Swan Song of British Steel - “Making Plans for Nigel” by XTC

More about Swan Song of British Steel - “Making Plans for Nigel” by XTC

"Making Plans for Nigel" was a song by English Rock band XTC, from their 1979 album “Drums and Wires”. The lyrics are told from the point of view of overbearing parents. They are certain that their son Nigel is "happy in his world", saying that his future, is to be spent working for British Steel (one of the biggest steel producers in UK at that time).
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Important fact: In the 1980s, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher re-privatised BSC as British Steel. Under private control, the company reduced its workforce by cutting thousands of jobs and underwent a radical restructure to become competitive again.
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However, Colin Moulding the songwriter of XTC explained that “a future in British Steel” was maybe not all that fantastic.

Anyway, the song "Making Plans for Nigel" was released in August 1979 and the single spent 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart and became the band's first hit record.

After the song's release, 100,000 steel workers went on strike. They tried to contact Moulding for a statement, but he offered no comment.

British Steel even gathered four Sheffield employees named “Nigel” to talk about job satisfaction.

In a 2020 Guardian article about the song, Colin Moulding said: "I've had countless Nigels come up to me over the years and say:“That song is my life.”

Source: Wikipedia, The Guardian.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/5bCML4TXpbA?si=7tlajofYNEaxyOlw
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