Metallica's James Hetfield pens poignant tribute to Ennio Morricone
The legendary composer has died aged 91
Last updated 6th Jul 2020
Metallica frontman James Hetfield has paid tribute to legendary Italian film composer Ennio Morricone, who died earlier today (Monday 6th July) aged 91.
Ever since the Kill ‘Em All Tour way back in 1983 – the metal band’s first major tour – Metallica have played Ennio Morricone’s ‘The Ecstasy of Gold’ as their audio introduction at every live show.
After news broke of Ennio Morricone’s death earlier today, James Hetfield posted a poignant tribute to Metallica’s Facebook page.
He wrote: “The day we first played “The Ecstasy of Gold” as our new intro in 1983 it was magic! It has become a part of our blood flow, deep breathing, fist bumping, prayers and band huddle pre-show ritual ever since.
“I have sang that melody thousands of times to warm up my throat before hitting the stage. Thank you Ennio for pumping us up, being a big part of our inspiration, and a bonding between band, crew, and fan. I will forever think of you as part of the Metallica family.
“R. I. P. Maestro Morricone 🙏🏻
“With respect,
“James ‘papa h’”
Speaking about why they used ‘The Ecstasy of Gold’, James Hetfield said in the mid-eighties: “Originally we had a really dreadful tape as our intro. Just the sound of a heart with the beat getting faster. Rubbish.
“Then our manager at the time came up with the idea of replacing it with 'The Ecstasy Of Gold'. And from the first time we used it, something happened. It just set us up for the night, and got the fans excited."
Metallica later covered ‘The Ecstasy of Gold’ instrumentally for the 2007 tribute album ‘We All Love Ennio Morricone’, which also features Bruce Springsteen’s version of ‘Once Upon A Time in the West’ and Roger Waters’ take on ‘Lost Boys Calling.’
Alongside ‘The Ecstasy of Gold’, among Morricone’s best-known compositions are ‘Se Telefonando’, ‘Man with a Harmonica’, ‘Here's to You’, ‘Gabriel's Oboe’, ‘E Più Ti Penso’ and ‘Chi Mai’, which charted at no.2 in the UK in 1981.
The music legend composed scores for over 500 movies including Once Upon a Time in America, The Untouchables, Cinema Paradiso, and, most notably Sergio Leone’s trio of westerns starring Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name - A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.