THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

894-Nick Heyward-Whistle Down the Wind.

1983-Number 13 single.

Best Bit-At 3.10. To ‘Whistle Down the Wind,’ means you abandon, send away, or leave something, or someone.

Nicholas Heyward was born on May 20th, 1961, in Beckenham, Kent. Heyward began playing in bands as far back as 1977, with his school friends, Graham Jones, and Les Nemes, who along with three others would form ‘Haircut One Hundred in 1980. It was Heyward who suggested the name ‘Haircut One Hundred,’ when the band were trying to come up with ideas, Heyward has said that the name was chosen, ‘Because it was the one that made us laugh the most.’ Heyward who was the main songwriter, and the lead vocalist with Haircut One Hundred was a member until 1982, when he was dismissed by the other group members as tensions grew. In later years Heyward stated that he had been struggling with stress and depression at that time, after a year of constant work and pressure, which led to him being, in effect, sacked by the other members of the band. As a member of Haircut One Hundred, Heyward only appeared on their debut studio Album ‘Pelican West,’ which was released in February 1982. Heyward had written 11 of the 12 songs on the Album, and had co-written the other with Les Nemes. The Album produced four UK top 10 hits, with ‘Love Plus One,’ charting the highest at Number 3, the same song gave the band their only chart entry on Billboard in America, where it reached Number 37. After Heyward left the group, Haircut One Hundred released just one more studio Album,’Paint and Paint,’ in 1984, which failed to chart, as did the three issued singles taken from it. Nick Heyward and other members of Haircut One Hundred have reformed to play live on occasions through the years, which saw the release of ‘Live at the Indig02,’ in 2011.

Nick Heyward’s solo career began in 1983, with the release of the single ‘Whistle Down the Wind,’ the song had been intended to be the next Haircut One Hundred single release, before Heyward’s dismissal. ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ was the first of four singles issued from his debut solo studio Album ‘North of a Miracle,’ from October 1983, and was written by Heyward, with the production being by Geoff Emerick, (1945-2018) (see also best songs 39 and 2) and the orchestral arrangements by Andrew Powell, (see also best songs 866-130-81 and 2) the Album was recorded at the world famous ‘Abbey Road Studios,’ in London, England. Nick Heyward has gone on to release nine solo studio Albums between 1983-2017, and 22 solo singles, between 1983-2018. As a solo artist he has achieved one top 40 Album with ‘North of a Miracle’ reaching Number 10 in the UK, and six of his solo singles have also made the UK top 40, with ‘Take That Situation,’ charting the highest at Number 11 in 1983.

Geoff Ernest Emerick was born on December 5th, 1945, in Crouch End, North London, United Kingdom, he died from a heart attack on October 2nd, 2018, at the age of 72. Emerick got his first break in music at the age of 16, when one of his school teachers heard about a job vacancy at ‘EMI,’ and suggested he apply. Emerick started out as an assistant engineer, and was present to witness the Beatles recording for the first time with their new drummer, Ringo Starr, on what became the band’s debut hit single, ‘Love Me Do,’ in 1962. At the age of 20, Emerick took over as the Beatles’ recording engineer, at the request of producer George Martin, (1926-2016) two of the Beatles songs it is said that Emerick had great influence on are ‘Tomorrow Never Knows,’ from ‘Revolver,’ (1966) and ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!’ from ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ (1967.) Of all the Beatles, Emerick was always the closest to Paul McCartney, and after the Beatles split, he worked as the recording engineer on many of McCartney’s solo projects, including ‘Band on the Run’ (1973) (see also best songs 107.)

‘Whistle Down the Wind’ is probably a song about regret. In my opinion, the narrator is missing his lover, and will give everything to get them back.

‘Out the window, look what’s happening. In my prism, watching day by (day by day.) In my humour (ha,) kiss and make up friend. Out the window, look what’s happening.’