Original artwork, not a still
Always look on the bright side of life, da dum, da dum da dum da dum...
— Life of Brian · 1979
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A cheerful song sung from a cross, which is exactly the joke: doomed British stoicism as a singalong. It left the film long ago. Sailors on HMS Sheffield sang it in 1982 as their ship sank, the surviving Pythons sang it at Graham Chapman's memorial service in 1989, and football crowds and funerals still do.
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In context
Spoilers for Life of BrianShow the scene
The closing number of Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979). Brian Cohen has been sentenced to crucifixion, and every rescue attempt has fallen through. A man on a nearby cross, played by Eric Idle as Mr Cheeky, tries to cheer him up by singing. Other crucified men join in. Idle wrote the song on guitar; the other Pythons first received it coolly, but it worked once he sang it in a cheeky style. Released as a single, it reached No. 3 in the UK in 1991.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: Always Look on the Bright Side of LifeHistory sectionReference checked
- Wikipedia: Monty Python's Life of BrianPlot and Cast sectionsReference checked
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