This song is based on the true story of three young men from Long Island (Blue Öyster Cult's home base) who got caught up in a drug deal that went horribly wrong. The three youths travelled to Tucson, Arizona, to make the connection, but when they got there, the two buyers shot them, keeping the money and the drugs. Two of the Long Island men were killed, but one stayed alive and was able to identify the assailants, who were arrested. The song was written and sung by Blue Öyster Cult guitarist Buck Dharma, who told Songfacts: "In those days, for middle class/collegiate-type people to get involved in drug sales was pretty unusual. It was an awful story - they went out to Tucson, Arizona, met up with some crooks, and got killed. The aspect of 'good kids gone bad' was a big part of that."
The events that inspired this song actually took place in July, but "May" worked better in the lyric.
"Then Came The Last Days Of May" is a track from Blue Öyster Cult's self-titled debut album. The band was signed to a major label (Columbia) and had the support of much of the rock and roll intelligentsia. None of this translated to major sales until their fourth album in 1976, which contains the hit "(Don't Fear) The Reaper."
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