Blue Öyster Cult have been described as heavy metal, light metal, psychedelic rock, occult rock, acid rock, and progressive rock. They have also been recognized for helping pioneer genres such as stoner metal and speed metal.
The band is influenced by artists such as Alice Cooper, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, MC5, The Blues Project, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath.
While Blue Öyster Cult has been noted for heavy rock, they would often add their own tongue-in-cheek style. Keeping with their image, the band would often include out-of-context fragments of Pearlman’s The Soft Doctrines of Imaginos into their lyrics, giving their songs cryptic meanings. Additionally, the band would keep a folder of Meltzer’s and Pearlman’s word associations to insert into their music.
Blue Öyster Cult's longest-lasting and most commercially successful lineup included Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead guitar, vocals), Eric Bloom (lead vocals, "stun guitar," keyboards, synthesizers), Allen Lanier (keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Joe Bouchard (bass, backing vocals), Albert Bouchard (drums, percussion, backing vocals). The band's current lineup includes Roeser and Bloom, as well as Danny Miranda (bass, backing vocals), Jules Radino (drums, percussion) and Richie Castellano (keyboard, rhythm guitar, backing vocals).
ME 262
Blue Öyster Cult Lyrics
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Says "Willie's done quite a job"
Hitler's on the phone from Berlin
Says "I'm gonna make you a star"
My Captain Von Ondine, here's your next patrol
A flight of English bombers across the canal
After twelve, they'll all be here
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
In a G-load disaster from the rate of climb
Sometimes I'd faint and be lost to our side
But there's no reward for failure, but death
So watch me in the mirrors, keep me on the glide path
Get me through these radars, no I cannot fail
When my great silver slugs are eager to feed
I can't fail, no not now
When twenty five bombers wait ripe
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
Me-262 prince of turbojet, Junker's Jumo 004
Blasts from clustered R4M quartets in my snout
And see these English planes go burn
Now will you be my witness how red were the skies
When the fortresses flew, for the very last time
It was dark over Westphalia, in April of '45
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Junkers Jumo 004 (repeat many times)
Bombers at 12 o'clock high
The song "ME 262" by Blue Öyster Cult tells a story about World War II and the Nazi's use of the Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter jet in their quest for dominance. The lyrics are told from the perspective of a German pilot who is tasked with taking down a group of English bombers. The song starts with a reference to Goering, who was one of Hitler's closest confidants during the war, calling to talk about a successful mission. Hitler then calls in to declare that the pilot will "be a star" if he takes down the English bombers. The pilot is Captain Von Ondine and is given the task of taking down the English bombers in a flight over the canal. The pilot references the dependence of the English bombers on the sky, describing them as "heavy metal fruit" as they hang in the sky, ripe for the picking.
The pressure is on for the pilot to succeed, as his failure would mean death. He must navigate through radars while flying at an extremely high speed, making sure not to fail as there are twenty-five bombers waiting to be taken down. He describes his Me-262 fighter jet as the "prince of turbojet" which makes use of the Junker's Jumo 004 engine. He uses the Slugs of Rockets created by the R4M quartets to shoot down the English bombers. The song reaches its climactic point as the pilot takes down the last group of English bombers in April 1945. The lyrics draw attention to the moral dilemma faced by the pilot, who is forced to wonder whether the lives of the Englishmen who he is taking down are worth his own survival.
