Sergio Leone didn’t just want music for his 1984 gangster epic. He wanted a ghost. He wanted a melody that would haunt the characters for fifty years, drifting through the opium dens of the Lower East Side and the hollowed-out lives of aging mobsters. To get it, he turned to Ennio Morricone. The result was the once upon a time in america soundtrack, a collection of songs that didn't just accompany the film—they literally dictated how it was shot.
Most people don't realize that Morricone wrote the music before a single frame of film was even captured.
Leone had the actors perform on set while the music blasted from speakers. He wanted the rhythm of their walk, the blink of an eye, and the way they held a cigar to sync perfectly with the pan flute and the strings. It was a bizarre way to make a movie. It worked.
The Pan Flute and the Echo of Lost Time
You can't talk about this score without talking about Gheorghe Zamfir. He’s the virtuoso who played the pan flute on "Cockeye’s Song." That specific sound is the soul of the film. It feels ancient. It feels like regret.
Honestly, the pan flute is a risky instrument. In the wrong hands, it sounds like cheesy elevator music or a bad nature documentary. But Morricone used it to represent the childhood of Noodles and his gang. When that flute kicks in over the image of a 1920s New York street, it creates a psychological bridge between the past and the present. It’s mournful. It’s the sound of a dream that went sour.
Then there’s the "Deborah’s Theme." If you’ve ever felt the ache of a "one that got away" romance, this song hits like a physical weight. It features the soprano vocals of Edda Dell'Orso. She had worked with Morricone on his Spaghetti Westerns, but here, her voice isn't a lonely whistle in the desert; it’s a shimmering, tragic memory. It’s the sound of the girl through the peephole.
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The "once upon a time in america soundtrack" is basically a masterclass in leitmotif. Each character or concept has its own sonic signature. "Poverty" is another standout track. It uses a repetitive, almost clock-like rhythm that evokes the grinding reality of the slums.
Why the Beatles and Rossini are Hiding in the Score
One of the weirdest things about this soundtrack is the inclusion of "Yesterday" by The Beatles. Leone used it during the transition where an older Noodles looks at himself in a mirror. It’s jarring. It shouldn’t work in a period piece about the Prohibition era. But because the film jumps between 1920, 1932, and 1968, the music acts as a temporal anchor.
Morricone also played with Gioachino Rossini's "La Gazza Ladra" (The Thieving Magpie). It plays during the famous baby-switching scene in the hospital. It’s playful, dark, and cynical. It shows that Leone and Morricone weren't afraid to mix high-brow classical influences with pop culture and original orchestral compositions. This layer of complexity is exactly why the soundtrack still feels fresh forty years later.
The Tragedy of the Academy Awards Snub
There is a massive piece of trivia that drives film historians crazy. The once upon a time in america soundtrack was never nominated for an Oscar.
Why? Because of a paperwork error.
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had a rule that the composer’s name had to appear on the opening credits. In the initial American release (which was a butchered, 139-minute version that Leone hated), Morricone’s name was accidentally left off the opening credits. By the time the distributor tried to fix the oversight, it was too late. One of the greatest scores in the history of cinema was disqualified on a technicality.
It’s kind of poetic in a dark way. The movie itself was about lost opportunities and things being taken away. Morricone eventually got his due with an Honorary Oscar and a win for The Hateful Eight, but the snub for this specific project remains a legendary "what if" in Hollywood history.
The Sound of 1968 vs 1922
Morricone’s genius was his ability to shift the texture of the music to match the era. For the 1920s segments, the music has a raw, folk-like quality. You hear the influences of Jewish klezmer music and the grit of the immigrant experience.
By the time the story hits 1968, the orchestration feels different. It's more lush, more cynical, and arguably more lonely. The "Amapola" theme is a great example. We hear it first as a scratchy record that a young girl dances to in a backroom. Later, it returns as a full orchestral sweep. It tracks the evolution of Noodles' obsession. It’s not just a song; it’s a narrative device.
You've probably noticed that the music is incredibly loud in the mix. Usually, directors tuck the score behind the dialogue. Leone did the opposite. He let the music breathe. There are long stretches of the film where nobody speaks, and Morricone is doing all the heavy lifting.
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How to Experience the Soundtrack Today
If you're looking to actually listen to this properly, don't just grab a random YouTube rip. The 1995 Restored Version of the soundtrack includes several cues that were missing from the original LP.
Specifically, look for:
- "Friends," which captures the camaraderie of the gang before the betrayal.
- The full 4-minute version of "Deborah’s Theme."
- "The Trio," which builds tension like a ticking bomb.
There is a common misconception that this is just a "mob movie" score. It isn't. It’s a requiem. If you listen to it without the visuals, it still tells the story of a man who realized too late that he wasted his life.
Morricone often said that he and Leone were like brothers who disagreed on everything but understood each other perfectly. That tension is baked into every note. The music is grand, but it’s also incredibly intimate. It’s a sprawling 4-hour epic that feels like a whisper in a dark room.
Actionable Steps for Film and Music Buffs
To truly appreciate the depth of this work, you should change how you consume it.
- Watch the 251-minute Extended Director's Cut. Avoid the theatrical American cut at all costs. The music only makes sense when the pacing is allowed to linger. The rhythm of the edit is tied directly to Morricone’s tempo.
- Listen to "Cockeye's Song" on high-quality headphones. Pay attention to the way the echo is mixed. Morricone used the studio as an instrument, creating a sense of physical space that mimics the empty streets of the film.
- Compare it to Morricone’s work on The Mission. While The Mission is often cited as his peak, notice how Once Upon a Time in America uses silence and singular instruments (like the pan flute or a single trumpet) more effectively to convey isolation.
- Identify the "Amapola" variations. Try to spot how many different ways that one melody is rearranged throughout the film. It appears as a jazz tune, a symphonic piece, and a simple hum. It is the thread that ties the entire 50-year timeline together.
The once upon a time in america soundtrack remains a towering achievement because it refuses to be background noise. It demands your attention. It forces you to feel the passage of time. It is, quite simply, the sound of memory.