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.
Il Ritorno di Ringo
Ennio Morricone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I left one day with my hard heart full of pain.
I have looked in the faces of my old friends,
But nobody looked at me as my old friends.
And now what happens you must, you must tell me.
You must remember who I am.
If you see a man with downcast eys and ragged clothes,
Walking through your village, don't shun him but go beside.
I need you.
The liar who told my sweetheart that I was dead,
To take my place, he shall pay for this base lie.
Those who saw me as a rundown man,
Those who tried to destroy all our world,
Shall leave forever our beloved land,
Because we are fearless men.
Because we are fearless men.
Because we are fearless men.
The lyrics of Ennio Morricone's "Il Ritorno di Ringo" speak to the experience of returning home after a long absence, only to find oneself a stranger in a familiar land. The singer of the song has been away from his homeland for some time, and his journey has left him with a "hard heart full of pain." As he walks through his village, he looks for the faces of his old friends, but finds nobody who recognizes him as the man he once was. He begs for their help, and asks them to remember who he is.
The song takes a turn toward revenge, as the singer vows to punish the liar who told his sweetheart that he was dead. This falsehood has allowed the liar to take the singer's place, and he must now pay for his wrongdoing. The singer also speaks of those who tried to destroy his world, and vows that they will leave their beloved land forever, because he and his fellow warriors are fearless men.
Overall, "Il Ritorno di Ringo" is a song about the struggle to return to one's homeland after a long absence, and about the desire for justice and revenge. The singer of the song has been through much hardship, but he remains determined to set things right and to regain his rightful place in his community.
Line by Line Meaning
I kiss at last the beloved ground of my land,
After leaving my land with a heavy heart, I'm finally able to return and embrace the ground I love.
That I left one day with my hard heart full of pain.
When I left my home, I was heartbroken and filled with pain.
I have looked in the faces of my old friends,
I've seen the faces of my old friends.
But nobody looked at me as my old friends.
My old friends didn't seem to recognize me.
And now what happens you must, you must tell me.
Please tell me what has happened since I've been gone.
You must remember who I am.
Don't forget who I am.
If you see a man with downcast eyes and ragged clothes,
If you come across a man who looks sad and is dressed in rags,
Walking through your village, don't shun him but go beside.
Instead of avoiding him, walk beside him and offer him help.
I'm that man and now I beg you, help me, I need you.
I am that man and I desperately need your help.
I need you.
I need your help.
The liar who told my sweetheart that I was dead,
The person who falsely claimed I was dead to my loved one,
To take my place, he shall pay for this base lie.
Will be punished for his deceit and trying to take my place.
Those who saw me as a rundown man,
Those who saw me as someone who was broken and defeated,
Those who tried to destroy all our world,
Those who aimed to destroy our world,
Shall leave forever our beloved land,
Will be banished from our cherished land for good.
Because we are fearless men.
We are fearless individuals who will not tolerate injustice.
Because we are fearless men.
We are fearless individuals who will stand up for what is right.
Because we are fearless men.
We are fearless individuals who will defend our land and loved ones at any cost.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ENNIO MORRICONE, MAURIZIO ATTANASIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@23RedTechno
I kiss at last the beloved ground on my land,
That I left one day with my hard heart full of pain.
I have looked in the faces of my old friends,
But nobody looked at me as my old friends.
And now what happens you must, you must tell me.
You must remember who I am.
If you see a man with downcast eyes and ragged clothes,
Walking through your village, don't shut him but go beside.
I'm that man and now I beg you, help me, I need you.
I need you.
The liar who told my sweetheart I was dead,
To take my place, he shall pay for this base lie.
Those who saw me as a rundown man,
Those who tried to destroy all our world,
Shall leave forever our beloved land,
Because we are fearless men.
Because we are fearless men.
Because we are fearless men.
@antonelloc.8900
Mamma mia che voce! Perfetta per queste colonne sonore. Da brividi. Grandissimi Ennio e Maurizio.
@rogeriofsk8
From brazil thank you Ennio... congratulations! RIP
@007garyliu
Finally I find it.
It took me 40 years more when I was young and hear it from movie in Taiwan.
Great!
@gianniferrarelli8347
Tutto fantastico I films e le colonne sonore altri tempi per fortuna io li ho vissuti🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹
@leo0150
Is or isn't a Great song ? What a powerful emotions maestro...
@filippolanciani6020
Buon viaggio Maestro Morricone. Da oggi il cielo avrà una stella in più e la musica molto di meno!
@e.edgarbruce6613
Morricone and Maurizio Graf.....marvelous combination of instruments and great voice. (Composer Ennio Morricone ft. vocals by Maurizio Graf: from the Italian western "The Return of Ringo")
@leo0150
What a piece of music....
@gaetanche
A Great theme of Italian spaghetti western music.
@christianpax4622
Grandeeeee giuliano gemma sei il.mio mitoooooooooooo