He collaborated with some of film history's most accomplished directors, including Robert Wise, Howard Hawks, Otto Preminger, Joe Dante, Richard Donner, Roman Polanski, Ridley Scott, Michael Winner, Steven Spielberg, Paul Verhoeven, and Franklin J. Schaffner. His work for Donner and Scott also involved a rejected score for Timeline and a controversially edited score for Alien, where music by Howard Hanson replaced Goldsmith's end titles and Goldsmith's own work on Freud: The Secret Passion was used without his approval in several scenes.
Goldsmith was nominated for six Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, nine Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, and eighteen Academy Awards (winning in 1976 for The Omen). He composed the Paramount Pictures Fanfare used from 1976 through 2011. The American Film Institute respectively ranked Goldsmith's scores for Chinatown (1974) and Planet of the Apes (1968) No. 9 and No. 18 on their list of the 25 greatest film scores. He is one of only five composers to have more than one score featured in the list, including Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, and John Williams.
Goldsmith was born February 10, 1929 in Los Angeles, California. His family was Romanian-Jewish. His parents were Tessa (née Rappaport), a school teacher, and Morris Goldsmith, a structural engineer. He started playing piano at age six, but only "got serious" by the time he was eleven. At age thirteen, he studied piano privately with concert pianist and educator Jakob Gimpel (whom Goldsmith would later employ to perform piano solos in his score to The Mephisto Waltz) and by the age of sixteen he was studying both theory and counterpoint under Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who also tutored such noteworthy composers and musicians as Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle, Herman Stein, André Previn, Marty Paich, and John Williams.
At age sixteen, Goldsmith saw the 1945 film Spellbound in theaters and was inspired by veteran composer Miklós Rózsa's soundtrack to pursue a career in music. Goldsmith later enrolled and attended the University of Southern California where he was able to attend courses by Rózsa, but dropped out in favor of a more "practical music program" at the Los Angeles City College. There he was able to coach singers, work as an assistant choral director, play piano accompaniment, and work as an assistant conductor.
Jerry Goldsmith has often been considered one of film music history's most innovative and influential composers. While presenting Goldsmith with a Career Achievement Award from the Society for the Preservation of Film Music in 1993, fellow composer Henry Mancini (Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Pink Panther) said of Goldsmith, "... he has instilled two things in his colleagues in this town. One thing he does, he keeps us honest. And the second one is he scares the hell out of us." In his review of the 1999 re-issue of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack, Bruce Eder highly praised Goldsmith's ability, stating, "...one of the new tracks, 'Spock's Arrival,' may be the closest that Goldsmith has ever come to writing serious music in a pure Romantic idiom; this could have been the work of Rimsky-Korsakov or Stravinsky — it's that good." In a 2001 interview, film composer Marco Beltrami (3:10 to Yuma, The Hurt Locker) stated, "Without Jerry, film music would probably be in a different place than it is now. I think he, more than any other composer bridged the gap between the old Hollywood scoring style and the the modern film composer."
In 2006, upon composing The Omen (a remake of the Goldsmith-scored 1976 film), Marco Beltrami dedicated his score to Goldsmith, which also included an updated arrangement of "Ave Satani" titled "Omen 76/06". Likewise, when composer Brian Tyler was commissioned in 2012 to update the Universal Studios logo for the Universal centennial, he retained the "classic melody" originally composed by Goldsmith in 1997, opting to "bring it into the 21st century."
Goldsmith was greatly influenced by movements of early 20th-century classical music, notably modernism, Americana, impressionism, dodecaphonism, and early film scores. He has cited Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Miklós Rózsa, Bernard Herrmann, Béla Bartók, and Alban Berg, among others, as some of the main influences to his style of composition.
His style has been noted for its unique instrumentation, utilizing a vast array of ethnic instruments, recorded sounds, synthetic textures, and the traditional orchestra, often concurrently. When asked about his inclination for embracing new techniques and constantly shifting his musical palette throughout his career, Goldsmith said, "It seems like it's me, and that's that! Certain composers are doing the same thing over and over again, which I feel is sort of uninteresting. I don't find that you grow very much in that way. I like to keep changing, trying to do new things. Basically, I'm saying the same thing with a little different twist on it. Once you get caught up in the creative process, something inside takes over, and your subconscious just does it for you."
One reason for the consistency of Goldsmith's aural resonance and signature sound is his long time professional association with orchestrator Arthur Morton. Their first collaboration was on the film, Take Her She's Mine. In 1965, Goldsmith was tapped to score the features, Von Ryan's Express and Morituri. He recruited Morton to serve as his orchestrator. Their bond for a unique and expressive sound was borne, and their friendship flourished. Goldsmith went on to compose the soundtracks for Our Man Flint, The Trouble with Angels (with Frank De Vol), The Blue Max, The Sand Pebbles, and Stagecoach, all in 1966. Morton was there providing his orchestration services, assisting Goldsmith in attaining his visionary sounds. Their partnership endured for over 30 years and included the notable scores for Planet of the Apes (1968), Patton (1970), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Papillon (1973), Chinatown (1974), The Omen (1976), MacArthur (1977), Capricorn One (1978), Alien (1979), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Poltergeist (1982), First Blood (1982), Under Fire (1983), The Russia House (1990). The final score that Arthur Morton orchestrated for Goldsmith was L.A. Confidential (1997).
