Ennio Morricone composed this theme for Sergio Leone's 1966 spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, starring Clint Eastwood. The score's whistled melody, electric guitar and wordless choir broke with traditional Hollywood western music and became instantly iconic. The film was a global hit, and its main theme entered pop culture through trailers, commercials, cartoons and countless parodies of Mexican standoffs. Online it survives as audio shorthand for tension, rivalry and dramatic timing, which is why editors still reach for those few whistled notes.