Making Plans For Nigel – XTC

“Making Plans for Nigel” is a song by the English rock band XTC that was released as the opening track and lead single from their 1979 album Drums and Wires, by Virgin Records. It was written by Colin Moulding, the band’s bassist. The lyrics are told from the point of view of parents who are certain that their son Nigel is “happy in his world”, affirming that his future in British Steel “is as good as sealed”, and that he “likes to speak and loves to be spoken to.”

The single marked XTC’s commercial breakthrough. It spent 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at #17. In 2016, the song was ranked number 143 on the Pitchfork website’s list of the 200 best songs of the 1970s. It was also ranked number 73 in NME list of 100 best songs of the 70s.