conversation and tend to more urgent matters:

…a bangin’ playlist.

Here it is, featuring all different kinds of music with one thing in common. Just the fact that disco and hard rock can co-exist in harmony here is evidence of the healing power of the cowbell.

Some of these ideas came from other folks.

If you have a song you want to mention, hit me up in the comments.

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