Since 1946 Morricone composed over 500 scores for cinema and television, as well as over 100 classical works. His filmography includes over 70 award-winning films, including all Sergio Leone films since A Fistful of Dollars (including For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America), all Giuseppe Tornatore films (since Cinema Paradiso), The Battle of Algiers, the Animal Trilogy, 1900, Exorcist II, Days of Heaven, several major films in French cinema, in particular the comedy trilogy La Cage aux Folles I, II, III and Le Professionnel, The Thing, The Mission, The Untouchables, Mission to Mars, Bugsy, Disclosure, In the Line of Fire, Bulworth, Ripley's Game and The Hateful Eight.
After playing the trumpet in jazz bands in the 1940s, he became a studio arranger for RCA Victor and in 1955 started ghost writing for film and theatre. Throughout his career, he composed music for artists such as Paul Anka, Mina, Milva, Zucchero and Andrea Bocelli. From 1960 to 1975, Morricone gained international fame for composing music for westerns. His score to 1966's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is considered one of the most influential soundtracks in history and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. With an estimated 10 million copies sold, Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the best-selling scores worldwide. He also scored seven westerns for Sergio Corbucci, Duccio Tessari's Ringo duology and Sergio Sollima's The Big Gundown and Face to Face. Morricone worked extensively for other film genres with directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Mauro Bolognini, Giuliano Montaldo, Roland Joffé, Roman Polanski and Henri Verneuil. His acclaimed soundtrack for The Mission (1986) was certified gold in the United States. The album Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone stayed 105 weeks on the Billboard Top Classical Albums.
Morricone's best-known compositions include "The Ecstasy of Gold", "Se Telefonando", "Man with a Harmonica", "Here's to You", the UK No. 2 single "Chi Mai", "Gabriel's Oboe" and "E Più Ti Penso". He functioned during the period 1966–1980 as a main member of Il Gruppo, one of the first experimental composers collectives. In 1969, he co-founded Forum Music Village, a prestigious recording studio. From the 1970s, Morricone excelled in Hollywood, composing for prolific American directors such as Don Siegel, Mike Nichols, Brian De Palma, Barry Levinson, Oliver Stone, Warren Beatty and Quentin Tarantino. In 1977, he composed the official theme for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. He continued to compose music for European productions, such as Marco Polo, La Piovra, Nostromo, Fateless, Karol and En mai, fais ce qu'il te plait. Morricone's music has been reused in television series, including The Simpsons and The Sopranos, and in many films, including Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.
As of 2013, Ennio Morricone has sold over 70 million records worldwide. In 1971, he received a "Targa d'Oro" for the worldwide sales of 22 million.[8] In 2007, he received the Academy Honorary Award "for his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music." He has been nominated for a further six Oscars. In 2016, Morricone received his first Academy Award for his score to Quentin Tarantino's film The Hateful Eight (2015), becoming the oldest person ever to win an Oscar. His other achievements include three Grammy Awards, three Golden Globes, six BAFTAs, ten David di Donatello, eleven Nastro d'Argento, two European Film Awards, the Golden Lion Honorary Award and the Polar Music Prize in 2010. He died in his home city of Rome, Italy in 2020 at the age of 91, leaving a grand legacy behind him.
Far Away
Ennio Morricone Lyrics
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And now that dream is here beside me
Long the skies were overcast but now the clouds have passed
You're here at last
[Chorus:]
Chills run up and down my spine, Aladdin's lamp is mine
The dream I dreamed was not denied me
That all I longed for long ago was you
[Chorus]
The song "Long Ago and Far Away" by Ennio Morricone is a beautiful and romantic love ballad that tells the story of a long-awaited dream finally coming true. The first verse talks about a dream that the singer had long ago, and how that dream has now become a reality with the person they love finally being by their side. The second verse describes how the dark and gloomy skies have cleared up, representing how the singer's worries and doubts have vanished with the arrival of their beloved. The chorus reflects the overwhelming emotions that the singer is feeling - their spine is tingling with excitement, and they feel like they have found the proverbial Aladdin's lamp, realizing that the love they had always longed for was with them all along.
The lyrics of the song are simple yet powerfully expressive, capturing the essence of true love that transcends time and distance. The melody is hauntingly beautiful, and the orchestral arrangement by Ennio Morricone adds a grand and majestic touch to the song, elevating it into a timeless classic. Overall, "Long Ago and Far Away" is a poignant love song that speaks to the hearts of anyone who has ever dreamt of finding true love.
Line by Line Meaning
Long ago and far away, I dreamed a dream one day
I used to dream of something that seemed impossible to attain
And now that dream is here beside me
But now that dream has actually come true and is next to me
Long the skies were overcast but now the clouds have passed
There were a lot of obstacles that were blocking my way, but they have now disappeared
You're here at last
Finally, after waiting for so long, you have arrived
Chills run up and down my spine, Aladdin's lamp is mine
I am getting goosebumps and feeling overwhelmed with happiness, as if I have a magical genie granting my wishes
The dream I dreamed was not denied me
The thing I wanted so badly wasn't impossible to attain after all
Just one look and then I knew
As soon as I saw you for the first time, I realized what I had been searching for all along
That all I longed for long ago was you
The only thing I yearned for in the past was you, and now that you are here, everything feels complete
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind