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.
Morricone: Someone You Once Knew
Ennio Morricone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll watch the lonely moon in the sky
And when dawn breaks, I'll listen for your heartbeat
But what I'll hear is your last goodbye
The saddest sound of all
We'll meet again, we'll stare and then
We'll smile and speak as strangers do
I know every line
The way your eyes shine in the dark
You'll take your fire, your tenderness, your strength
And the memories here in my heart
Are all you'll leave behind
We'll meet again, we'll stare and then
We'll smile and we'll stop and speak as strangers do
The love we made will fade away
You'll wave and as you turn to go, I'll know it's true
All I can be to you is someone you once knew
The lyrics to Ennio Morricone and Dulce Pontes' song "Someone You Once Knew" paint a picture of a bittersweet farewell between two lovers. The first stanza describes the impending sense of loss as autumn approaches and the singer prepares for the departure of their partner. As the dawn breaks, they listen for their partner's heartbeat, but instead, they hear the sad finality of their goodbye.
The second stanza speaks to the inevitability of moving on from the relationship. The two will meet again as strangers, and the singer will be left with only memories of their time together. They know every line of each other's faces and the deep love they shared, but it will eventually fade away.
The song's emotional lyrics are accentuated by the hauntingly beautiful melody and Pontes' powerful vocals. It captures the devastating ending of a love affair and the hopelessness of losing someone you held so dear.
Line by Line Meaning
Soon the leaves will fall
The season is changing and the leaves are about to fall, representing the end of something.
I'll watch the lonely moon in the sky
As this change is happening, the singer will be alone and observing the moon, which is often associated with loneliness.
And when dawn breaks, I'll listen for your heartbeat
The singer will wait until morning, hoping to connect with the person they miss.
But what I'll hear is your last goodbye
Unfortunately, the person they miss has left them for good, and this realization is heartbreaking.
The saddest sound of all
This goodbye is the saddest and most painful experience imaginable.
We'll meet again, we'll stare and then
Despite the finality of the goodbye, the singer is still holding onto hope that they will see this person again.
We'll smile and speak as strangers do
However, they understand that if they do reunite, they will no longer have the same closeness and familiarity that they once had.
And all I'll be to you is someone you once knew
In fact, the person they miss may not even recognize them or remember their past relationship, which will be painful.
I know every line
The artist remembers every detail of their time with this person, which only intensifies the pain of the goodbye.
The way your eyes shine in the dark
One specific detail that the artist remembers is the appearance of the person's eyes, which stood out to them.
You'll take your fire, your tenderness, your strength
When the person left, they took all of their positive qualities and characteristics with them, leaving the singer feeling empty and alone.
And the memories here in my heart
All that is left for the artist are their memories, which they hold onto tightly.
Are all you'll leave behind
In a way, the person they miss has left a part of themselves behind in the singer's memories, but it is still not enough to fill the void they have left.
The love we made will fade away
Even the memories will eventually become less vivid and fade over time, which is a painful thought for the singer.
You'll wave and as you turn to go, I'll know it's true
When the person left, they did so with a final wave goodbye, which confirmed for the singer that they were truly leaving and would not be coming back.
All I can be to you is someone you once knew
Despite the pain and heartbreak, the artist realizes that they must accept that they are no longer a significant part of this person's life and can only be a memory.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ENNIO MORRICONE, PHILIP E. GALDSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Wright
she can sing...whatta voice
Only an accomplished fado singer can infuse beauty, soul, and passion like she does.
This is one of the finest performances I've ever heard.
This & Your Love are so fine.
Angel Cos
Really amazing voice.... and lyrics... and... gosh, this song leaves me speechless.
Peter Greenhill
Ennio Morricone...Rest In Peace.
MANNY MORA
This is such a sad sad song! But beautiful as well.
Peter Greenhill
Wow!. Just stunningly beautiful.
Manuel Albornoz
estas son una canción y una interpretación fuera de serie...!
Agne Martinez
WHAT A SONG! In portuguese it's even more amazing! Does anybody know where I could find it?
Manuel Albornoz
por si alguien se interesa es del album Focus de Ennio Morricone y Dulce Pontes que trae otras pistas gloriosas como esta..
Peter Greenhill
Stunningly beautiful but oh so sad............
Darren Sands
So true and so sad