"The Wayward Wind" is a country song written by Stanley Lebowsky (music) and Herb Newman (lyrics),[1][2] and first recorded by American singer Gogi Grant in 1955, and released in 1956. Grant's version reached No. 1 on both the Cash Box charts, where it remained at No. 1 for five weeks, and the Billboard charts, remaining at No. 1 for six weeks, ending Elvis Presley's seven-week run at No. 1 with "Heartbreak Hotel".[3] It remained in the top 10 for fifteen weeks,[4] and was ranked as the No. 5 song for 1956 according to Billboard. It became a Gold record. Members of the Western Writers of America chose the song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[5]
Background
The “Wayward Wind” of the title is a metaphor for wanderlust: an irrepressible urge to travel and explore. This is further emphasized by describing it as a "restless wind." In the context of the 19th century setting of shanty towns and railroads, the Western United States was still largely unexplored by European settlers. Concurrent to the era of lone cowboys on horseback, the First transcontinental railroad was built.
Steam trains were a gateway the American frontier romanticized in literature, songs and film. The subject of the song is a young man who lives near train tracks; the sound of passing trains instills him with an irrepressible urge to travel. On his journeys he falls in love and attempts to settle down and lead a normal life, but the urge to wander is too strong. The phrase "Next of kin”, which is a colloquialism meaning the person's closest living relative, may suggest that the wandering man has no family or connection and will perhaps wander his entire life.
Originally recorded and sung in third person narration from the point of view of the young man’s lover/wife, by female pop singer Gogi Grant, the song is often adapted to male singers and sung in first person from the POV of the young man.
Recordings
In 1956, other versions were recorded, including versions by Tex Ritter, and Jimmy Young, with Ritter's version proving popular in England, reaching No. 8 on the UK charts. Ritter used the song to open his stage shows.[6]
In 1961, Grant's recording was reissued and reached Billboard No. 50 and Cash Box No. 78. In 1963, a new recording was made by Frank Ifield, which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks duration.[7]
The song made the Billboard country chart in a version by Irish flautist James Galway with vocal accompaniment by American country singer Sylvia. Produced in Nashville by Bill Pursell,[8] the single was released in 1982 and it rose to No. 57 in 1983.[9]
In popular culture
Neil Young named Gogi Grant's recording as one of the five songs that most inspired him when growing up, noting that, "I think it was grade four, I heard this song and for some reason, I associate it with the school and the highway, and the railroad tracks going behind the school."[10]
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