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Coffee Break

Coffee Break: More Cowbell!

by Jill Riley, Nilufer Arsala and Luke Taylor

April 08, 2026

Black Market Brass perform at The Current's 12th Birthday Party at First Avenue.
Black Market Brass perform at The Current's 12th Birthday Party at First Avenue.Nate Ryan | MPR

If there is one thing that we learned from Saturday Night Live, it’s that sometimes we need just a little more cowbell. The sketch that featured the popular percussion instrument was written (and starred in) by Will Ferrell, and it debuted on the show on this day in 2000.

From The Current: April 8 in Music History: The Lumineers released 'Cleopatra'

In the sketch, Ferrell portrays a fictional session musician named Gene Frenkle in a recording session for Blue Öyster Cult’s song, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” That’s when he’s joined by Christopher Walken, who plays a music producer named Bruce Dickinson, and Walken says the famous line, “I’ve got a fever … and the only prescription is more cowbell.”

The skit became a hit for SNL, and the phrase “more cowbell” became popular enough that even the Cambridge Dictionary defined it as “an extra quality that will make something or someone better.”

Let’s create a playlist to celebrate the sketch and the instrument itself… because what we need today is more cowbell.

So for today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs that feature the sound of a cowbell would you like to hear?


Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

Have an idea for a Coffee Break topic? Submit your idea for a future theme and browse past Coffee Breaks in our archive.

Songs Played

Blue Oyster Cult- (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Sheila E.- The Glamorous Life
War- Low Rider
Rage Against The Machine- Killing in the Name
Lipps Inc.- Funkytown
Beastie Boys- Hey Ladies
Fleetwood Mac- Gold Dust Woman