Folk music
In 1965, together with Tam Harvey, Connolly started a group called the Humblebums. At their first gig, Connolly introduced them both to the audience by saying, "My name's Billy Connolly, and I'm humble. This is Tam Harvey, he's a bum." The band would later include Gerry Rafferty. Connolly sang, played banjo and guitar, and entertained the audience with his humorous introductions to the songs.
In his World Tour of Scotland, Connolly reveals that at a trailer show during the Edinburgh Festival, the Humblebums took to the stage just before the late Yehudi Menuhin.
The trio broke up in 1971, at which point Connolly went solo. His first solo album in 1972, Billy Connolly Live! on Transatlantic Records, features Connolly as a singer, songwriter, and musician.
His early albums were a mixture of comedy performances with comedic and serious musical interludes. Among his best known musical performances were "The Welly Boot Song", a comical ode to the working class which became his theme song for several years; "In the Brownies", a parody of the Village People classics "Y.M.C.A." and "In the Navy" (for which Connolly filmed a music video); "Two Little Boys in Blue", a tongue-in-cheek indictment of police brutality done to the tune of Rolf Harris' "Two Little Boys"; and the ballad "I Wish I Was in Glasgow" which Connolly would later perform on a guest appearance on the 1990s American sitcom Pearl (which starred Rhea Perlman). He also performed the occasional Humblebums-era song such as "Oh, No!" as well as straightforward covers such as a version of Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" which was included on his Riotous Assembly album.
In November 1975, his spoof of the Tammy Wynette song "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" had a one-week spell as the UK's No. 1 single. Wynette's original was about parents spelling out words of an impending marital split to avoid traumatizing their young child. Connolly's version "D.I.V.O.R.C.E.", on the other hand, played off of the fact that many dog owners use the same tactic when they do not wish their pet to become upset about an impending trip to the veterinarian. His song is about a couple whose marriage is ruined by a bad vet visit (spelling out "W.O.R.M." or "Q.U.A.R.A.N.T.I.N.E.", for example.)
His song "No Chance" was a parody of J.J. Barrie's "No Charge".
In 1985 he sang the theme song to Supergran, which was released as a single and in 1996 he performed a cover of Ralph McTell's In The Dreamtime as the theme to his World Tour of Australia. By the late 1980s, Connolly had all but dropped the music from his act, though he still records the occasional musical performance. In 1998 he covered The Beatles' "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" on the George Martin tribute, In My Life and he also recorded a rewritten version of Alanis Morissette's "Hand in My Pocket" entitled "The Evil Scotsman". Most recently, he sang a song during the film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Connolly is among the artists featured on Banjoman, a tribute to American folk musician Derroll Adams, released in 2002. He plays one song, "The Rock".
Stand-up comedy
It is as a stand-up comedian that Connolly is best known. His observational comedy is idiosyncratic and often off-the-cuff. He talks about himself, who he is, where he's been, what he thinks and how he reacts to the world around him. He has outraged audiences, critics and, of course, the media with his free use of the word "fuck". He has used masturbation, blasphemy, defecation, flatulence, sex, his father's illness and his aunts' cruelty to entertain. By exploring these subjects with humour, Connolly has done much to strip away the taboos surrounding them. Yet he does not tell jokes in the conventional way. At the end of a concert the audience can be convulsed with laughter but few can remember a specific "funny" line.
One of Connolly's most famous comedy skits is "The Crucifixion", an early 1970s recording in which he likens Christ's Last Supper to a drunken night out in Glasgow. The recording was banned by many radio stations at the time. Around this same time, a joke told during a television talk show appearance (about a murderer and his bike) became a sensation that, reportedly, people still remember three decades after the appearance. (A transcript of the complete joke can be found here).
Billy Connolly also performed a sketch broadcast on TV, when talking about national anthems, and comparing the UK's slow tune to the lively ones of many other nations, Billy suggested that it should be replaced by the theme tune to The Archers.
Connolly's style has changed over the years to be less controversial and more observational. Including topics such as himself aging, stories about where he has been and other aspects of his life. He also exclaims "Oh, I must tell you!" and vocalises whatever thought occurs to him. Another feature is his ability to break off onto a tangent mid-topic and return to it later -- sometimes as long as an hour later.
Awards
Connolly was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Glasgow on 11 July, 2001. This particularly bemused his wife, who noted that she had studied for six years to obtain her Ph.D., whereas Billy merely had to turn up and collect his. 2003 saw him presented with a BAFTA Lifetime Achievement award and a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
On 4 July 2006, Connolly was awarded an honorary doctorate by Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) for his service to performing arts [5].
