Method Acting/Cortez The Killer

Album: A Friend Of A Friend (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This track is a pairing of the Bright Eyes' song "Method Acting" with Neil Young's "Cortez The Killer." Dave Rawlings told Billboard magazine that the medley was inspired during a tour he did with Bright Eyes, for whom he's contributed to a couple of albums. "One of the songs we played every night was 'Method Acting,' which was always a song I responded to," Rawlings recalled. "I found myself sitting on a couch a year later, strumming it... and at some point I realized it went into 'Cortez the Killer,' which was a really important song for me when I was a teenager. I have a really emotional attachment to both of those songs, so it's nice to have versions of them out there. It gives me a reason to sing them."
  • Rawlings told Billboard that Bright Eyes leader Conor Oberst also suggested the A Friend Of A Friend title for the project. "I thought it was nice and appropriate," Rawlings noted, "because so many people I've worked with over the years and played music with are represented in one way or another on the record." Other musicians on the record include keyboardist Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and keyboardist Nathaniel Wilcott of Bright Eyes.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.