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.
Story of a Soldier
Ennio Morricone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Sign up" and "Fall In" and march off to war.
Blue grass and cotton, burnt and forgotten
All hope seems gone so soldier march on to die.
Bugles are calling from prairie to shore,
"Sign up" and "Fall In" and march off to war.
There in the distance a flag I can see,
How ends the story, whose is the glory
Ask if we dare, our comrades out there who sleep.
The lyrics to Ennio Morricone's song “The Story of a Soldier” detail the harsh realities of war and the sacrifice that soldiers make. The opening line, “Bugles are calling from prairie to shore, 'Sign up' and 'Fall In' and march off to war” is a reference to the recruitment efforts made by military officials during wartime. The phrase “prairie to shore” suggests that the call to arms has been heard across the entire country, and soldiers are being asked to enlist from all corners of the nation.
The line “Blue grass and cotton, burnt and forgotten” speaks to the destruction that occurs during war. The beautiful scenery and resources of a region can be decimated and left in ruins. The phrase “All hope seems gone so soldier march on to die” is a reference to the soldiers who are fighting a battle that they know they may not survive. Despite the odds, they continue to march forward and fight for their cause.
The second stanza begins with the repetition of “Bugles are calling from prairie to shore” to emphasize the relentless call to war. The following line, “There in the distance a flag I can see, scorched and in ribbons but whose can it be” is a reference to the American flag that soldiers fight under. The imagery of the flag being “scorched and in ribbons” suggests that is has been battered and torn, but the soldiers continue to fight for its honor.
The final line, “Ask if we dare, our comrades out there who sleep” is a poignant reminder of the many soldiers who have lost their lives in war. It encourages those who remain to continue the fight and honor the sacrifice of their fallen comrades.
Line by Line Meaning
Bugles are calling from prairie to shore, "Sign up" and "Fall In" and march off to war.
The call to arms is being broadcasted far and wide. The message is clear, sign up for military duty and join your fellow soldiers in the battlefields.
Blue grass and cotton, burnt and forgotten
The war has taken its toll on the land, destroying crops and erasing memories of a peaceful time.
All hope seems gone so soldier march on to die.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, the soldiers bravely march forward, fully aware that the war may cost them their lives.
There in the distance a flag I can see, Scorched and in ribbons but whose can it be, How ends the story, whose is the glory
The sight of a damaged flag sparks questions on whose side it belongs to and how the war will ultimately end. The soldiers are unsure of who will emerge victorious and claim the glory.
Ask if we dare, our comrades out there who sleep.
The soldiers are left with unanswered questions and the only ones who may know these answers are their comrades who have already fallen in battle and rest eternally.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ENNIO MORRICONE, THOMAS CONNOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pastor Jim Walls
This scene and the movie itself are absolute masterpieces. This is probably the most touching scene in the movie. I heard a rumor a few years back that a couple of directors were considering remaking this movie but I believe that's impossible. I don't think Hellywood has the talent to pull that off. Leave these cinema masterpieces alone.
Gareth Parr
Amen to that friend. Can’t better perfection
loitam7
sergio , ennio and clint . how to bring the charms back. worthy mention: eli and lee. their mind was on making flawless masterpice and monetary profit was secondary unlike todays Hollywood where their primary mode of making movie is profit.
stephen o'sullivan
Brings a tear to my eye remembering when I first watched this at aged 12...now 53.
Lauterbach
@stephen o'sullivan I feel the same. Age 10 and now 46. Must have watched this movie hundreds of times. Only Clint is left now.
Muhammad Uddin
You mean Hollywood not Hellywood.
RoundEarthShill
Rip Ennio, the world has lost something special today. May your music continue to be heard for generations to come.
John the Eating Eaton
I didn't take your comment seriously at first, but now - fuck, man. Rest in peace indeed.
Marc Hebert
first i hear of this.... devastating
SeaDawgOST
He was my childhood hero without knowing his name. I just knew this music was made by the best of the best. May he rest in peace.