okay, I give, what’s a cowbell in reference to?
It refers to a skit on Saturday Night Live. The skit was in the style of MTV’s “Behind the Music” concerning the recording of Blue Oyster Cult’s song “Don’t Fear the Reaper”. The producer, played by Christopher Walken, keeps interrupting saying he wants “more cowbell” from a percussionist sitting in with the group.
The phrase “more cowbell” has come to mean a more aggressive attitude or effort.