article: Our almost constant use of mobile phones and the decline of working class jobs are contributing to the erosion of the age-old whistle according to new research. Once heard constantly on the streets, in songs, on the stage and in the workplace it has nearly disappeared. Whistling aficionados are in agreement, no one is whistling while they work – or anywhere else for that matter. All children used to be told to whistle while they work by the classic Disney animation Snow White. However the rise of the mobile phone and music on the ipod means young people are less likely to whistle now. Cultural historian at Syracuse University, London, Chris Cook, told the Sunday Times that whistling has all but disappeared over the last few decades. A YouGov poll commissioned by the newspaper confirmed the trend illustrating that 70 percent of people were in agreement that they hear fewer people whistling compared with 20 or 30 years ago. Half of those asked said they believed the decline was a result of  the demise of working class culture, while a third said they were listening to ipods and personal music players instead of whistling. Co-Author of 'A Brief History of Whistling' John Lucas said the sound of miners on their way to the pits or workers to and from the factories used to be common. He explained there were even whistling choirs on the buses on the way to work. In the 70s and 80s whistling was still popular in many pop songs, John Lennon's Jealous Guy, later covered by Bryan Ferry's Roxy Music in 1981 were well-liked whistling tunes . Paul Simon'a 1972 hit Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard is also well-known for its use of whistling . Monty Python's Always Look On the Bright Side of Life from the 1979 film the Life of Brian is one of the few tunes you might hear whistled . Lucas said other jobs also normally associated with whistling were gone. These included errand delivery boys, and the coalman. Where the jobs do exist, whistling does not appear to be appreciated. Kevin Gifford, a milkman from Leicestershire was handed a warning in 2013 after residents on his route complained that his whistling disturbed them. The slow fizzle of whistling's popularity has also been linked to the decline of variety shows. In the past whistlers could be incredibly popular. Ronnie Rondale from Islington, London was so successful that he became a best-selling artist with Columbia records and toured the world. However, the era of master whistlers is still not completely dead and Britain can still boast at least one. Seventy-year-old Sheila Harrod from Loughborough won the 1995 international whistling championship in Berlin and still performs 1940s-style variety shows at home and abroad. Mrs. Harrod explained that she began honing her whistling skills at the age of 13 but complained that now young people don't seem much interested in it. All of her audiences are at least over 40. In the 70s and 80s whistling was still popular in many pop songs, as Paul Simon's 1972 hit Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard and John Lennon's Jealous Guy, later covered by Bryan Ferry's Roxy Music in 1981 show. Monty Python's Always Look On the Bright Side of Life from the 1979 film the Life of Brian is one of the few tunes you might hear whistled. It is popular at football matches and often performed at funerals. Whistling used to be considered inappropriate for women, mainly because traditionally prostitutes attracted punters by whistling at them. The whistle also got a bad name in the 1980s, when wolf-whistling was discredited and later banned by some companies. However, while for some it was the sign of someone with an empty head it is now slightly more celebral. Soprano and Classic FM broadcaster, Catherine Bott, who presented a recent BBC Radio 4 documentary on whistling, said it can be 'relaxing for people who've got a lot going on in their brain'. The decline of working class jobs: Miners used to have whistling choirs when they travelled to and from work . The milkman was also a profession associated with whistling but now residents are likely to be disturbed by the sound instead of enjoying it .
highlights: Once heard on stage, in the street and at work, whistling is on the decline .
  End of variety shows, working class jobs and rise of mobiles contributed .
  Poll shows 70 percent  heard more whistling twenty or thirty years ago .
  Popular in The Life of Brian and 1980s pop songs, now the whistle is out .
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