Trivia
* While being interviewed with his wife on the Irish Late Late Show, Connolly proved how easily he forgets many great lines that other comedians could only hope to think of. The presenter was trying to get Connolly to reproduce a funny line he had read in "Bravemouth" about Connolly knowing of an organism that lives on a human eyelid that has two penises. He asked Connolly "What was it called?" to which Connolly replied "Some latin name that I can't remember". His wife then interrupted "But the translation means lucky bastard, right", to which Connolly broke down in a fit of laughter. When he complemented his wife on the line, she had to remind him that it was his own original line which he had forgotten.
* Connolly is a lifelong supporter of Glasgow football team, Celtic, and is often seen at their home games.
* Connolly came second in The Glasgow Herald's poll, "The Most Scottish Person In The World". Number one was Wee Jimmy Krankie (see The Krankies), while third place went to Russ Abbott's impersonation of a Scotsman.
Her father didn
Billy Connolly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The book I gave her that she never read
She left without a single word to say
Her father didn't like me anyway.
She always wanted more than I could give
She wasn't happy with the way we lived
I didn't feel like asking her to stay
Daddy never knew just what she'd seen in me
Daddy didn't like my hair
Perhaps if we had talked, he'd have seen something in me
But Daddy didn't really care.
To tell the truth I didn't have the nerve
I know I only got what I deserved
So now she's taken leave of me today
Her father didn't like me anyway.
Daddy never knew just what she'd seen in me
Daddy didn't like my hair
Perhaps if we had talked, he'd have seen something in me
But Daddy didn't really care.
The coat she wore still lies upon the bed
The book I gave her that she never read
She left without a single word to say
Her father didn't like me anyway.
The lyrics of Billy Connolly's Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway are a poignant recounting of an unsuccessful romantic relationship, looking back with regret and perhaps a touch of resignation. The singer speaks of his former partner leaving him without warning or explanation, leaving behind physical reminders of her presence - the coat she wore and the book he gifted her. He seems to understand why their relationship failed, or at least recognizes his own shortcomings, acknowledging that he couldn't give her everything she wanted or needed. The song takes its title from the repeated refrain that her father never approved of him, suggesting an additional source of tension and disapproval that contributed to their romance's doomed trajectory.
Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that the singer's regret is tempered by a kind of acceptance, or perhaps even relief. He acknowledges that he "didn't have the nerve" to fight for her or ask her to stay, and seems to understand on some level that their relationship was never going to work out. The father's disapproval, while perhaps a convenient excuse for the relationship's failure, may also have been a very real obstacle that could never be overcome. In the end, the song presents a complex and emotionally resonant take on the aftermath of a love gone wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
The coat she wore still lies upon the bed
The physical reminder of her is still present in my bedroom.
The book I gave her that she never read
I offered her a piece of myself, but she never bothered to engage with it.
She left without a single word to say
She chose to end our relationship without the decency of explaining why.
Her father didn't like me anyway.
His disapproval ultimately played a role in the demise of our relationship.
She always wanted more than I could give
She had expectations that exceeded the reality of our situation.
She wasn't happy with the way we lived
We were never able to find contentment with the life we shared.
I didn't feel like asking her to stay
I knew deep down that she wasn't meant to be with me and so I didn't fight for the relationship.
Daddy never knew just what she'd seen in me
Her father was unaware of the qualities in me that initially attracted her.
Daddy didn't like my hair
A superficial characteristic of mine was enough for her father to judge and dislike me.
Perhaps if we had talked, he'd have seen something in me
If only we had the opportunity to have a genuine conversation, he might have discovered my positive attributes.
But Daddy didn't really care.
Her father had already made up his mind and wasn't interested in getting to know me as a person.
To tell the truth I didn't have the nerve
I was too afraid to confront the reality of our relationship and make a legitimate effort to salvage it.
I know I only got what I deserved
Ultimately, the failure of our relationship was a result of my unwillingness to communicate and fight for what I wanted.
So now she's taken leave of me today
I must face the reality that she is gone from my life for good.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GERRY RAFFERTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Reuven Lloyd
We've never needed Billy more than in 2021. Classic genius
VauxhallViva1975
If he lived in Scotland today, he would be arrested and charged with hate-speech for any stand-up like that.
Now, just think for a minute......how fucked up is that?
Reuven Lloyd
@VauxhallViva1975 its completely fooked
Boss Dog
@VauxhallViva1975 Especially for Scotland. What happened?
Vaughan Ellis
Shame he's give up doing the stand up because the Parkinson's is getting too bad.
Reuven Lloyd
@Vaughan Ellis yea im so glad i bought his book
Adam F
When he swears, it's hilarious. But when he laughs at his own punchline as he delivers it is GOLD.
lisa sommerlad
true.
Ian Raffel
The man is a legend. He came out with this years ago and it's even more relevant now than it was then. A man always ahead of his time. Thank you, Billy.
Io
WAAAAAAAY MORE RELEVANT TODAY as
the beigeists now are indeed in charge