Editing Eric Idle (section)

===Songwriting===
Idle is a songwriter with about 150 songs to his credit.<ref name="Eggers"/> He composed and performed many of Pythons' most famous comic pieces, including "[[Eric the Half-a-Bee]]", "[[The Philosophers' Song]]", "[[Galaxy Song]]", "[[Penis Song (Not the Noel Coward Song)|Penis Song]]" and, probably his most recognised hit, "[[Always Look on the Bright Side of Life]]", which was written for the closing scene of the Monty Python film ''[[Life of Brian]]'', and sung from the crosses during the mass [[crucifixion]]. The song has since been covered by [[Harry Nilsson]], [[Bruce Cockburn]], [[Art Garfunkel]], and [[Green Day]]. Idle, his fellow Pythons, and assorted family and friends performed the song at [[Graham Chapman]]'s memorial service.{{cn|date=October 2024}} Idle performed the song at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games on 12 August 2012 and as the farewell song of the last show of the [[Monty Python Live (Mostly)|Python's reunion at the O2 arena]], 20 July 2014.<ref name =olympics1>{{cite web |last=Goldsmith |first=Belinda |title=London says goodbye with musical extravaganza |url=https://www.reuters.com/london-olympics-2012/articles/2012/08/12/london-calling-games-end-music-extravaganza |url-status=dead |publisher=Reuters |date=13 August 2012 |access-date=13 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023175728/https://www.reuters.com/london-olympics-2012/articles/2012/08/12/london-calling-games-end-music-extravaganza |archive-date=23 October 2012}}</ref><ref name =olympics2>{{cite web |title=London ends Olympics on extravagant notes |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/08/201281305330562117.html |work=Al Jazeera English |date=12 August 2012 |access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref>
[[File:Eric Idle Carol Cleveland Galaxy Song.jpg|thumb|right|Idle (left) and [[Carol Cleveland]] performing the "[[Galaxy Song]]" (from ''Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'') at ''[[Monty Python Live (Mostly)]]'' in 2014]]

As Ko-Ko in the 1987 [[English National Opera]] production of ''[[The Mikado]]'', Idle wrote his own 'Little List' on "[[s:As some day it may happen|As some day it may happen]]". In 1989, Idle co-wrote and sang the theme tune to the popular British sitcom ''[[One Foot in the Grave]]'' and although the series became immensely popular, the song did poorly in the charts. However, when "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was adopted as a [[Association football|football]] chant in the late 1980s, Idle's then neighbour [[Gary Lineker]] suggested Idle re-record and release the popular track. With help from [[BBC Radio 1]] breakfast show host [[Simon Mayo]], who gave the song regular airplay and also used the chorus within a jingle, it became a hit, some 12 years after the song's original appearance in ''Life of Brian'', reaching number 3 in the UK charts and landing Idle a set on ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' in October 1991.<ref>{{cite news |title=Official Singles Chart Top 75 (13 October 1991 – 19 October 1991) |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19911013/7501/ |access-date=22 August 2019 |work=Official Charts Company}}</ref> The following month Idle, accompanied by opera singer [[Ann Howard (mezzo-soprano)|Ann Howard]], sang the song at the [[Royal Variety Performance]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10739966/Ann-Howard-obituary.html|title=Ann Howard – obituary|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=2 April 2014|access-date=26 June 2020|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> He recorded a special version for Mayo's own use on air ("Come on Simon, get another song on now; why don't you put on a nice [[Cliff Richard]] record?") and changed the line "life's a piece of shit" to "life's a piece of spit" in order to get daytime airplay on radio.<ref>{{Cite web |last=SB |date=2023-08-12 |title=THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Always Look On the Bright Side of Life» by Monty Python |url=https://norselandsrock.com/always-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life-monty-python/ |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=Rocking In the Norselands |language=en-GB}}</ref>

[[File:Monty_Python_Live_02-07-14_11_29_34_(14415367089).jpg|thumb|left|Idle performing "[[Bruces sketch]]" in 2014. Involving stereotypical "[[ocker]]" Australians, Idle said he based it on his Australian friends from the 1960s "who always seemed to be called Bruce".<ref>{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Kim "Howard" |title=The First 20 Years of Monty Python |url=https://archive.org/details/first200yearsofm00john |url-access=registration |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |date=1989 |page=[https://archive.org/details/first200yearsofm00john/page/107 107] |isbn=0-312-03309-5}}</ref>]]

