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.
Lonesome Billy
Ennio Morricone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always looking
To get even with the men,
Who did him wrong.
That was Billy
Lonesome Billy
Who was quick to think
No one tougher or more daring.
Only he and his gun sharing
The great fight to live
And his great love to fight.
A rough man who played with danger,
To whom trouble was no stranger,
Until one day he lay dying.
He'd filled his date with destiny.
Never friendly
Never trusting
Always kept one ready hand near his gun.
That was Billy
Lonesome Billy
The rough man
Who would rather kill than run.
The rough man
Who would rather kill than run.
The song "Lonesome Billy" by Ennio Morricone tells the story of a man named Billy who has lived a tough life, filled with loneliness and mistrust. He is always looking for a way to get even with the men who did him wrong, and he believes that a gun will make him strong. Billy is a man who lives on the edge of danger, always ready for a fight, and never trusting anyone. He is a rough man, who would rather kill than run, and trouble is no stranger to him.
The lyrics suggest that Billy is a man filled with anger and a desire for revenge. He feels like the world has done him wrong, and the only way to make things right is through violence. The gun is a symbol of his power and control, and he believes that it makes him stronger than anyone else. However, this belief ultimately leads to his downfall, as he finds himself dying alone, with no one to turn to.
The song is a powerful commentary on the destructive nature of violence and revenge. It suggests that these things may offer temporary relief, but they ultimately lead to a lonely and miserable existence. It also highlights the importance of trust and friendship, and the dangers of living a life of isolation.
Line by Line Meaning
Always lonely
Billy was frequently alone.
Always looking
Billy was always searching for something.
To get even with the men,
Billy wanted revenge on those who wronged him.
Who did him wrong.
Billy felt that others had mistreated him.
That was Billy
The person being discussed is Billy.
Lonesome Billy
Billy was frequently alone.
Who was quick to think
Billy was a fast thinker.
A gun could make him strong.
Billy felt that possessing a gun made him more powerful.
No one tougher or more daring.
Billy was the most fearless and daring of all.
Only he and his gun sharing
Billy only trusted himself and his gun.
The great fight to live
Billy put up a struggle to keep himself alive.
And his great love to fight.
Billy enjoyed fighting.
A rough man who played with danger,
Billy was a reckless and dangerous individual.
To whom trouble was no stranger,
Billy was accustomed to getting into trouble.
Until one day he lay dying.
Billy was dying.
He'd filled his date with destiny.
Billy brought about his own fate.
Never friendly
Billy was not friendly towards people.
Never trusting
Billy did not trust others.
Always kept one ready hand near his gun.
Billy always had his hand near his gun for protection.
The rough man
Billy was a tough individual.
Who would rather kill than run.
Billy would rather fight than flee.
The rough man
Billy was a tough individual.
Who would rather kill than run.
Billy would rather fight than flee.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ENNIO MORRICONE, PETER TEVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@balenoelavoromeno4916
Always lonely, always looking
To get even with the men
Who did him wrong
That was Billy, lonesome billy
Who was quick to think
a gun could make him strong
No one tougher or more daring
Only he and his gun sharing
the great fight to live
And his great love to fight
A rough man who played with danger
To whom trouble was no stranger
Until one day he lay dying
He'd filled his date with destiny
Never friendly, never trusting
always kept one ready hand near his gun
That was Billy
Lonesome Billy
The rough man
Who would rather kill than run
The rough man
Who would rather kill than run
@MrSven191272
It is one of the most tragic stories in popular music history.
That the great singer Peter Tevis fell ill with Parkinson's and could therefore no longer appear as a singer and make further recordings.
That leaves us with the few recordings he made between 1962 and 1970.
To date, there is no CD by him with all his songs - just as tragic !!!
One of the best singers and no CD yet !!
With Peter Tevis, Ennio Morricone had the ultimate singer for his productions.
@BeyondRainbow
All are coming here for wrong reasons and through wrong paths.
Ennio Morricone and Peter Tevis is a magical combination that happened only once in the history.
@italianvogue
Thank you, Ron Burgandy
@TheMescalero95
Magnificent song, from a magnificent western movie.
@DonPeyote420
The world of the blind. Ron Burgundy, a man who had flourished in a visual medium, had forever entered this realm of darkness.
@AtreyuArmy
Brick don't eat that it's checkers and caulk.... Brick: Ron I need your recipe
@neilmccormick2064
Ron ,I'm gonna need your recipe.
@neilmccormick2064
Ron you should see what you're doing.
@likesmilitaryhistoryalanmo9568
discovered him from watching one of the Westerns that he sang the title song for. Magic.
@gaetanche
An outstandingly beautiful song!