Almost all parents try to influence the future of their children and rarely doubt the correctness of their choice. But most of the offspring are sure that their ancestors do not understand anything in life and should not make decisions for them. This confrontation has been going on for thousands of years and seems to only grow stronger over the years, upsetting representatives of all generations. The famous song “Making Plans for Nigel”, the hallmark of the British band XTC, is dedicated to the eternal conflict.
The Story Behind of Making Plans for Nigel by XTC
The author of the text of the composition is Colin Molding. In an interview with Todd Berhardt, Colin revealed that the lyrics were written very quickly:
I have this phrase in my head [“making plans for Nigel”], and then the lines followed one after another. Before I had time to come to my senses, I wrote three verses of the song, and the rest appeared, probably a day or two later. That was the essence of the song… but it took about ten minutes.
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Colin Molding explained the main idea of the song as follows:
She is [song] partly autobiographical. My father encouraged me to write it. He wanted a future for me at university and tried his best to convince me to cut my hair and stay in school. It got to the point where he was almost about to drag me by the hair to the barbershop. In the end, everything was decided by the director, who expelled me from school because they were long. I think my father suffered a little because of this.
Yes, the song is about a slightly different situation, but it comes down to the same thing: parental dominance. In hindsight, I understand that he felt that “Andy Patridge’s company” was a bad influence on me. I think he is proud of me now, although he will never admit it – from such a type of people he is …
Recording and release
Andy Partridge talks about the studio work on the track:
Sounds reminiscent of hitting sheets of metal is a patch of white noise on our Korg mono synth. We decided to record it with this industrial sound and triumph to allude to British Steel where Nigel works.
Uncut, 2014
We decided early on that “Making Plans for Nigel” would be a single. This song took us five times longer than any of my other tracks. At some point, I was furious that my songs were being ignored.
In September 1979, “Making Plans for Nigel” was released as the first and only single from the album “Drums and Wires”. It spent eleven weeks on the UK charts, peaking at number seventeen.
When the track became a hit, Colin was invited to work for the British Steel company mentioned in the lyrics. He later recalled:
British Steel is just a little mischief. But I definitely did not expect that the head of the association would call me and invite me to them! It took a hell of a lot of work for me to convince him that I picked an organization at random.
Uncut, 2014
The composition was sung over the years by Robbie Williams, Nouvelle Vague, The Rembrandts and other famous bands and solo artists.
The online music magazine Pitchfork included “Making Plans for Nigel” in their list of the 200 best songs of the seventies.
Below you can watch the music video for “Making Plans for Nigel” from XTC’s Top of the Pops performance.
Interesting Facts
- Four employees named Nigel were interviewed for the British Steel trade publication. They were asked to report whether they were satisfied with the working conditions.
Lyrics Making Plans for Nigel by XTC
We’re only making plans for Nigel
We only want what’s best for him
We’re only making plans for Nigel
Nigel just needs this helping hand
And if young Nigel says he’s happy
He must be happy
He must be happy in his work
We only want the best for him.
We’re just planning Nigel’s future
Nigel needs a helping hand
And if young Nigel says he’s happy
He should be happy
He should be happy at his job We’re only making plans for Nigel
He has his future in a British steel
We’re only making plans for Nigel
Nigel’s whole future is as good as sealed
And if young Nigel says he’s happy
He must be happy
He must be happy in his work
His future at British Steel
We’re just planning Nigel’s future
Nigel’s future is predetermined
And if young Nigel says he’s happy
He should be happy
He should be happy at his job Nigel is not outspoken
But he likes to speak
And loves to be spoken to
Nigel is happy in his work
We’re only making plans for Nigel
But he loves to talk
And loves to be talked to
Nigel is happy with his job
We’re just planning Nigel’s future
Song Quotes
She sounded like the Spinners. When Colin brought it in and played it on the acoustic guitar, he might as well have worn a dress and some horn-rimmed glasses like Nana Mushuri.
Andy Partridge
There were no Nigels at school. Nobody offended me, but I think, by nature, I always sympathized with people who were bullied. I guess “Nigel” has become my song for those who get hurt…
Colin Moulding, Uncut, 2014
