Cowbell (instrument) - Cowbells in Popular Music

Cowbells in Popular Music

Although cowbells first appeared in American hillbilly music in the 1920s, there are numerous examples of the cowbell as an instrument in more recent popular music. Early pop recording examples include The Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today" and Hugh Masekela's 1968 instrumental "Grazin' in the Grass". The Roland TR-808 drum machine was noted for its distinctive cowbell sound, which sounded almost nothing like an actual cowbell; the sound was highly electronic with a sharp, short decay. Regardless of its lack of realism, the TR-808 cowbell became a popular sound in 1980s R&B and hip hop music, popularized by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis-produced artists such as The SOS Band and Janet Jackson. Its distinctive and notorious timbre has enjoyed continued use by hip hop and R&B artists well into the 1990s and 2000s, as well as by bands in other genres such as Skinny Puppy ("Dig It"), the Super Furry Animals ("Juxtaposed With U"), Think Tank ("A Knife & a Fork") and the Dismemberment Plan ("You Are Invited"). DFA Records are noted for using a lot of cowbell in their remixes.

The cowbell gained popular attention as the subject of a famous Saturday Night Live skit popularly known as "More Cowbell." That skit parodied Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", one of the more successful pieces of popular music to feature that instrument. The guitar riffs and cowbell drew from Born on the Bayou by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Though Queens of the Stone Age have also used the cowbell in many songs, the cowbell sound in their 2005 single "Little Sister" was actually achieved using a jam block, but when they performed it on Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell, dressed like Gene Frenkle from the "More Cowbell" skit, got up on stage and played the jam block part on the cowbell.

Some popular songs where the cowbell has featured prominently include: "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult, Holiday" by Madonna, "Loveshack" by The B-52s, "Come Back Baby" by Jefferson Airplane on "Surrealistic Pillow", "Low Rider" by War, "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" by Pink Floyd, "Tall Paul" by Annette Funicello, "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" and "Disco Infiltrator" by LCD Soundsystem, "Electioneering" by Radiohead, "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain, "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister, "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones, "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)", "Why Don't You Get A Job?", and "The Worst Hangover Ever" by The Offspring, "House of Jealous Lovers" by The Rapture, "Junebug" by The B-52s, "Hair of the Dog" by Nazareth, "Never Been Any Reason" by Head East, "Oowatanite"" by April Wine, Dance the Night Away" by Van Halen, "I'm a Man" by Chicago, "We're An American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad, "Can I Play With Madness" by Iron Maiden", "A Hard Day's Night", "Drive My Car", I Need You (middle eight) & Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey by The Beatles, "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" by Dead or Alive, "Never As Good As The First Time" by Sade, "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages" by Def Leppard, "Good Times, Bad Times" by Led Zeppelin, and "Birds of a Feather" by Tim Curry. Rage Against The Machine utilized the cowbell in many songs, such as, "Township Rebellion", "Freedom", and "Killing in the Name". Guns N' Roses have often used the cowbell, notably in "Nightrain", "Welcome to the Jungle" and "It's So Easy". Similarly, Queen used a cowbell in such songs as "Liar", "Who Needs You", and "Dragon Attack". A cowbell is featured prominently in "Teach Me How to Dougie" by Cali Swag District. A cowbell is used in both the album and single mix version of (You Drive Me) Crazy by Britney Spears.

For jazz fans - The cowbell is highlighted in the opening of "Compared to What" by Les McCann and Eddie Harris, a song that's perhaps known best from their million-seller live album, "Swiss Movement", recorded on June 21, 1969 at The Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Presumably, the cowbell's played by drummer Donald Dean.