The Ecstasy of Gold

See also: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (soundtrack)

"The Ecstasy of Gold"
Song by Ennio Morricone
from the album The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Released	1966
Genre	Film score, western
Length	3:22
Songwriter	Ennio Morricone

"The Ecstasy of Gold" (Italian : "L'estasi dell'oro") is a musical composition by Ennio Morricone, part of his score for the 1966 Sergio Leone film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly . It is played while Tuco (Eli Wallach) is frantically searching a cemetery for the grave that holds $200,000 in gold coins (equivalent to $6,000,000in 2024). It is sung by Edda Dell'Orso.

Appearances in other media

• An instrumental metal cover by Metallica appears on the 2007 Morricone tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone . It reached #21 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock charts ^[1] and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance. ^[2] The band has used the original soundtrack recording to open their concerts since 1983. ^[3]
• Jay-Z sampled the beat in his song "Blueprint 2" on his 2002 album The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse . ^[4]
• The main melody and vocals are sampled in the 2022 glitch hop song "Ecstasy of Soul" by electronic artists Zeds Dead and GRiZ. The song peaked at #19 on the US Dance/Electronic Songs chart. ^[5]
• A number of brands use the composition in their onscreen advertising include Dolce & Gabbana, Lamborghini, Nike, KFC, H & M, ^[6] and Modelo. ^{[6] [7]}

References

1. "Chart history: Metallica". Billboard.com . Retrieved 13 March 2022.
2. "Metallica | Artist". Grammy.com . Retrieved 13 March 2022.
3. Joe DiVita (9 July 2020). "Why Metallica Open Their Concerts With 'The Ecstasy of Gold'". Loudwire.com . Retrieved 13 March 2022.
4. Schonfeld, Zach (July 8, 2020). "A Brief Guide to the Endless Hip-Hop Samples of Ennio Morricone". Spin . Retrieved May 24, 2024.
5. "Griz - Hot Dance/Electronic Dance Songs Chart History". Billboard . Retrieved January 4, 2022.
6. Reynolds, Paul (July 16, 2020). "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly in advertising music". Creative Review. Archived from the original on November 28, 2025. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
7. "Modelo TV Spot, 'Play the Game'". iSpot. June 20, 2016. Archived from the original on November 28, 2025. Retrieved November 27, 2025.