“Conquistador” by Procol Harum

"Conquistador" first turned up on Procol Harum's 1967 debut album, and it was written back to front. Keith Reid reckoned nearly every Procol Harum song began as his words, set to music later, but this time Gary Brooker already had a Spanish-flavored tune in his pocket from before the group had formally come together, and Reid wrote about a conquistador to fit it. Brooker sings, Matthew Fisher's Hammond organ swells around Robin Trower's guitar, David Knights plays bass and Barrie James Wilson handles percussion, with Denny Cordell producing.

The song got a second life when the live version they cut with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, released on a 1972 concert album, was issued as a single. It reached 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, their third Top 40 hit there after "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and "Homburg", and it remains one of their best-loved songs.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.