once upon a time

olipa kerran, olipa kerran kauan sitten (non-gloss definition)
A long time ago (typically said of something that is not well remembered).
2012, Christoper Zara, Tortured Artists: From Picasso and Monroe to Warhol and Winehouse, the Twisted Secrets of the Worlds Most Creative Minds'', part 1, chapter 2, (gbooks):

Long before popular music evolved its many genres and subgenres, the industry was driven by a simple one-size-fits-all philosophy (..) Songwriters, once upon a time, wrote songs for the masses.

I dont speak Spanish, but I could read it pretty well once upon a time.''