Cortez the Killer

Neil Young, 1975. Solo by Neil Young.

Old Black and patient, raggedly beautiful playing.

Neil Young's long, spacious lead guitar fills most of this track, before and after the vocals. He plays Old Black, his painted 1953 Les Paul Goldtop, through a tweed Fender Deluxe, and over Crazy Horse's slow, circling chords he picks sparse, bending melodic lines that favour tone and sustain over speed, letting single notes hang and waver. The raggedness is deliberate, making the playing feel human and searching. A console failure swallowed the last verse, and the recording fades as a result. Listen for how long Young lets a single note ring; he is in no hurry, and the patience creates a hypnotic, mournful mood.

Cortez the Killer by Neil Young is ranked #74 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Neil Young and the song was released in 1975. It appears on 8 lists, placing as high as #23 (Gibson.com (via Georgia Straight)).

The story of Cortez the Killer

Neil Young first sketched Cortez the Killer as a teenager in Winnipeg, after a late night of history homework; by his own colourful account he had eaten about six hamburgers and felt awful when the idea struck. The song imagines Hernán Cortés arriving in the Aztec world of Moctezuma, but Young freely admits the history is shaky, saying he had read only a few books and made much of it up. He later described its subject as an explorer with two faces, one kindly and one utterly ruthless.

Young recorded it with Crazy Horse, newly reinforced by rhythm guitarist Frank Sampedro, on May 22, 1975. The sessions for Zuma took place at producer David Briggs' house near Point Dume and Zuma Beach in Malibu. The band settled into a slow, hypnotic groove on Em7, D and A7sus4 chords, with Young in double drop D tuning, and his vocal does not enter until more than three minutes in. Sampedro has been credited with giving the groove its unusual, unhurried lean.

As the take rolled on, a circuit in the mixing console failed and a final verse was never captured, which is why the track fades at about seven and a half minutes. Briggs recalled Young shrugging that he had never liked that verse anyway. Zuma was released by Reprise in November 1975. The song was banned in Franco's Spain, and after Franco's death the album listed it there as Cortez, Cortez. The missing verse was finally heard in April 2024.

The solo

Cortez the Killer is built around Neil Young's long, spacious lead guitar, which fills most of the track before and after the vocals. Young plays Old Black, the 1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop that had been painted black before he traded Jim Messina for it around 1968, fitted with a Gibson Firebird pickup in the bridge position and a Bigsby vibrato; his long-standing amp is a tweed Fender Deluxe. Over Crazy Horse's slow, circling chords in double drop D tuning, he plays sparse, bending melodic lines that favour tone, sustain and feedback-edged grit over speed, letting single notes hang and waver. The console failure that swallowed the last verse also dictates the recording's fade. Guitar World ranked it No. 39 among the 100 greatest guitar solos.

Legacy

Cortez the Killer is one of the defining Neil Young and Crazy Horse performances and a template for slow-burning guitar jams. Guitar World placed its solo at No. 39 among the greatest ever, and Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 329 on its 500 Greatest Songs, even while noting its historical liberties. It has become a favourite for improvising bands, inspiring extended versions by Built to Spill, Dave Matthews Band with Warren Haynes, and J Mascis, and it remains a centrepiece of Young's electric concerts.

Top 10 facts about Cortez the Killer

Young wrote the song as a high-school student in Winnipeg while studying history.
Wikipedia
Young admitted in Jimmy McDonough's biography Shakey that much of the song's history was invented.
Wikipedia
A mixing-console circuit failed during the take, losing the last verse; Young said he never liked it anyway.
Wikipedia
The long-lost final verse was performed for the first time in April 2024 on a Crazy Horse tour.
Wikipedia: Zuma
The song was banned in Franco's Spain and later listed there as Cortez, Cortez.
Wikipedia
Young's vocal does not come in until roughly 3:22, one of rock's longest introductions.
Songfacts
Old Black is a 1953 Les Paul Goldtop fitted with a Firebird bridge pickup and a Bigsby vibrato, maintained by tech Larry Cragg.
Wikipedia: Old Black
Young got Old Black from Buffalo Springfield bandmate Jim Messina around 1968 in exchange for a Gretsch 6120.
Far Out
At an August 13, 1996 show in Manassas, Virginia, Young sang added lines about a breaking ship at the end.
Songfacts
The song uses Em7, D and A7sus4 chords in double drop D tuning (DADGBD).
Wikipedia

Live versions

Live Rust (1979) Crazy Horse concert album version, which Songfacts notes ends with reggae-tinged touches.
Manassas, Virginia (1996) Young added new lines about a ship breaking apart at the song's close.
Crazy Horse tour (2024) The verse lost in the 1975 console failure was performed publicly for the first time.

Notable covers

Built to Spill (2000) More than 20-minute version on their album Live.
Dave Matthews Band with Warren Haynes (2003) Performed at the Central Park Concert.
David Rawlings (2009) Medley with a Bright Eyes song on A Friend of a Friend.
Slint (2014) Live version included on the Spiderland deluxe reissue.
Prong (2015) Recorded for the covers album Songs from the Black Hole.

In our lists

See Them Live — #21
Deep Cuts — #36
The 25 Greatest Classic Rock Guitar Solos — #20
Epic-Length Solos — #17
Played on a Les Paul — #20

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Cortez the Killer?

Neil Young played the solo on Neil Young's Cortez the Killer (1975).

What guitar was used on the Cortez the Killer solo?

A gibson les paul (old black) through a Fender Deluxe amp, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Cortez the Killer rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#74 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 8 of them.

Who wrote Cortez the Killer?

Neil Young wrote it alone, beginning it as a high-school student in Winnipeg.

What album is Cortez the Killer on?

It appears on Zuma, recorded with Crazy Horse and released in November 1975.

What guitar does Neil Young play on Cortez the Killer?

His famous Old Black, a 1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop painted black and fitted with a Firebird bridge pickup.

Why does Cortez the Killer fade out?

A console circuit failed during the take, cutting off the final verse, so the recording fades at about 7:30.

Is Cortez the Killer historically accurate?

Not really; Young admits he made much of it up and meant it as a reflection rather than a history lesson.