1. Ennio Morricone version

2. Hugo Montenegro version

3. Other uses

4. References

5. External links

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is the theme to the 1966 film of the same name, which was directed by Sergio Leone. Included on the film soundtrack as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (main title)", the instrumental piece was composed by Ennio Morricone, with Bruno Nicolai conducting the orchestra. A cover version by Hugo Montenegro in 1968 was a pop hit in both the U.S. and the U.K.^[2] It has since become one of the most iconic scores in film history.

Ennio Morricone version

Ennio Morricone is an Italian composer who has created music for hundreds of films. In the 1960s, director Sergio Leone was impressed by a musical arrangement of Morricone's and asked his former schoolmate to compose music for one of his films, A Fistful of Dollars. This led to a collaboration between the two on future Leone films, some of which came to be referred to as "Spaghetti Westerns". After a steady percussion beat, the theme to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly begins with a two-note melody sounding like the howl of a coyote. Additional sounds follow, some of which symbolize characters and themes from the film. This instrumental composition plays at the beginning of the film. Largely due to the memorable quality of the main theme, the film's soundtrack peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart,^[3] and it stayed on this chart for over a year.

Hugo Montenegro version

Much to the surprise of Montenegro and the musicians who worked with him, this cover of the film theme became a hit single during 1968. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June of that year, held off the top spot by another song from a film, Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" (from the 1967 film The Graduate).^[4] It spent three weeks atop the Billboard Easy Listening chart during the same time frame.^[2] In September 1968, Montenegro's version reached the UK Singles Chart and began a steady climb, eventually reaching the top of the chart on 16 November and remaining there for four weeks.^[5]

Other uses

Detailing this song in a description of the film soundtrack, the website CD Universe states that it is "so familiar as to be a cultural touchstone. Even an abbreviated sound byte of the theme is enough to conjure images of desolate desert plains, rolling tumbleweeds, and a cowboy-booted figure standing ominously in the distance."^[6] It has been used frequently to convey these sorts of images on radio, film and television in the years since the film's release. The Simpsons has used the opening notes of this theme in multiple episodes over the years.

Among numerous musicians who have, in full or in part, borrowed or sampled from this song are Gorillaz, whose 2001 debut single, "Clint Eastwood", was so named because it reminded the group of Morricone's theme and its melodic structure.^[7] Bill Berry, former drummer of the band R.E.M., played what was dubbed an "Ennio whistle" on the track "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us", from their 1996 album New Adventures in Hi-Fi.^[8] The song was also covered by The Pogues for the soundtrack of the parodic western Straight to Hell.

The American punk rock group Ramones were known to play a recording of this song at the beginning of their concerts, while at the end of their shows, a snippet of "The Ecstasy of Gold" was played; the band Green Day also uses the main theme for the start of concerts.^[9] The Vandals use the opening motif and short guitar arpeggio on "I Want to Be a Cowboy". The song is also featured in the video game, Maestro! Jump in Music. 80's R & B band Cameo used the theme's opening whistle in their singles Word Up! and Single Life. Las Vegas, Nevada-based band Sin City Sinners always walk onto stage with a recording of the tune playing in the background. In the film Money Never Sleeps, the character Jacob Moore, played by Shia LaBeouf, had a mobile cell phone ring tone of the opening tune of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", the film coincidentally also starred the actor who played the "Ugly", Eli Wallach. In the film Faster, the character "Killer" also had a mobile cell phone ring tone of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

The song was also used in TV commercials for Camel Cigarettes during the 1980s.

It was sampled for the remix of rapper Busta Rhymes's song, "Stop The Party", after T.I.'s verse.

It was sampled in the background beat of the chorus in rapper Big Lurch's well-known song "Texas Boy" in conjunction with a sample of Oliver Nelson's "Skull Session".

Comedian Eddie Murphy whistled the opening notes during the "Shoe-Throwing Mother" monologue of his 1983 Delirious television special.^[10]

The 1994 video game Jazz Jackrabbit uses the opening notes throughout the music for the level Deserto.

The theme was used in 2014 for commercials for the Nissan Altima and also was used in 2015 for indonesian commercial milk Nestlé Dancow 1+.^[11]

The song is used as intro music for the band Rival Sons at their concerts.

This version is also found in Samorost 3, an exploration adventure game from Amanita Design.

References

External links

• Montenegro 7" vinyl (UK) Discogs
• Montenegro 7" vinyl (US) Discogs

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