In 2004, Idle recorded a [[protest song]] of sorts, the "[[FCC Song]]", in which he lambasts the U.S. [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]] for fining him $5,000 for saying "fuck" on national radio. The song contains 14 uses of the word.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.org/details/Eric_Idle_The_FCC_Song|title=The FCC Song|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

In the same year, the musical comedy ''[[Spamalot]]'' debuted in Chicago; it opened in New York's [[Shubert Theatre (New York City)|Shubert Theatre]] on 14 February 2005.{{cn|date=October 2024}} Idle wrote the lyrics and book for ''Spamalot'', collaborating with [[John Du Prez]] on much of the music. The original 2005 Broadway theatre production was nominated for 14 [[Tony Awards]] and won three: [[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]], [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical]] ([[Sara Ramirez]]), and [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical|Best Direction of a Musical]] ([[Mike Nichols]]).{{cn|date=October 2024}} 

In 2006 he wrote, produced and performed the song "Really Nice Day" for the movie ''[[The Wild]]''.{{cn|date=October 2024}} 

In June 2007, ''[[Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)|Not the Messiah]],'' a comic [[oratorio]] by Idle and Du Prez.<ref>Eric Idle, [Email letter to] "The Pythons", 20 December 2006. Reprinted in Roy Thompson Hall Performance Program Insert, summer 2007. p. 6.</ref> premiered at the inaugural [[Luminato]] arts festival in [[Toronto]]. Idle performed live during this 50-minute oratorio, along with the [[Toronto Symphony Orchestra]] and members of the [[Toronto Mendelssohn Choir]]. Du Prez was also present. Shannon Mercer, Jean Stilwell, [[Christopher Sieber]], and Theodore Baerg sang the principal parts. The American premiere was at Caramoor ([[Westchester County, New York]]) on 1 July 2007. Soloists were the same as in the Toronto performance, but the accompanying chorus was made up of members of New York City's Collegiate Chorale. The show was revised and expanded for a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2007, including two sell-out nights at the [[Sydney Opera House]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Something Completely Different |url=http://www.americanorchestras.org/symphony_magazine/something_completely_different.html |url-status=dead |access-date=4 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506030717/http://www.americanorchestras.org/symphony_magazine/something_completely_different.html |archive-date=6 May 2009}}</ref> A tour during the summer of 2008 included performances with the [[National Symphony Orchestra (United States)|National Symphony Orchestra]] at [[Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts]], the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]] at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] in Los Angeles, and the [[Delaware Symphony Orchestra]] at the [[Mann Center for the Performing Arts]] in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502791.html|title='Not the Messiah': Eric Idle Revs Up|access-date=4 November 2008 | newspaper=The Washington Post |date=26 July 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Monty Python's Eric Idle Resurrects 'Life of Brian' |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92869664 |publisher=NPR |date=24 July 2008 |access-date=4 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2008/07/tonight_and_friday_eric_idle_w.php|title=Tonight and Friday: Eric Idle with the Houston Symphony|date=17 July 2008|access-date=4 November 2008|archive-date=24 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524010516/http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2008/07/tonight_and_friday_eric_idle_w.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Amado returns to helm of Delaware Symphony Orchestra|url=https://www.therecordherald.com/article/20080528/NEWS/305289903|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=Waynesboro Record Herald – Waynesboro, PA |access-date=8 May 2020}}</ref>

Idle contributed a cover of [[Buddy Holly]]'s "[[Raining in My Heart]]" for the tribute album ''[[Listen to Me: Buddy Holly]]'', released 6 September 2011.{{cn|date=October 2024}} He also wrote and sang a variant of the "Galaxy Song" for Professor [[Brian Cox (physicist)|Brian Cox]]'s show ''[[Wonders of Life (TV series)|Wonders of Life]]'', as well as the new theme for Cox's radio show ''[[The Infinite Monkey Cage]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p021x88c|title=Eric Idle performs theme song for The Infinite Monkey Cage, The Infinite Monkey Cage&nbsp;– BBC Radio 4|date=30 June 2014 |access-date=27 December 2016}}</ref>