Making Plans for Nigel

"Making Plans for Nigel"
Single by XTC
from the album Drums and Wires
B-side
  • "Bushman President"
  • "Pulsing Pulsing"
Released September 1979 (1979-09)
Recorded June 1979
Studio Townhouse Studios, London
Length 4:14
Label Virgin
Songwriter(s) Colin Moulding
Producer(s) Steve Lillywhite
XTC singles chronology
"Life Begins at the Hop"
(1979)		 "Making Plans for Nigel"
(1979)		 "Ten Feet Tall"
(1980)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

"Making Plans for Nigel" is a song written by bassist Colin Moulding of the English rock band XTC, released as the lead single from their 1979 album Drums and Wires. The lyrics are told from the point of view of parents who are certain that their son Nigel is "happy in his work", affirming that his future in British Steel "is as good as sealed", and that he "likes to speak and loves to be spoken to". As a response to the song, British Steel reportedly gathered four Sheffield employees named Nigel to talk about job satisfaction for the trade publication Steel News.[1]

Its distinctive drum pattern was discovered by accident after a miscommunication between guitarist Andy Partridge and drummer Terry Chambers. Partridge was bothered by the amount of time spent recording the song, remarking that "[w]e spent a week doing Nigel and three weeks doing the rest of the album."[2] According to guitarist Dave Gregory: "Despite glowing press reviews [of Drums and Wires], we were still struggling to fill small theatres in the UK and the brief tour was disappointing. But then, the unthinkable happened -- Nigel got playlisted at the BBC and in early October, XTC were back in the charts! And back on Top of the Pops! Twice!! When we resumed touring in late November, every gig was sold out."[3]

The single spent 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. Biographer Chris Twomey wrote that although the single is reported to have reached number 17, it was "later learned that a computer error by the chart compilers had forced the record downwards when it had in fact gone up."[4] The song also reached number 12 on the Canadian chart and remained on the charts there for 22 weeks.[5] In 2016, "Making Plans for Nigel" was ranked number 143 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 best songs of the 1970s.[1]

Official video

The video, directed by Russell Mulcahy was shot in London on 10 July 1979, together with another put together very quickly for "Life Begins at the Hop."[6]

Personnel

As provided on the record sleeve:[7]

XTC

Technical

Cover versions

Charts

Chart (1979) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[8] 17

References

  1. 1 2 Pitchfork Staff (22 August 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork.
  2. ↑ Ingham, Chris (March 1999). "XTC - 'Til Death Do Us Part". Mojo.
  3. ↑ Bernhardt, Todd (15 December 2008). "Dave remembers 'Making Plans for Nigel'". Chalkhills.
  4. ↑ 2002 & Twomey, p. 102.
  5. ↑ "Image: RPM Weekly, 19 April 1980". RPM Weekly. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Chalkhills: XTCFans: Dave remembers: "Making Plans for Nigel"". chalkhills.org. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Drums and Wires, Virgin Records, 1979 - record sleeve
  8. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
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