Goldsmith died at his Beverly Hills home on July 21, 2004, from colon cancer at the age of 75. He was survived by his wife Carol and his children Aaron, Joel (who also died of cancer on April 29, 2012), Carrie, Ellen Edson, and Jennifer Grossman.
A Girl Worth Fighting For
Jerry Goldsmith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a thundering herd, we feel a lot like cattle
Like the pounding beet, our aching feet aren't easy to ignore
Hey, think of instead a girl worth fighting for
That's what I said, a girl worth fighting for
I want her paler than the moon with eyes that shine like stars
[Incomprehensible] my strength, adore my battle scars
It all depends on what she cooks like, beef, pork, chicken
Bet the local girls think you are quite the charmer
And I bet the ladies love a man in armor
You can guess what we have missed the most since we went off to war
What do we want, a girl worth fighting for
My girl will think I have no faults that I'm a major find
Uh, how 'bout a girl who's got a brain who always thinks her mind?
Nah
My manly ways and turn of phrase are sure to thrill her
He thinks he's such a lady killer
Have a girl back home who's unlike any other
Yeah, the only girl who'd love him is his mother
But when we come home in victory they'll line up the door
What do we want? A girl worth fighting for
Wish that I had, a girl worth fighting for
A girl worth fighting
The lyrics of Jerry Goldsmith's "A Girl Worth Fighting For" is about the desire of soldiers to have a romantic partner who is worth their efforts in the battlefield. The song highlights the challenges the soldiers face during war, marching off to battle feeling like cattle. They seek solace in the idea of having a girl worth fighting for who is paler than the moon, has eyes that shine like stars, and can cook a mean meal. The men have missed having someone to fight for, and they want a girl who appreciates their strength and battle scars.
The song also touches on the expectations of gender roles and standards of beauty during war times. The men want a girl who is unlike any other and would appreciate their manly ways and turn of phrase. However, they prefer someone who does not have a mind of her own and would not challenge their authority. They also explore the idea that the women left behind, such as their mothers, are the only ones who are worthy of their love.
Overall, the song captures the longing of soldiers to have someone to fight for in the midst of the chaos of war. It showcases the romanticized view of love and beauty during challenging times.
Line by Line Meaning
For a long time we've been marching off to battle
We have been going to war for a long time now.
In a thundering herd, we feel a lot like cattle
We feel like we are just part of a big group, like cows in a herd.
Like the pounding beet, our aching feet aren't easy to ignore
Our feet hurt a lot from all the marching and it's hard to ignore.
Hey, think of instead a girl worth fighting for
Let's think about finding a girl who we think is worth fighting for instead.
That's what I said, a girl worth fighting for
I mean exactly what I said, a girl who is worth fighting for.
I want her paler than the moon with eyes that shine like stars
I want a girl who has pale skin and eyes that sparkle like stars.
[Incomprehensible] my strength, adore my battle scars
She will admire my strength and bravery, and appreciate my scars from battle.
I couldn't care what she'll wear or looks like
I don't really care about what she wears or what she looks like.
It all depends on what she cooks like, beef, pork, chicken
What really matters is if she can cook well, regardless of what type of meat it is.
Bet the local girls think you are quite the charmer
I bet the girls back home think you are very charming.
And I bet the ladies love a man in armor
I also bet that women love a man who wears armor.
You can guess what we have missed the most since we went off to war
I'm sure you can guess what we miss the most since leaving for war.
What do we want, a girl worth fighting for
We want a girl who is worth fighting for.
My girl will think I have no faults that I'm a major find
I want a girl who thinks I am perfect and amazing.
Uh, how 'bout a girl who's got a brain who always thinks her mind?
Actually, I think I want a girl who is smart and always thinks for herself.
Nah
On second thought, nevermind.
My manly ways and turn of phrase are sure to thrill her
I'm pretty confident that my manly behavior and the way I speak will impress her.
He thinks he's such a lady killer
He thinks he can attract and impress women easily.
Have a girl back home who's unlike any other
I have a girl back home who is special and unique compared to other girls.
Yeah, the only girl who'd love him is his mother
But the truth is, the only person who really loves him is his mother.
But when we come home in victory they'll line up the door
Once we come back home as victorious warriors, many girls will want to be with us.
What do we want? A girl worth fighting for
We want a girl who is worth fighting for.
Wish that I had, a girl worth fighting for
I wish I had a girl who I thought was worth fighting for.
A girl worth fighting
We really want to find a girl who is special and worth fighting for.
Contributed by Ryan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.