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.
Look Over The Hill And Far Away
Billy Connolly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll see the start of a brand new day
Heaven help us when it arrives
One more day with tears in our eyes
For the only one, lonely one
Lonely one, where can she be?
The figure stands at the windowpane
Thinking back, he knows he was wrong
How could he leave his home for so long
And he's back to find no change of mind
He was blind, where can she be?
Why does he stand just outside the door
It does no good, he's stood there before
And just waved his hand, I don't understand
There's no one there, so who can explain?
Look over the hill and far away
We'll see the start of a brand new day
Heaven help us when it arrives
One more day with tears in our eyes
For the only one, lonely one
Lonely one, where can she be?
In Billy Connolly's song "Look Over The Hill And Far Away," the singer talks about looking forward to a new day, even though there have been many tears and sorrowful moments in the past. The lyrics express a sense of longing and desperation as the singer searches for a lost loved one. He wonders where this "lonely one" might be and regrets leaving her behind for so long. The figure, who stands at the windowpane, looks up the hill, knowing he was wrong. The song brings about themes of regret and nostalgia.
As the singer stands outside the door, he realizes that it does no good, for he has stood there before and waved his hand. He cannot understand why no one is there to answer his call. The song creates a vivid image of someone searching for something that they cannot find, and the despair and longing they feel when it is not there. Overall, the song is a beautiful expression of the search for lost love and the pain that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Look over the hill and far away
Let's look beyond our current situation and hope for the future
We'll see the start of a brand new day
A new beginning is on the horizon
Heaven help us when it arrives
We need all the help we can get to face the challenges of the new day
One more day with tears in our eyes
We have been hurt and are still in pain
For the only one, lonely one
There is someone we deeply care about who is alone
Lonely one, where can she be?
We are worried and searching for the person we care for
The figure stands at the windowpane
The person is lost in thought, standing alone and looking out the window
Up to the hill he looks again
The person keeps searching for something or someone beyond the hill
Thinking back, he knows he was wrong
The person realizes their past mistakes and regrets them
How could he leave his home for so long
The person is questioning their own judgment and actions
And he's back to find no change of mind
The person returns home expecting a change, but nothing has changed
He was blind, where can she be?
The person now sees their past mistakes and is still searching for what they have been missing
Why does he stand just outside the door
The person is standing outside looking for answers
It does no good, he's stood there before
The person is stuck in a cycle of searching
And just waved his hand, I don't understand
The person is feeling frustrated and helpless
There's no one there, so who can explain?
There are no clear answers to the person's questions and worries
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GERRY RAFFERTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shardric
on The evil Scotsman
It's not Billy Connolly.
It's actually called "Trouble"
It was written by George Allen and Garry Desmond and perormed by The Rockin' Jock.