The Wayward Wind

"The Wayward Wind"
Single by Gogi Grant
from the album Suddenly There's Gogi Grant
B-side	"No More Than Forever"
Released	March 1956
Recorded	1955
Genre	Country
Length	2:57
Label	Era
Composer(s)	Stanley Lebowsky
Lyricist(s)	Herb Newman
Producer(s)	Buddy Bregman
Gogi Grant singles chronology
"Suddenly There's a Valley" (1955) "The Wayward Wind" (1956) "You're In Love" (1956)

"The Wayward Wind" is a

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

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]

Notable cover versions

• Tex Ritter (1956) No. 28 (U.S.), No. 8 (UK)
• Jimmy Young
  (1956) No. 27 (UK)
• Gene Vincent on the album A Gene Vincent Record Date (1958)
• The Everly Brothers on the album Both Sides of an Evening (1961)
• Patsy Cline on the album Showcase (1961)
• Frank Ifield (1963) No. 1 (UK), No. 16 (Australia), No. 3 (Ireland), No. 104 (U.S.)
• Crystal Gayle on the album When I Dream (1978)
• James Galway featuring Sylvia (1982) No. 57 (U.S.)
• Neil Young on the album Old Ways (1985)
• Anne Murray (1994) No. 7 (Canada)
• Sam Cooke on the album Hits of the 50's (1960)

Chart performance

Anne Murray

Year-end charts

References