The Ecstasy Of Gold

Album: S&M (1999)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This orchestral piece was written by Ennio Morricone for the 1966 Clint Eastwood movie The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. The song is associated with a tense showdown.
  • Metallica uses this as an intro to its live shows. They recorded the song with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for their S&M album.
  • Vocalist James Hetfield explained why he and his Metallica bandmates chose this as their intro music: "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 recorded a metalized cover version of "The Ecstasy Of Gold" for the 2007 Morricone tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone. Their rendition was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
  • Metallica played the song live for the first time in July 2009 at the Forum in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Comments: 5

  • Mike from Denver, Coepic opening for any show. epic song! i think the original piece sounds better for MetallicA uses it for. plus the original just sounds better :P
  • Hetfield from Port Louis, MauritiusLovely n heart touching music...
  • Dave from Mech., Mdthis song isnt associated with a tense showdown, anyone who's seen the movie would know that. in the movie, this song plays as Tuco excitedly searches through the cemetary searching for the gravestone where the money is. he is feeling ecstasy while searching for gold ;)

    best song ever btw
  • Leah from Brooklyn, NyEnnio Morricone's original piece for the movie is magnificent; Metallica does a good rendition, but if you've enjoyed the original first, the rock group's rendition doesn't quite make it. You can compare the two versions on YouTube.
  • Luke from Sydney, Australianice opener
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he Inspired

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he InspiredSong Writing

Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.

Devo

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.