Most of the people I speak to outiside of the whistling community (and when I say ‘whistling community’ I mean the guys that I met at the competition) seem to think that whistling is kind of kitch / amusing / funny / to be ridiculed.
I was wondering whether it really is or not. I do sometimes feel like a performing monkey (you know the one – with the fez and the energiser bunny cymbals). I think of the Jazz Flute guy in Anchorman (was it anchorman?), which was funny, but again, a little bit monkeyfezcymbals.
So there must be some cool examples of whistling. And there are:
- The whistling intro to Scorpions’ winds of change
- The intro to Ennio Morricone’s the good the bad and the ugly
- The always look on the bright side of life from Life of brian song (ok that is monkeyfez too)
- Some other song that I can’t remember right now, which has just been released.
Dammit, I am going to have to give this more thought!
I know this is late, but I believe that the last song you refer to may be “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. There’s a really cute cover of it on YouTube by a father and daughter duo. The father whistles in the same way you described, I think. Just search, “home jorge and alexa.”
I came across your blog when I decided to see if there was an actual link between whistling and happiness and I’ve browsed a few of your entries.
In response to your question about the coolness of whistling, I know that I love to whistle, and I think of it as being on the same level as singing or humming along to a song. (I prefer whistling to humming.) Sometimes I absentmindedly start whistling and don’t realize I’m doing it until someone either gives me weird looks or says I’m good. Growing up, my sister always got annoyed when I whistled and asked me to stop. I guess it gave her a headache or something. Now, in college, most people don’t seem to mind. I whistle while walking around the house, while riding my bike, in the echoey stairways (it sounds so cool) of dorm buildings, in the shower, along with songs, and while doing tasks that don’t require me to talk.
In songs, I feel that whistling is another type of instrument, and in everyday life, it’s no different than singing a song while cooking or something. But I know that some people, like my sister, feel differently. These are probably the people who wouldn’t want to endure a housemate practicing a wind instrument or who get annoyed when friends sing along to a song and mess up a little. I think some people just have a lower tolerance for whistling when it involves high pitched notes. And maybe they don’t take it seriously because it doesn’t require an instrument that can be bought shiny and new in a store. But I think it’s better for that reason.
I hope you continue posting to your blog.