Cortez the Killer

"Cortez the Killer"
Song

"Cortez the Killer" is a song by Neil Young from his 1975 album, Zuma. It was recorded with Young's band Crazy Horse and ranked #39 on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos and #321 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song is about Hernán Cortés, a conquistador who conquered Mexico for Spain in the 1500s. "Cortez the Killer" also makes reference to the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II and other events that occurred in the Spanish conquest of the New World.

The song is typical of the Zuma album — simple, big chords and a bass that sometimes becomes very powerful and fades again. The song repeats the chords Em7, D and Am7sus4 while Young adds his signature solo riffs throughout. It is played in Young's favoured "double dropped D", or "D modal" tuning (DADGBD) — standard guitar tuning with top and bottom strings tuned down a whole tone.

The lyrics start 3:23 into the song. First the words picture Cortés and his "galleons and guns" on their quest of the new world shores. There lived Montezuma, emperor of the Aztecs, inconceivably rich and full of wisdom, but in a civilization doomed despite its beauty and amazing achievements. By immense human toll of building, their huge and still existing pyramids had been erected, and are praised in the song.

Instead of describing the battles of Cortez with the Aztecs, the lyric in the last verse suddenly jumps from third person narrative to first person, with a reference to a woman who is "living there / And she loves me to this day." This line almost certainly refers to Cortez's adoring wife, Dona Elizabeth, who was very supportive of his conquests and who opened several missions to support the children of those Aztecs (and Spanish) lost in the battle for Tenochtitlan. She is buried on the outskirts of Mexico City in La Colonia Hidalgo, Cortez's massive estate which still standing today.

Another interpretation is that "she" represents the Aztec main temple, the Templo Mayor, which was uncovered in 1978 after being buried beneath Mexico City for nearly 500 years. In Mesoamerican literature, the temple is often referred to as "she," since both men and women were sacrificed there and a considerable part of the main temple was dedicated to the Aztec rain god, who is often described as a female.

Young has stated in concert that he wrote the song while studying history in high school. Nevertheless, the song was banned in Spain under Francisco Franco, according to Young's notes for the album Decade.

Also of note is that the song fades out after nearly seven and a half minutes as (according to Young's father in Neil and Me) an electrical circuit had blown, causing the console to go dead. In addition to losing the rest of the instrumental work, a final verse was also lost. When producer David Briggs had to break this news to the band, Young replied "I never liked that verse anyway." The additional verse has not been performed or recorded to this day.

Cover versions

The simple chord structure lends itself to long jams, and has been covered as such a jam song by many artists. The song was covered on two consecutive nights by The Dead lineup featuring Warren Haynes and Jimmy Herring on lead guitars at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2004. The song has also been covered live by the Dave Matthews Band, with Warren Haynes, at their concert in Central Park in 2003, during another New York City concert on Randall's Island in August 2006, with Warren Haynes at West Palm Beach, FL on July 31, 2010, and with Neil Young himself at the 2006 Bridge School Benefit concert. Built to Spill recorded a version for their 2000 album Live that, with several guitar solos throughout, came to over twenty minutes in length. It was also covered by Slint, at a gig in Chicago on 3 March 1989, The Church on A Box of Birds (1999), by The Drones, and by Pearl Jam. Gov't Mule covered the song on their 1998 album Live ... With A Little Help From Our Friends.

Widespread Panic has covered the song several times, including a Halloween performance at UIC Pavilion in Chicago on October 31, 2001. Widespread Panic also memorably covered the song with special guest Jerry Joseph at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater with lightning flashing across the sky as a backdrop in one of original guitarist Michael Houser's final performances. The song was also covered with a long jam at the Jammy Awards, featuring Joe Satriani on lead guitar and Grace Potter on vocals and Hammond organ, with Steve Kimock, Reed Mathis, Willy Waldman, and Stephen Perkins. Grace Potter continues to cover the song in her concerts.

Screaming Females released a cover of this song on a 2008 7" split with Hunchback.

Singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler covered the song on a bonus EP to her 2007 album Songs III: Bird on the Water.

David Rawlings covered the song on his 2009 album A friend of a friend.

Jim Jarmusch, Bradford Cox and Randy Randall covered the song in 2009 for a video on the website of Pitchfork Media.

Built To Spill covered this song on their Live album released in 2000.

The Welsh folk group Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog (The Cowboys of Botwnnog Moor) covered the song in their 2010 Royal Welsh Youth Village set. The song stood out as being one of only two English songs sung throughout the entire set.