In the opening strains of Little Big Town’s latest single, “Tornado,” there is a haunting whistle, and it is featured again at the end of the tune, as well. This isn’t an ordinary sound effect that can be found in any studio on Music Row. The whistling you hear is actually from LBT’s Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook, who playfully tease each other about who is the better whistler. “There’s this little chamber, this tiny, little very, very extremely tall room, closet, in the studio where we cut this thing, and you had to crawl into a hole to get into this chamber. So, we got into this chamber, and we whistled,” says Kimberly. “We were king whistlers! So, we both got in there separately and whistled, and I think one of us is in the front of the song, and one of us is in the back…or one of us is both,” she laughingly jokes with Jimi.
Sweet Kimberly is also the person behind the evil-sounding laugh near the end of the song, as well, which happened accidentally. “While you were in there doing your whistle, you…laughed about something, and they captured all that recording, and you can hear this laugh off in the distance,” Phillip Sweet said to Kimberly, delightfully announced, “I’m wicked.”
“Tornado” is the follow-up to their previous two-week No. 1 hit, “Pontoon.”
AUDIO: Little Big Town reveal who does the whistling on their latest single, “Tornado.”
LBT (Tornado-whistle) 1 OC: (Kimberly) …I’m kidding. :39
KIMBERLY: “We both did it. We whistled.” JIMI: “I guess we are.” PHILLIP: “They whistled off in the chamber.” KIMBERLY: [WHISPERS] “It was all me.” [LAUGHS] JIMI: “Kimberly said it was all her.” KIMBERLY: “It was so fun. There’s this little chamber, this tiny, little very, very extremely tall room, closet, in the studio where we cut this thing, and you had to crawl into a hole to get into this chamber. So, we got into this chamber, and we whistled! We were like, we were, we were king whistlers! So, we both got in there separately and whistled, and I think one of us is in the front of the song, and one of us is in the back…or one of us is both. [JIMI LAUGHS] I’m kidding.”
AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook talk about the “wicked laugh” on their latest single, “Tornado.”
LBT (Tornado-whistle) 2 OC: (Kimberly) …I’m wicked. [LAUGHTER] :13
PHILLIP: [To Kimberly] “While you were in there doing your whistle, you…laughed about something, and they captured all that recording, and you can hear this laugh off in the distance.” JIMI: “That wicked laugh on the track is Kimberly.” KIMBERLY: “That laugh. I’m wicked.” [LAUGHTER]
