After signing up with Warner Chappell / Metromania, Ingo Millek left the band in Summer 1987 and was immediately replaced by Sascha Paeth. No Remorse Records placed the band under contract in October 1987 and the signing was following by a session in Hannover's Horus Sound Studio, where they recorded their debut album "In Control", produced by Frank Bornemann and Tommy Hansen (Victory, Pretty Maids).
The album was released in January 1989 and soon afterwards the band were on the road as much hailed support for W.A.S.P, as well as on their own, well-attended headliner tour through Germany. A mini-album, "Open the Gate and Watch!" was released in April 1990 and Heavens Gate again went on tour throughout Germany, this time with Lawdy. Japan were quick to appreciate the Wolfsburgers' fast, heavy and furious style. JVC/Victor released both products in August 1990 as a "two in one" CD. The reactions to this release was so euphoric (positions in the Top 20 in several magazine charts) that the two top Japanese metal magazines, Burrn! and Metal Gear send their journalists to Germany, in order to further the cause of this new German metal band in the land of the rising sun. Japanese radio was also hit by Heavens Gate fever - cult DJ Captain Wada devoted an entire hour to a Heavens Gate Special. February 1992 saw the band signing a new contract with Steamhammer / SPV, following the close-down of No Remorse Records. "Livin' in Hysteria" had been released six months before, after having been recorded at Horus Sound and produced by Charlie Bauerfeind. Some of the songs on this album, "Best Days Of My Life" and "We Got The Time" amongst others, were selected by two German TV stations for their educational, anti-drugs video, "Gefährliche Sehnsucht" (Dangerous Desire) which was shown in schools all over the country. MTV Europe taped a Heavens Gate show in Munich and began showing successive portions of the film shortly afterwards. But above all in Japan it seemed as though the enthusiasm for Heavens Gate knew no bounds. Thomas Rettke and Sascha Paeth gave dozens of interviews there and played acoustic versions of three songs at the Second German Metal Seminars in Tokyo and Osaka, whilst in January the 4-track EP, "More Hysteria", originally released only for the Japanese market and including three new songs and an acoustic version of "Best Days Of My Life" went on sale. Heavens Gate were amongst the leading bands in the annual polls of the biggest Japanese magazines and the readers of Burrn! named Thomas Rettke "Best Vocalist" ahead of superstars Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Sammy Hagar and Jon Bon Jovi. Their third album, "Hell for Sale" was released in November 1992 and documents the astounding progess that the Wolfsburgers had made. Just a year later saw the release of the headbanging "Live For Sale" album, which had been recorded in February 1993 in the Club Citta' in Tokyo's Kawasaki district. The band had played four sold out shows in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya and the second Tokyo show, in front of 2,500 deliriously happy fans, had served as the basis for the "Live For Sale" opus. Heavens Gate had thus been able to fulfill the promise they had made to their Japanese tour promoter after the release of "Livin' In Hysteria" - to go to Japan on tour. The trip to Japan was followed by a tour with Dream Theater and several one-off gigs until the end of the year. Guitarist Sascha Paeth built up his reputation as producer from Spring 1994 by working together with Charlie Bauerfeind for numerous metal bands. This caused Heavens Gate to slip into the background for eighteen months. But from the end of 1994 the band began the construction of their own studio in order to have more independence in scheduling and financial matters. Bass player Manni Jordan left the band for personal reasons in Summer 1995 and was replaced by Robert Hunecke who, from January 1996, also helped to write the songs for the planned album, "Planet E". The five musicians recorded the work from March to August 1996 and now stand at the starting gate of presenting their latest material. It goes without saying that the announcement of a new album has caused great excitement in Japan and elsewhere.
2) Heaven's Gate are a hardcore punk band from Florida featuring Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan, No Friends) on vocals, Mike Gorup (Warthog, Creem, Ajax) on guitar, Jeff Howe (Reversal Of Man, Combatwoundedveteran, Horsewhip) on bass and Paul Mazurkiewicz (Cannibal Corpse) on drums.
https://heavensgatefl.bandcamp.com/
3) Brooklyn, New York rock band. https://heavensgate.bandcamp.com/
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Heaven's Gate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this will help things turn out for the best
And...
Always look on the bright side of life
If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing
And...
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin
Give the audience a grin
Enjoy it, it's your last chance anyhow
Always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath
Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you
And...
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
[repeat till end]
I mean, what have you got to lose?
You know, you've come from nothing,
You're going back to nothing!
What have you lost?
Nothing!
The song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" by Monty Python's Eric Idle, famously performed at the end of the 1979 movie "Life of Brian," can be interpreted as a tongue-in-cheek ode to the power of positive thinking. The lyrics advise listeners to remain optimistic in the face of adversity, to whistle a cheerful tune when things get tough, and to appreciate life's absurdities. The song acknowledges the inevitability of death and encourages the listener to enjoy life while they can.
The song can also be seen as a parody of the cheerful "up with people" sentiment that was popular in the late 1970s. The upbeat melody and cheerful lyrics present a stark contrast with the nihilism and cynicism that are often associated with Monty Python's humor. By encouraging listeners to "always look on the bright side of life," the song suggests that even the bleakest situations can be improved with a little bit of optimism and humor.
One interesting fact about the song is that it has become a popular anthem at funerals and memorials, partly due to its inclusion in the movie "Life of Brian," which concerns the death of the singer. Another interesting fact is that the song was originally written as a parody of the hymns sung at public schools in England. Additionally, the song has been covered by numerous artists, including Art Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.
Chords (as played in the movie):
G C D
Some things in life are bad
G C D
They can really make you mad
G C D
Other things just make you swear and curse
G D/F# G D/F#
When you’re chewing on life’s gristle
G C D
Don’t grumble, give a whistle
G C D
And this’ll help things turn out for the best…
Line by Line Meaning
Some things in life are bad
Life can be tough
They can really make you mad
These things can cause frustration and anger
Other things just make you swear and curse
Other struggles may lead to cursing and negative thoughts
When you're chewing on life's gristle
When life is difficult to digest
Don't grumble, give a whistle
Stay positive and hopeful, and whistle while you work
And this will help things turn out for the best
Maintaining a positive attitude can lead to better outcomes
Always look on the bright side of life
Stay optimistic
Always look on the bright side of life
Stay hopeful
If life seems jolly rotten
If life seems terrible
There's something you've forgotten
It's important not to forget
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
That laughter, smiling, dancing, and singing can improve your outlook on life
When you're feeling in the dumps
When you're feeling down
Don't be silly chumps
Don't be foolish
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing
Whistling can help improve your mood
For life is quite absurd
Life can be ridiculous
And death's the final word
And ultimate certainty
You must always face the curtain with a bow
Always leave on a high note
Forget about your sin
Don't worry about regrets
Give the audience a grin
Leave a positive impression
Enjoy it, it's your last chance anyhow
Make the most of your time
Always look on the bright side of death
Stay optimistic even in the face of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath
Until your final moment
Life's a piece of shit
Life can be rough
When you look at it
From a certain perspective
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true
Life can be funny and death ironic
You'll see it's all a show
You'll realize it's all a performance
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Keep those spirits up
Just remember that the last laugh is on you
Don't take things too seriously
Always look on the bright side of life
Stay positive
Always look on the bright side of life
Stay hopeful
[repeat till end]
Repeat until song ends
I mean, what have you got to lose?
Really, what are you losing?
You know, you've come from nothing,
You started with nothing,
You're going back to nothing!
You'll end with nothing!
What have you lost?
You haven't lost anything!
Nothing!
Absolutely nothing, really!
Contributed by Hunter F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.