The sketch was written by regular cast member Will Ferrell[3] and depicts the recording of the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult.

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.

He passive-aggressively plays the cowbell very close to Eric Bloom (Chris Parnell)'s ear and fails to keep time with the rest of the band.

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".

[6] SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels was unsure about the premise, though the sketch played well among crew at the table read.

They found Ferrell's acting, along with Walken's stone-faced performance, so funny that they were all on the verge of corpsing and ruining the sketch several times.

[13] According to Fallon, Ferrell's tighter shirt made him unable to stop laughing, and had to bite his drumsticks to avoid breaking the scene.

Co-vocalist Buck Dharma mentioned in 2016 that the song was previously deemed creepy before "Ferrell pretty much sabotaged that" and its initial intent "has not only been restored but also seems to be unstoppable".

In his Gene Frenkle costume, Ferrell played the song's jam block part using a large cowbell along with the band, drawing much applause.

As the sound-break continued, Ferrell elaborately played single "final" cowbell beats, expecting the lights to fade, then began to leave the stage.

"[25] Ferrell guest-starred on the final episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, playing cowbell in reference to the sketch.

to bear resemblance) appeared on the May 22, 2014 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a charity drum-off battle.

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 as Rachel Dratch, Fred Armisen and the founding members of Blue Öyster Cult, while Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith portrays Gene Frenkle in flashback clips of the character.

[33] In the 2016 film The Jungle Book, the character of King Louie, voiced by Christopher Walken, appears after Mowgli, played by Neel Sethi, shakes a cowbell.

[38][better source needed] Some Tesla automobiles feature some of the "More Cowbell" soundtrack when "Rainbow Road" is chosen from the Toybox options and autosteer is engaged.