Line by Line Meaning
Goering's on the phone to Freiburg
Goering is using the phone to call Freiburg
Says "Willie's done quite a job"
He says that Willie has done his job well
Hitler's on the phone from Berlin
Hitler is calling from Berlin on the phone
Says "I'm gonna make you a star"
He is promising to make the person he is speaking to famous
My Captain Von Ondine, here's your next patrol
Captain Von Ondine is receiving his next assignment
A flight of English bombers across the canal
There is a group of English bombers flying over the canal
After twelve, they'll all be here
By noon, all of the bombers will arrive
I think you know the job
The person being spoken to is expected to know what to do
They hung there dependent from the sky
The bombers were hanging in the air, relying on the sky for support
Like some heavy metal fruit
The bombers were like large metal objects hanging in the sky
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
The bombers were fully developed and ready to attack
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
The artist is questioning why Englishmen must live while he may die
In a G-load disaster from the rate of climb
The singer is describing the danger of the plane climbing at a high rate of speed
Sometimes I'd faint and be lost to our side
The singer would occasionally pass out and be unable to help his team
But there's no reward for failure, but death
There is no punishment for failure other than death
So watch me in the mirrors, keep me on the glide path
Others should watch the artist in the mirrors to help him stay on course
Get me through these radars, no I cannot fail
The artist is requesting help to get through the radars and cannot fail
When my great silver slugs are eager to feed
The singer's weapons are eager and ready to attack
I can't fail, no not now
The singer cannot afford to fail at this moment
When twenty-five bombers wait ripe
Twenty-five bombers are waiting to be attacked
Me-262 prince of turbojet, Junker's Jumo 004
The Me-262 is a prince of a turbojet with Junker's Jumo 004 engine
Blasts from clustered R4M quartets in my snout
The artist's weapons are firing from their locations with great force
And see these English planes go burn
The singer is watching the English planes burn
Now will you be my witness how red were the skies
The artist is asking someone to witness how red the skies were from the burning planes
When the fortresses flew, for the very last time
The fortresses flew for one final time
It was dark over Westphalia, in April of '45
The event happened at night over Westphalia in April of 1945
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
The singer repeats his question of why Englishmen must live while he may die
Junkers Jumo 004 (repeat many times)
The Junkers Jumo 004 engine is mentioned one or more times
Bombers at 12 o'clock high
The artist is alerting others to the presence of bombers at 12 o'clock high
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DONALD ROESER, E BLOOM, SAMUEL PEARLMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J B
Göring's on the phone from Freiburg
Says "Willie's done quite a job"
Hitler's on the phone from Berlin
Says "I'm gonna make you a star"
My Captain Von Ondine is your next patrol
A flight of English bombers across the canal
After twelve they'll all be here
I think you know the job
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers are ripe and ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
In a G-load disaster from the rate of climb
Sometimes I'd faint and be lost to our side
But there's no reward for failure - but death
So watch me in mirrors keep in the glidepath
Get me through these radars, no, I cannot fail
While my great silver slugs are eager to feed
I can't fail, no, not now
When twenty five bombers wait ripe
They hung there dependant from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers are ripe and ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
ME-262 prince of turbojet
Junkers Jumo 004
Blasts from clustered R4M quartets in my snout
And see these English planes go burn
Well, you be my witness, how red were the skies
When the fortresses flew for the very last time
It was dark over Westphalia
In April of '45
They hung there dependant from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers are ripe and ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Junkers Jumo 004 bombers at 12 o'clock high
Michael Myers
Can we just take a moment to appreciate the cover art?
Dave H
No
Appreciate the song 1st
Jackson Raulerson
A moment hell ! Been liking it every since it was rendered bru ! As a musician I have ta say !! One of my many favorite album covers !!
Super Naught
Is that an ME-262?
James Kowanko
@Super Naught I believe it is
Alexander Daniel Garcia
Yes!! Beautiful illustration, and a beautiful aircraft .
Mike M
Saw BOC and Aerosmith in Bloomington Indiana in 1976, Aerosmith was the headliner so BOC went first and the people did not want them leave the stage. Everyone at the concert left knowing the best band there that night was Blue Oyster Cult, playing mostly the songs off this album! This album is in my top 5 all time rock albums!
Steven Wilkinson
While other bands of that time postured, posed & believed their own hype BOC did what they had done for years (after living & jamming together in a large house on Long Island) ... played their asses off as a close knit, 5 piece, seamless group.
BOCfan
I can dig this, I saw Nugent open for Smith, he blew them off the stage!
Super Naught
@BOCfan Nugent is one wild madman, he's been doing live videos on his youtube channel...
Truth, logic, and common sense...
Good stuff!!!