During his time at Cambridge, Eric served as the president of the famous Cambridge Footlights Dramatic Club.
Before Monty Python's Flying Circus, Eric appeared in both BBC shows that are regarded by many as the predecessors of Flying Circus; he was a regular in "Do Not Adjust Your Set" with Michael Palin and Terry Jones, and made a few appearances in small roles in "At Last the 1948 Show" along with future Pythonmates Graham Chapman and John Cleese.
A couple of Eric's most famous Python roles are the character he plays in the "Nudge Nudge" sketch and the man who talks in anagrams ("sey, sey, taht si creoct"). Whereas the other sketch writers of the group worked in partners, Eric worked alone (which gave him some disadvantage when trying to get his sketches accepted by the group as he had one less vote than the other groups).
After Monty Python finished its original run on UK television, Eric Idle & Neil Innes joined on the series Rutland Weekend Television. This was a Python-esque sketch show based in a fictional low-budget regional television station. It ran for two series in 1975-76. Songs and sketches from the series appeared on a 1976 BBC LP, The Rutland Weekend Songbook. This show spawned The Rutles (the "prefab four"), a Beatles parody band, in which Idle played the character of Dirk McQuickly, who was loosely based on Paul McCartney. Idle played McQuickly in an American-made spin-off TV movie, All You Need Is Cash, with Innes. The film also had a spin-off LP on Warner Brothers.
After Rutland Weekend Television, Idle relocated to the USA
There the recent adaptation of the Python movie "Monty Python's Holy Grail" was made as a popular Broadway musical called "Spamalot".
Listed as a piece of trivia at imdb.com is the following incident:
"Was once tasked by his fellow Pythons with composing a response to an angry piece of fan mail. Monty Python member Graham Chapman was openly gay, and a letter had been written citing Bible verses, stating that homosexuals should be stoned to death. He jokingly replied that they had stoned Chapman to death."
Eric Idle is the self-acclaimed third tallest and sixth nicest Python.
Raining In My Heart
Eric Idle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's not a cloud to spoil the view
But it's raining, raining in my heart
The weather man says clear today
He doesn't know you've gone away
And it's raining, raining in my heart
I tell my blues they mustn't show
But soon these tears are bound to flow
'Cause it's raining, raining in my heart
But it's raining, raining in my heart
And it's raining, raining in my heart
Oh, misery, misery, what's gonna become of me?
I tell my blues they mustn't show
But soon these tears are bound to flow
'Cause it's raining, raining in my heart
Raining in my heart, raining in my heart
Eric Idle's song "Raining in My Heart" is all about the devastation that follows the end of a relationship. The singer states that the sun is out, the sky is blue, and there's not a cloud to spoil the view. But even in these idyllic circumstances, he's unable to shake off the sadness that's engulfing him. Despite what the weatherman says, there's a torrential downpour in the man's heart, and it seems like nothing will ever make it stop.
He tells his blues not to show, but he knows it's only a matter of time before he breaks down in tears. The phrase "misery, misery, what's gonna become of me?" expresses the sense of hopelessness and despair that many people feel when they lose someone they love. The singer knows he needs to move on, but he can't help feeling like everything is falling apart around him.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun is out, the sky is blue
The weather is beautiful.
There's not a cloud to spoil the view
The sky is clear and perfect to look at.
But it's raining, raining in my heart
Despite the beautiful weather, the singer is heartbroken and sad.
The weather man says clear today
The official weather forecast predicts a clear day ahead.
He doesn't know you've gone away
The weatherman is unaware of the singer's personal problems.
And it's raining, raining in my heart
The singer is still sad despite the positive weather forecast.
Oh, misery, misery, what's gonna become of me?
The singer is in a state of despair, unsure of what the future holds.
I tell my blues they mustn't show
The singer is trying to hide their sadness from others.
But soon these tears are bound to flow
Despite trying to hide their sadness, the singer knows they will eventually cry.
'Cause it's raining, raining in my heart
The singer's heart is full of sadness and pain.
Raining in my heart, raining in my heart
The singer repeats the chorus to emphasize the intense sadness they feel.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOUDLEAUX BRYANT, FELICE BRYANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gredddfe
I've never heard this song before, now I've got it stuck in my head.
Radio Ha-Ha!
Absolute classic. We love it!
김봉규 Harry
Whenever it's raining outside, I sing this song with my younger brother. We don't even live in Berlin lol
Cracklemere
Was expecting a bomb joke somewhere near the end... I suppose they remembered to not mention the war.
EnoVarma
This makes me feel all sunny inside.
Coola Boola
Im a huge Monty Python fan and I never heard this before. Wet meslef laughing :)
OGRE !!!!
i liked the song a lot but maybe i dont get the joke? which part was the funny part?
Tardisius
Cats & dogs rainy?.....Don't step in a Poodle....=))
Luann Rouff
LOL. Heading to Berlin on Sunday...rain forecast the entire week. : )
Josh Russell
Song of the year