Eric Idle talks about the inspiration behind his hit song "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" 

I want it played at my crucifixion

I love how the song is tongue-in-cheek, whilst also espousing a genuine philosophy at the same time.

His voice still sounds the same !

I'm eternally grateful to these gents for enhancing my life for...oh, 44 years now. Cheers!

I cannot think of any other comedian or group of comedians who come anywhere near Monty Python’s legacy. They’re simply unique.

I cracked up when he said”...we all pissed off for the day”. It reminds me of when Brian’s mom says “look he’s not giving you any money now piss off!” LOL.

My family was considering playing this song at my dad's funeral, but we weren't brave enough. This song will always remind me about his lovely sense of humor

During the Falklands war, when HMS Sheffield was sinking, Royal Navy sailors were on the upper hull, waiting for the helos to come and rescue them. Sone enterprising swabbie started up a rousing chorus of this, and it was captured by a BBC film crew. It was a classic moment in a terrible incident.

a perfect song, it always cheers me up when im felling like shit

I learned how to whistle specifically so I could whistle this tune lol

Weʻll be singing this after spreading my momʻs ashes in the mountains next Friday. Thank you, Eric Idle, for giving her so much joy.

I loved this song as a kid. Had it stuck in my head constantly.

Mickey Baker's jazz chords have helped so many players move to the next level of composition, bless him!

Come on lads, this is Python! You watch it over and over because its (oh he said it!) so bleedin good! Thanks so much to Eric and the whole lot of the Pythons for providing so much entertainment and joy for our lives. Right! Loved the show and all the movies, and always will. And now for something completely different, back to marching up and down the square...

“You come into this world with nothing, you go out with nothing. What have you lost! Nothing!” Eric Idle’s probably the only genius who could make such a grim reality reassuring and fun. He’s helped a lot of us look on the bright side of life.

Love the backstory. We need this song now more than ever!

When the film came out here, I of course - as an avid python fan - went to see it in the local cinema. The song stuck to me so well that as I and a friend was cycling home, I sang it almost without mistakes, right down to the cockney intro. I have of course heard it many times since and no longer remember what the minor mistakes were - probably just a word or two I had misheard. But at that time I had not heard it before, only that one time in the cinema. Just goes to show how good the song is, that it can imprint after just one hearing. Another commenter mentions the crew of the sinking HMS Sheffield, and I do remember that story - I may even have seen the clip on tv. I guess that is why (and because I know the song by heart) I started singing it when, during some pythonesquely absurd training for service in Afghanistan during the winter (training for desert warfare in minus 20C and 3 feet of snow - at night) I felt almost compelled to start singing "Some things in life are bad - the worst winter ever had. Makes squaddies cry and sergeants swear and curse"..... By the time we were supposed to charge "red team's" positions, even the Lieutenant was singing "Always look on the bright side of life", as we were trundling, stumbling, falling flat on our faces and laughing our way through the snow at a pace more suitable for three-legged turtles than an attacking platoon. The instructing officer just shook his head and walked away - but I swear he was whistling "da-da - dada-dada-dada". The next night we had to repeat the manoeuver "In strict silence - not a f*cking word!" But I guess we all tried to fire our guns in time with the chorus, because the officer later praised us for the very disciplined firing that night. Just some of the memories this lovely and cheerful song brings.

I played this song at my brother's funeral and put a quote from it on his funeral program. We loved watching Monty Python together. I listen to it occasionally to remind myself to keep a sense of humor about the absurdity of existence.

I always thought that the song they did was a cover of some famous song by some famous artist, i had no idea it was completely original because it was so good

I think Idle is a remarkable writer/co-writer/lyricist. I don't think folk truly appreciate just how much he's done over the years. Especially for the python stuff. It would have been enough to come up with 'classics' like.....Sit on my face and tell me that you love me. Or Eric the half a Bee or The galaxy song. Which in itself is an incredibly complex facts and figures melding into a song. But to have created arguably THE most comedically memorable song of all time, well loved and popularized by generations that came long after the Life of Brian had hit the zeitgeist, THAT is something special.

He's a comedian and wonderful guitar player!

Grim as the subject matter may be, this song always makes me smile. Thanks guys, for all of your talents & efforts, to amuse us. I feel like it enriched my life in ways I can explain.

Eric, it’s one of the best songs in the world 😊

We sang this at my mate's funeral. When it came to the whole congregation whistling, the two Americans in the congregation stared around in shocked amazement. Oh, how we did laugh.

“A cheery uppy Disney song”~Eric Idole

in 1976 i decided to kill my t.v.....short while later i realized i could no longer watch monty python tuesday nights at 9 on p.b.s.,,, so i bought a 9 inch black and white t.v. which i kept in a closet and brought out every tuesday night at 9....i was going thru some very serious stuff in my life and this guy and his gang helped me keep sane....thank you eric and all the others.....

Wish it were spring of 77' again. Love the backstory. We need this song now more than ever!

Anyone else going to have this played at their funeral?

Monty Python is so loved that a geek named a codeing after it "Python" It is a very use codeing language. This is a lasting legacy.Thank You Splat Monty Python:) The joy of my teenage years 💖

Eric my dear, when we will finally hear something about the inspiration behind your hit song "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life"?

Am I going crazy or is this the third time this has been posted?

