Comment of the Moment: Neil Young & Crazy Horse's "Cortez the Killer"

Hernán Cortés
16th Century Spanish Conquistadore 

With all of the excitement over the DUME album's vinyl release (see DUME Coming Feb 23rd - Another "Lost" Neil Young & Crazy Horse Album),    it seemed like as good a time as any to revisit what  many consider to be one of Neil Young and Crazy Horse's finest moments in the studio: "Cortez the Killer".

 Dume - Release date: Feb 23rd
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
 (see  DUME Coming Feb 23rd - Another "Lost" Neil Young & Crazy Horse Album)

 

Our Comment of the Moment is from the post 1st REACTION & ANALYSIS: Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" by Classical Musician Amy Shafer by Ron:

Late to this but really enjoyed watching and listening to this today. Then again I could quite happily listen to Cortez all day long...

A great comment by LeeKennison and I share some of his reactions to Amy's comments and analysis. 

Like many over the years I have often wondered about the pivot from 3rd person to 1st person which comes as such a surprise when you first listen to the song. I think this comment from @ronaldwilhelm3449 might be the answer though - sounds quite plausible to me.

"This song has many layers of depth to it.

It is a song about Cortez and the Aztecs, but in the context of the whole album, Zuma, it also serves as an allegory to human relationships, which is what the entire Zuma album is about. 

The theme of the album follows the singer's emotions as he deals with a personal break-up. How he blames the woman (Don't Cry No Tears, Danger Bird, Pardon my Heart), how he tries to restart his life (Looking for a Lover, Barstool Blues), how he shows contempt for the women in his life (Stupid Girl, Drive Back) and how he realizes, finally, that the fault is his (Cortez) dancing in and destroying the life of another person ("I still can't remember when or how I lost my way"). 

"Through my Sails" ends the album, with the singer reaching a new realization about himself and relationships. In the context of the album, it all makes sense. It is amazing to me, that the climax of the album, when he finally realizes that he is Cortez, Neil uses an allegory to the destruction of the Aztec civilization. 

What happens when a selfish spirit, invades the tranquility of another person and destroys their world. Since individual relationships, and civilization relationships are all "human relationships", Neil is giving the Zuma singer the ultimate moment of realization. 

[Neil Young] is Cortez." 

Thanks so much for sharing this comment Ron.  Agree. Ronald seems to nail ZUMA themes and tie them in together with the song Cortez quite nicely. Obviously, another one of the more fascinating Neil songs.

Here's a nice 18+ minute "Cortez The Killer" from Barcelona, Spain Concert of Neil Young + Promise of the Real on June 20, 2016 .  What makes this interesting -- awesome performance aside -- is the concert location in Spain.  

Why you ask? 

Did you know that in the 1970's, Neil Young's  song “Cortez The Killer” was banned in Spain because it offended General Franco’s regime. In Spain, Hernando Cortez (or Hernán Cortés) is considered a national hero as the conquistador who conquered Mexico's Aztec Empire for Spain. 

Lyrics Analysis of 'Cortez the Killer'

More on "Hate was just a legend, And war was never known": Critical Analysis of Neil Young's Song 'Cortez the Killer'.

1st REACTION & ANALYSIS: Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" by Classical Musician Amy Shafer 

 

"Cortez the Killer" 
 J Mascis & Warren Haynes Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York - 12-2-23(see VIDEO: Dinosaur Jr., Warren Haynes, Kurt Vile Cover Neil Young’s Cortez the Killer )A First Reaction To Neil Young's Music - "Cortez The Killer" 

 More analysis of Neil Young's song  "Cortez The Killer".

Also, see Perhaps the Longest Version of "Cortez the Killer"  Ever @ 22 minutes?! 

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1st REACTION & ANALYSIS: Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" by Classical Musician Amy Shafer

Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" 

Reaction by Classical Musician Amy Shafer

Here's another one of those "Reaction" videos that seems to be a "Trend" on the Tube of You's these days.

Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer.  (Thanks Bob G.!)

Here is reaction and analysis of Neil Young's song "Cortez the Killer". 

 

If you haven't checked out these types of reaction videos before, they're pretty cool to watch just for the physical reactions themselves. 

More analysis of Neil Young's song  "Cortez The Killer".

More on "Reaction" videos:

REACTION & ANALYSIS: Neil Young's "Old Man" by Vocal Coach / Opera Singer Elizabeth Zharoff 

 

First Listen Reaction: "Danger Bird" by NEIL YOUNG and CRAZY HORSE | PERK'S reCAP A First Reaction To Neil Young's Music - "Cortez The Killer"  

Reaction To Hearing Neil Young For The 1st Time 

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Some Thoughts on New Video "Oh Susannah" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Music Video for "Oh Susannah" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
(Click photo to enlarge)

Tuesday's release of a video for "Oh Susannah" , from the upcoming album Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, has been well received by fans based on early comments.

Obviously, one of the most surprising aspects of the video is what it isn't. That is to say, this is not a music video of a bunch of old guys rockin' out in a barn somewhere in Northern California but rather a simple video bringing a deeper meaning to an old Americana folk classic.

Here's what Jill has to say:

I love it, song and video, and I`m just so glad to hear the Horse back in action.

When I first watched it my initial reaction when the little boy lit up his cigarette was to shout “no, don`t let him smoke it!!” But that`s how it was, and Neil has never been one to shy away from the truth or from controversy.

I think there`s also a message here that even when times are hard, especially when times are hard maybe, making music is always there as a comfort and an inspiration, that`s where these old songs came from and what links us together. I loved the version Neil did with Dave Matthews at Bridge last year, but I think this rocks even more, and the beautiful vocals of the children`s choir give the song a lift at just the right time.

Brilliant stuff as always, and I`m looking forward to hearing the rest of the album.

Another comment from HuffingtonPost.com by jephman:

Say what you want about Crazy Horse but Neil got the sound he wanted.

Unconventional? Yes but no band to this day can really mimic that sound and confuse it with another band. The members of Crazy Horse aren't full of themselves which made it easy for Neil to work with and get what he wanted.

There will come a day when the genius of this man is heralded for all his contributions from the unplugged acoustic type sessions to Crazy Horse. He was also very good with lyrics which ranged from heartfelt love songs to insightful sarcasm. Either way his music was something you could have some fun with and somehow you could tell he would be just a great person to know.

It appears that the film is from documentary footage of the Dust Bowl/Depression era 1930's. Such footage captured an often unspoken reality of widespread poverty in American life at the time.

So for those who might fail to see the connection between the Depression era 1930's and today... well look around. It's not a pretty sight. The reality of life in Americana has not changed for the better, for all too many of whom live and struggle under very harsh, brutal conditions.

The fantasy world portrayed on your TeeVee is in no way, shape or form anywhere close to what the world is truly like. Today, we are living John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath and the ghost of Tom Joad surrounds us.

Here's a comment by Matthew L. in response to some of our thoughts:

Good assessment on the meaning of the video.

Kind of fits with Neil and the band putting their own faces on the concept of Americana. The troubles and struggles of life continue unabated, and, as Americana in general tends to reflect the less glamorous realities of everyday life in early American history, it projects very well right on top of today's realities. A lot of the iconography has changed, but many of the basic struggles of living continue. We focus so much on glamour, that we miss the reality around us.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Indeed. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was.

We await additional videos from Americana. And we think we'll continue to be pleasantly surprised by Neil's unconventional approach to conventional Americana.

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