Cochise (song)

"Cochise"
Single by Audioslave
from the album Audioslave
Released	October 14, 2002
Format	CD
Recorded	2002
Genre	Alternative metal, post-grunge, funk metal
Length	3:42
Label	Epic
Writer(s)	Lyrics: Chris Cornell Music: Audioslave
Producer	Rick Rubin
Audioslave singles chronology
"Cochise" (2002) "Like a Stone" (2003)
Alternative cover Black cover version

"Cochise" is the first single by Audioslave for their eponymous debut album released in 2002. The single was released with a white and a black cover. The difference between the two versions besides the covers is that the black version only contains the title song, while the white version contains "We Got the Whip", a live version of "Gasoline", and the music video for "Cochise".

Information about the song

In an interview, guitarist Tom Morello said this about the song:

Cochise was the last great American Indian chief to die free and absolutely unconquered. When several members of his family were captured, tortured, and hanged by the U.S. Cavalry, Cochise declared war on the entire Southwest and went on an unholy rampage, a warpath to end all warpaths. He and his warriors drove out thousands of settlers. Cochise the avenger, fearless and resolute, attacked everything in his path with an unbridled fury.

^[1]

Guitar & bass

Cochise is played in standard E-A-D-G-B-e and E-A-D-G on the guitar and bass respectively. Tom Morello came across the intro riff by accident. He had a guitar on his lap and his delay pedal set to "slap-back" and, while writing notes for a song, he rapidly hit the strings with a pencil in his right hand. This produced a noise reminiscent of a helicopter. When Audioslave recorded this song, Morello did the same thing, with his Digitech Whammy set an octave lower, and using a flat hand to slap the strings. For the opening riff of the song, while Tom incorporates the helicopter sound on guitar, bassist Tim Commerford plays the bass in a gradual progression from open E to playing all four strings open with a fast strumming technique with his thumb or fingers, while using distortion and a Wah pedal. The verse, as well as the solo part, the bridge and the opening of the song is played on the bass with the use of a type of distortion and a bass Wah-Wah pedal at the same time, giving it Tim's unique sound found on the majority of Audioslave songs.

Music video

The accompanying music video, directed by Mark Romanek and produced by Aris McGarry, shows Chris Cornell on a raised platform, presumably waiting for the other members, symbolizing a singer without a band. Meanwhile, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk drive to the platform in a Ford pickup, symbolizing a band without a singer. They take an elevator to the top of the platform where they play atop the platform with a barrage of fireworks being shot off in the background. At the end of the video, they hug, symbolizing that a new band has been formed.

The amount of fireworks released during the filming caused nearby residents to report a possible terrorist attack.^[2][3] This video has also been censored in some places, due to the fact that it has a large amount of flashing lights, and could cause epileptic fits with some people. At the beginning of the video "PLAY LOUD" appears on screen.

This video is available as a "director's cut" on the DVD The Work of Director Mark Romanek and has new footage inserted. There is more emphasis on the strobe lighting and fireworks during the video.

Track listing

1. "Cochise" - 3:42
2. "We Got the Whip" - 4:05
3. "Gasoline" (Live from Letterman) - 4:43
4. "Cochise" (Video Version) - 3:42

Appearances

• Cover version that omits part of the intro is playable track in 2005 music video Guitar Hero.
• It is featured in 2006 film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
• Short clip of it is used in the 3rd episode of season 19 of The Simpsons,"Midnight Towboy".
• It is used in a montage after the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
• It is used in trailers for 2008 movie Iron Man.
• It is featured daily as the opening theme song on "Red Heat" on Hardcore Sports Radio Sirius Satellite Channel 98 (now 158) since the late fall of 2009.
• Recently in the Boston Bruins 2011 Playoffs the song,it is played as the Bruins enter the ice in the first period.
• One of Audioslave's first performances was playing "Cochise" on the David Letterman show,outdoors on top of the show's marquee.

Charts

Chart (2002)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	29
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	69
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks	9

Notes

• Lyrics by Chris Cornell.
• Written and Arranged by Audioslave.
• Recorded by Harvey Goldberg.
• Engineered by Thom Russo.
• Assistant engineer: Miles Wilson.
• Additional recording at Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research, Los Angeles.
• Mixed by Rick Rubin, Thom Russo at Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research, Los Angeles, CA.

References

1. ^ Armor, Jerry (2000-09-20). "Yahoo! Music - Audioslave, Ex-Rage Cornell Band, Announces Tracklist". Yahoo! Music. http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12052276. Retrieved 2007-05-12. 
2. ^ "The Audioslave Fan Forum - Audioslave FAQ". audioslaved.com. http://www.audioslaved.com/modules.php?name=FAQ2#30. Retrieved 2007-05-12. 
3. ^ Monks, Jon (2003-09). "Audioslave album review". Stylus Magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/audioslave/audioslave.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-07.