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.
Alien: Main Title
Jerry Goldsmith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How did our two worlds entwine
How do I fit in to your life
How did you get into mine
I belong to someone else we know
Back when first we met
Oh, we thought for fun
Oh...oh...but fun turned into love for both of us
So now we pay forbidden lover's price
Oh, ‘cause love like ours is never, ever free (Free)
You pay some agony for the ecstasy (For the ecstasy)
Oh, love like ours is never, ever free (Free)
You got to pay some agony for the ecstasy (For the ecstasy), oh…oh…
Nights when you're alone, you know that I
Laid with someone else beside me
Oh, but you love me still and I love you
You know I would no matter where I'd be
Hey, but love like ours is never, ever free (Free)
You got to pay some agony for the ecstasy (For the ecstasy)
Oh, love like ours is never, ever free (Free)
We got to pay some agony if we wanna have ecstasy (For the ecstasy), oh...
Hey, got to pay some agony
If we wanna have an ecstasy, yeah…eah…
And we need each other desperately, don't we, baby
And I'll never from you be free, no, no
So you'll have to do the leavin' me, yeah
And you'll have to do the leavin' me, oh, baby
‘Cause I'm gonna pay the agony, yeah
‘Cause, oh, lovin' you is ecstasy, that's what it is
And I'm willin' to pay the price, oh
‘Cause I'll make it a sacrifice, oh, yes, I will
And I'll never, never, never, never, never, never, never be free
From agony
The song "Main Title" by Jerry Goldsmith is an instrumental piece that was composed for the movie "Chinatown". The solo piano melody of the song evokes a sense of melancholic nostalgia and longing, which perfectly complements the film's theme of the dark side of the American Dream. However, the song was given lyrics and sung by Perry Como as part of his album "Just Out of Reach". The lyrics express a forbidden romance between two people who belong to different worlds and different people. They talk of the love that they share and the pain and sacrifice that they must go through as a consequence of their illicit affair.
The first verse of the song talks about how the two people met and how their worlds came together in an unplanned and unexpected manner. The second verse talks about the agony and ecstasy of their relationship- the pain and suffering they have to go through to be together, and the joy that their love brings them. The chorus of the song repeats the idea that love like theirs is never free, that it comes with a price that they have to pay. The lyrics also mention the fact that despite their love, they have to live with the knowledge that they belong to someone else and that there are consequences to their actions.
Overall, the song "Main Title" is a powerful expression of the complexities of love, and the price that has to be paid for it. It captures the poignancy of a forbidden romance that is filled with both joy and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
What's it all about, this crazy love
What is the true essence of this inexplicable and wild emotion called love?
How did our two worlds entwine
What was the cause or means by which our seemingly distinct and separate lives became intertwined?
How do I fit in to your life
In what way do I complement or belong in your life?
How did you get into mine
What was the reason or force behind your entry into my life?
I belong to someone else we know
It is known to us that I have a preexisting commitment or connection to another person.
Back when first we met
During the time of our initial encounter
Oh, we thought for fun
We initially approached our relationship with a lighthearted and casual attitude.
One night together might be nice
The possibility of spending a single evening in each other's company seemed appealing and enjoyable.
Oh...oh...but fun turned into love for both of us
However, what began as a simple desire for enjoyment unexpectedly grew into genuine affection and attachment for both parties.
So now we pay forbidden lover's price
Thus, we are now subject to the consequences and hardships that come with being involved in a taboo or clandestine romantic relationship.
Oh, ‘cause love like ours is never, ever free (Free)
The kind of love we share comes at a great cost and is never attained or maintained easily.
You pay some agony for the ecstasy (For the ecstasy)
The feeling of euphoria and happiness that love can bring is always accompanied by an equivalent measure of pain and suffering.
Nights when you're alone, you know that I
During times when you are by yourself, you are aware that I am with another person.
Laid with someone else beside me
I have engaged in physical intimacy with another individual while being in a relationship with you.
Oh, but you love me still and I love you
Despite the challenges and obstacles we face, our affection for one another remains steadfast and reciprocal.
You know I would no matter where I'd be
Irrespective of my physical location or the people I am surrounded by, my feelings for you would remain unchanged.
We got to pay some agony if we wanna have ecstasy (For the ecstasy), oh...
In order to experience the intense and blissful emotions that love can evoke, we must be prepared to endure the corresponding pain and hardship that inevitably accompanies it.
And we need each other desperately, don't we, baby
We both rely heavily on one another and cannot bear the thought of being without each other's presence or support.
And I'll never from you be free, no, no
I will always be bound to you and unable to distance myself from the bond we share.
So you'll have to do the leavin' me, yeah
If either of us wishes to end our relationship, it will have to be the other who initiates that departure.
'Cause I'm gonna pay the agony, yeah
I am willing to endure the emotional pain and discomfort that comes with separation or loss in order to maintain my love for you.
'Cause, oh, lovin' you is ecstasy, that's what it is
The joy and contentment I feel when I am with you is the closest thing to pure and unadulterated happiness that I have ever known.
And I'm willing to pay the price, oh
I am prepared to face the challenges and obstacles that our love will inevitably encounter.
'Cause I'll make it a sacrifice, oh, yes, I will
I acknowledge that our relationship may require me to give up certain things or make difficult choices, but I am willing to make those sacrifices for the sake of preserving our love.
And I'll never, never, never, never, never, never, never be free
I know that the bond and connection we share will follow me wherever I go and endure no matter what happens in the future.
From agony
Throughout all of the hardships and pain that our love may bring, I know that it is worth enduring because of the happiness and joy that it also brings.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAROLD SHAPER, JERRALD GOLDSMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind