Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
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"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is a popular song written by Eric Idle which originally featured in the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian and has gone on to become a common singalong at public events such as football matches.
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
The song as originally performed in Life of Brian comes at the climax of the film. Brian Cohen (played by Graham Chapman) has been sentenced to death by crucifixion for his part in a kidnap plot. After a succession of apparent rescue opportunities all come to nothing, a character on a nearby cross (Eric Idle) attempts to cheer him up by singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" to him. As the song progresses, many of the other crucifixion victims (140 in all, according to the script, though rather fewer are actually seen on screen) begin to dance in a very limited way and join in with the song's whistled hook. The song continues as the scene changes to a long-shot of the crosses and the credits begin to roll. An instrumental version plays over the second half of the credits.
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was conceived as a parody of the style of song often featured in Disney films. It may be considered an "answer song" to the entire genre, but particularly to songs such as "Give A Little Whistle" from Pinocchio. Its appearance at the end of the film, when the central character seems certain to die, is deliberately ironic.
The song opens with an introductory verse (half-sung with an acoustic guitar backing on the soundtrack album and most subsequent versions, though simply spoken unaccompanied in the film itself):
- Some things in life are bad,
- They can really make you mad,
- Other things just make you swear and curse,
- When you're chewing on life's gristle,
- Don't grumble, give a whistle,
- And this'll help things turn out for the best, and...
This deviation from the standard rhyme scheme (with "best" replacing the expected "worst" to rhyme with "curse") leads into the first appearance of the chorus, which consists of the title and a whistled tune. A second verse continues in a similar vein, and the third and fourth verses move on to discuss the situation (namely, imminent death) in which Brian now finds himself, and alludes to the Shakespearean cliché that "all the world's a stage":
- You'll see it's all a show,
- Keep 'em laughing as you go,
- Just remember that the last laugh is on you.
The song appeared on the film soundtrack album, listed as "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (All Things Dull and Ugly)". The subtitle does not appear in, or apparently have any connection to, the actual song, and is only used on the soundtrack album. Confusingly, "All Things Dull and Ugly" was also the title of an unrelated track on Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album (released only a few months later), which is a parody of the popular hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful".
The song was also released on the B-side of the single "Brian Song" by Sonia Jones (the film's opening theme). It is likely that the claim made by Idle in the spoken fade-out that "this song is available in the foyer" was actually true in some cinemas.
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" became particularly popular in the early 1990s. The film had retained a cult status in the intervening years. Around 1990 the title refrain and hook (either whistled as in the original, or vocalised as "da-dum, da-dum, da-da, da-da, da-dum"), began to gain currency as a football chant. This came to the attention of BBC Radio 1 DJ Simon Mayo, whose breakfast show had a track record of reviving old novelty songs. Mayo began playing the original version on his show, which led to EMI re-issuing the track as a single in September 1991.
The single, which was backed with two tracks from Contractual Obligation, "I Bet You They Won't Play This Song on the Radio" and "I'm So Worried", also doubled up as promotion for the recently-released compilation Monty Python Sings. (The original pressing also featured a German language version of "The Lumberjack Song", though this was quickly withdrawn and is now a collector's item.) The single reached the top ten in October and prompted a deliberately chaotic performance by Idle on Top of the Pops. Despite some perhaps over-enthusiastic predictions, it did not manage to bring an end to Bryan Adams' unprecedented run at the top of the UK Singles Chart, instead peaking at number 3. Following this attention, the song became more popular than ever. Two cover versions, by Tenor Fly (incorporating the piano riff from Nina Simone's "My Baby Just Cares For Me"), and the cast of Coronation Street, both reached the charts in 1995.
In 1997 the song was recorded by Art Garfunkel and included in the soundtrack of James L. Brooks' "As Good As It Gets" film. It was also performed by Bruce Cockburn and released on his 1990 CD.
The song's lyrical theme can be regarded as a modern-day version of the stereotypical British "stiff upper lip" attitude, and this, combined with the song's high familiarity, had led to it often being jokingly described as Britain's "alternative national anthem".
