West or Occident, is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from East, and is the direction in which the sun sets. The word “west” is a Germanic word passed into some Romance languages (ouest in French, oest in Catalan, ovest in Italian, oeste in Spanish and Portuguese). As in other languages, the word formation stems from the fact that west is the direction of the setting sun in the evening: ‘west’ derives from the Indo-European root *wes reduced from *wes-pero ‘evening, night’, cognate with Ancient Greek ἕσπερος hesperos ‘evening; evening star; western’ and Latin vesper ‘evening; west’. Examples of the same formation in other languages include Latin occidens ‘west’ from occidō ‘to go down, to set’ and Hebrew מַעֲרָב maarav ‘west’ from עֶרֶב erev ‘evening’.
“Lily of the West” is a traditional British and Irish folk song, best known today as an American folk song, listed as number 957 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The American version is about a man who travels to Louisville and falls in love with a woman named Mary, Flora or Molly, the eponymous Lily of the West. He catches Flora being unfaithful to him, and, in a fit of rage, stabs the man she is with, and is subsequently imprisoned. In spite of this, he finds himself still in love with her. In the original version, the Lily testifies in his defence and he is freed, though they do not resume their relationship.
Once Upon a Time in the West is a movie from 1968 and the soundtrack was written by composer Ennio Morricone, Sergio Leone’s regular collaborator, who wrote the score under Leone’s direction before filming began. As in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the haunting music contributes to the film’s grandeur, and is considered one of Morricone’s greatest compositions. The film features leitmotifs that relate to each of the main characters (with their own theme music), as well as to the spirit of the American West. Especially compelling are the wordless vocals by Italian singer Edda Dell’Orso during the theme music for the Claudia Cardinale character. Leone’s desire was to have the music available and played during filming. Leone had Morricone compose the score before shooting started, and played the music in the background for the actors on set. Except for about a minute of the “Judgment” motif, before Harmonica kills the three outlaws, no soundtrack music is played until the end of the second scene, when Fonda makes his first entry. During the beginning of the film, Leone instead uses a number of natural sounds, for instance, a turning wheel in the wind, sound of a train, grasshoppers, shotguns while hunting, wings of pigeons, etc., in addition to the diegetic sound of the harmonica.
“Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)” is an innuendo-laden comedy song, written and performed by the Benny Hill. The song was first performed on television in 1970, and released as a successful recording, topping the UK Singles Chart in 1971, reaching the Christmas number one spot. The song also peaked at number 1 in Australia in December 1971. The song tells the fictional exploits of Ernie Price, a 52-year-old milkman who drives a horse–drawn milk cart. It relates his feud with the bread delivery man (“Two-Ton Ted” from Teddington) and their efforts to win the heart of Sue, a widow who lives alone at No. 22, Linley Lane.
“Go West” is a song by American disco group Village People, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album of the same name (1979). It was written by Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and the group’s lead singer Victor Willis. The song’s title is attributed to the 19th-century quote “Go West, young man” commonly attributed to Horace Greeley, a rallying cry for the colonisation of the American West, but also an invitation to pursue one’s own dreams and individuality. The melody resembles that of the State Anthem of the Soviet Union composed by Alexander Alexandrov.
“West End Girls” is a song by the duo the Pet ShopBoys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song’s lyrics are concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life which were inspired partly by T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo’s career. In 1987, the song won Best Single at the Brit Awards, and Best International Hit at the Ivor Novello Awards. In 2005, 20 years after its release, the song was awarded Song of The Decade between the years 1985 and 1994 by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. A critic’s poll in 2020 by The Guardian selected “West End Girls” as number one of the 100 greatest UK number one singles.
In 1992, when the Pet Shop Boys were asked by Derek Jarman to perform at an AIDS charity event at The Hacienda nightclub in Manchester, Chris Lowe of the duo selected “Go West” as the song they would perform. Though singer Neil Tennant was unable to remember the lyrics during that performance, the two decided to record it as a single. The single peaked at number two in the UK and number one in Finland, Germany and Iceland. The single also reached number one in Ireland, becoming the last of the duo’s four Irish number-one singles to date, and topped the US Billboard chart.
Wild Wild West is a 1999 American steampunk Western comedy film co-produced and directed by Barry Sonnenfiled and starring Will Smith. Like most of his films during this period, Will Smith recorded a hip hop song based on the film’s plot, also titled “Wild Wild West” which became a number-one hit on the U.S. pop charts, but it also won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song. It was produced by Rob Fusari, who lifted a sample from Stevie Wonder’s 1976 hit “I Wish”. The song also features guest vocals from R&B group Dru Hill, and was a star-making vehicle for Dru Hill lead singer Sisqo.
“Into the West” is a song performed by Annie Lennox, and the end-credit song of the 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It is written by Lennox, Return of the King producer and co-writer Fran Walsh, and composed and co-written by the film’s composer Howard Shore. The song plays in full during the closing credits of Return of the King, although instrumental music from the song (which forms the theme of the Grey Havens) plays at other points during the film itself.
