British rock band XTC released their third album Drums And Wires on August 17, 1979. It was bassist Colin Moulding's dissatisfaction with XTC's "quirky" reputation that inspired the group to take a more pop oriented direction. Moulding wrote and sang album’s lead single, “Making Plans For Nigel.” It’s considered to be XTC's commercial breakthrough.
Commenting on the song, Moulding said, “I didn't know where it came from. That phrase popped into my head, and one line followed another. Before I knew it, I'd written three parts of the song, and the rest of it just kind of fell in line probably a day or two later. ... When I was about 16, my father wanted me to stay on in school. But by that time, I really didn't want to do anything other than music, I think. ... So, in a way, is it autobiographical? Well, a little bit. I knew somebody called Nigel at school. But I think that, when you write songs, it's a lot of things all wrapped up, like in your dreams. Your dreams are kind of bits and pieces of all the walks of life you've been in.”
In addition to the 44th anniversary of the release of Drums And Wires, it's also Moulding's 68th birthday.