It's hard to think of a more perfect ending for any film.

I Have Seen several Monty Python items several times. That Which makes you laugh is the only healthy addiction I know of.

Eric thank you for such an iconic and hilarious tune that truly helps whenever times are difficult.

This ending made up for "The Holy Grail". Beautiful. Thank you, Eric. I drove my boss nuts sending him a link to this song when things went pear-shaped (British for SNAFU, as I understand) at work (a wastewater-treatment plant). We had some colossal disasters . . . and this helped things turn out for the best because it gave us a pause to reconsider options.

This is on the top of the list of songs I’ve given my kids to play at my funeral/fiesta!

Great to hear & see this story behind my favorite Monty Python movie - & one of my very favorite movies of all I've ever seen. And great song for any dying occasion :)

Eric is a musical genius. He know how write songs that sounded catchy and were funny at the same time.

One of my favorite songs.

Eric's new book "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" is excellent!

“It’s pretty, eh?” > immediately slams it into a concrete bench

A legend When he sang it at the Games in London I thought Id burst with pride Well done sric

Wish it were spring of 77' again.

Our family motto always look on the bright side of life

That’s the actual guitar :0000 what a legendary relic, there are many like it some came before even... but this ☝️ one

These boys, molded my sense of the absurd, changed my whole perspective. They effectively ruined any chance I had of being a dentist. 😉❤️

Simply brilliant

Love it! Thank you, Mr. Idle!

Grande eric eres el mejor cómico que he podido ver!

that reasoning sounds oddly obvious in retrospective.

Eric Idle is Best Comedic Song Writer of All Time.

Thank you so very much George

This is great!! Thank you.

Great video on his process. Thank you !

Thanks for posting this. I learned to play my first song on my geetar by watching this video. Now I"m going to take the tune and sell "always look on the illuminated side of life" as a hit single.

Tonight on 'It's the Mind', we examine the phenomenon of deja vu. That strange feeling we sometimes get that we've lived through something before...

this video is going to be a historical piece of magic someday.

Fabulous ! Happy Easter everyone !!

A brilliant eternal song. Very good for the spirit.

Thanks for sharing this story!

This is beautiful.

OMG! They are so young!!!!!!

I didn’t watch the other posts but I did watch it this time and very Happy I did! Great details and if I were to be crucified I want it played!!!

Totally brilliant.

The astutest & most creative Python!

Thanks George !!!

huge vision huge talent

Really great song!

i love that shirt ! gotta green one just like it !

I am 13 years old, and i am so very proud to recognize that "say no more!" from a sketch in late season one, or in season two, with Eric Idle and Terry Jones, where Eric asks very hyped about Terry's wife. "Is she ahh, 'she a goer? A goer ey? She likes sports eh? Does she like sports? Ohh, she likes pictures eyy? Say no more, say no more! Ey, ey!", and then it ends with Terry asking a bit mad, what Eric was doing. Eric says, "you've ever slept with a lady?", to which Terry replies; "well, yes", and Eric gets the final word by looking wondering up at Terry, with his head leaning on his left fist, asking, "how does it feel?"

Legend

Love this guy - and the other MP chaps 😉

Comedy/musical genuis and bloody nice bloke. SAY NO MORE!

It's brilliant.

This made me smile. :)

If I'm dying in the hospital, I want all my family, friends, and acquaintances from past and present to sing with me as I'm on my death bed.

Oh nice, audio book version is out now, read by Eric Idle!

"So I took it to the Pythons... and they hated it." 🤣

Genius!

Nice video. Only one problem with this story: Eric completely erases the otherwise acknowledged fact that it was Neil Innes (Rutles, Bonzo Dog Band) who came up with the whistle hook in this song. Innes was a part of nearly all the Python music recording sessions along with arranger Jon Altman.

Philly DJ John DeBella, closes his show with Bright Side 9am. Joy!

That's a very creative/interesting chord progression he put together

brilliant. A jazz song, I had no idea 😂

If I get one more notification for this....

Comedic and satirical genius at its best.

dudes are respectably awesome kickass

Eric invented the most gorgeous key change EVER for the Galaxy song

love love love ^__^

Am I going crazy or is this the third time this has been posted? Wish it were spring of 77' again.

Nice one, this.

NO ONE EXPECTS THIS VIDEO RELEASE!

M P F C always made me laugh,The Holy Grail was an awesome movie and The Lifeof Brian was good also.And i love the song.

I suppose Eric forgot how Neil Innes came up with the whistling bit? No worries Eric. We're all getting older.

"Life is a POS, when you look at it." We are all pretending, pretending that most things are not so bad. It is the only way not to fall into depression or not to go insane. So, this song reaffirms that and helps.

I hope that everyone realizes that this guy got to jam at parties with George Harrison - the bastard. :)

Eric Idle and John Cleese were recently on Marc Maron's WTF podcast for anyone interested.

Eric could tell me about the phone book and I'd be mesmerized....natural born storyteller.

I wish this was our national anthem.

Lol.. I love this so much that I was trying to justify sending it to a very religious friend who ended a text with " always look on the bright side of life" and oh course the adult in me knows that would be a terrible idea, but the kid in me really, really wants to.. Humm to be continued lol great post btw you have given me food for thought as it were.

I want this played at my pauper's funeral