Every Sperm Is Sacred

"Every Sperm Is Sacred" performed at the Python reunion, Monty Python Live (Mostly) in 2014

"Every Sperm Is Sacred" is a musical sketch from the film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. A satire of Catholic teachings on reproduction that forbid masturbation and contraception, the song was released on the album Monty Python Sings and was nominated for a BAFTA Music Award for Best Original Song in a Film in 1983.[1][2]

André Jacquemin and David Howman wrote the music and Michael Palin and Terry Jones wrote the lyrics and performed the song,[3] which is hailed as one of the Pythons' great sketches.[4] Viewing Python as the "great originator" of combining provocative humour and high-quality original music, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane regarded the song as his favourite Python number, stating: "It's so beautifully written, it's musically and lyrically legit, the orchestrations are fantastic, the choreography and the presentation are very, very complex – it's treated seriously."[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference pythons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Original Song Written for a Film in 1984". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  3. ^ Gustafson, Alice. "André Jacquemin: Monty Python's Maestro on Every Sperm Is Sacred and Brian Song". headlinermagazine.net. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  4. ^ Gale, Steven H. (1996). Encyclopedia of British Humorists: Geoffrey Chaucer to John Cleese. Taylor & Francis. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-8240-5990-3.
  5. ^ "8 TV Shows and Comedy Stars Inspired by Monty Python". BBC America. Retrieved 30 September 2019.