He rose to fame in the mid-1960s, with an exuberant live act which included wearing tight breeches and billowing shirts, in an Edwardian style popular amongst his peers at the time. He was known for his overt sexuality, before this was as common as it became in subsequent years.
In 1963 he became the frontman for Tommy Scott and the Senators, a local beat group. Clad all in black leather, Tom soon gained a reputation in the South Wales area. The Senators were still all unheard of in London.
In 1964 they laid down a few tracks with maverick Telstar producer Joe Meek, and took them to various labels in an attempt to get a record deal. The plan was to release a single, Lonely Joe / I Was A Fool, but the ever-flighty Meek refused to release the tapes. The group returned to South Wales and continued to play gigs at dance halls and working mens clubs. One night, at the Top Hat in Cwmtillery, Tom was spotted by Gordon Mills, a London-based manager originally from South Wales. Mills became Tom's manager, and took the young singer to London. He also renamed him Tom Jones. The Senators became the Playboys, and later still the Squires.
Jones was awarded the Grammy Award for Best New Artist for 1965. It's Not Unusual, after the song having first been offered to Sandie Shaw. Jones recorded what was intended to be a demo for Shaw, but when she heard it she was so impressed with Jones' delivery that she declined the song and recommended that Jones release it himself. The record was the second Decca single Jones released, reaching number one in the UK charts in 1965. It was also the first hit for Jones in the US, peaking at #10 in May of that year. The single was released in the US on the Parrot label and also reached #3 on Billboard's easy listening chart. Jones used this song as the theme for his late 1960s-early 1970s musical variety series This Is Tom Jones. It has since become Jones' signature song.
In 1965 Tom sang the theme tune to the James Bond film Thunderball.
Jones' recording career slumped on the pop charts during the 1970s and 80s, although he placed 16 singles on the Billboard Country Music charts between 1976 and 1985, the biggest of which was "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow" (# 1 Country, # 15 pop) in 1977, and his touring continued successfully. When his son Mark became his manager in 1987, his musical style was taken in a different direction. His recording career was revived with his first major hit single in over a decade, "A Boy From Nowhere", taken from the musical Matador. In 1988 he collaborated with The Art of Noise to record Prince's popular song "Kiss". Following this, he started to record in collaboration with a younger generation of musicians
His Reload album, released in 2000, became the biggest hit of his career. An album of cover versions recorded as duets with contemporary artists, using their record producers, and utilising their recording methods, it reached number one in the United Kingdom, and sold over 4 million copies worldwide.[1] In 2002, he released the album Mr. Jones, which was produced by Wyclef Jean and included the singles "Tom Jones International" and "Black Betty". In 2003, he was honored with a BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004, his "Sex Bomb" single became a major club hit.
On New Year's Eve 2000 President Bill Clinton invited Tom to perform at the Millennium Celebrations in Washington. Throughout 2000, Tom garnered several honours for his work, including a Brit Award for Best Male. In 2001 Tom toured throughout the Middle East and Europe. In subsequent years Tom recorded albums in collaboration with such artists as Wyclef Jean and Jools Holland.
In celebration of his 65th birthday, on 28 May 2005 Tom returned to his homeland to perform a spectacular concert in Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd. This was Tom's first performance in Ponty since 1964.
For his contribution to the recording industry, Tom Jones has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6608 Hollywood Blvd.
In 2005 the album Together In Concert, was recorded live with John Farnham and his band.
He has collaborated with Chicane for "Stoned in Love", a dance track that was released 24 April 2006. It entered at number eight in the UK charts the following Sunday.
In 2007, he signed to New York-based independent label S-Curve, owned by music executive Steve Greenberg.
The singer was awarded an OBE in 1999 and a Knight Bachelor in the 2006 New Years Honours list for his services to music and was subsequently knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, London on 29 March 2006.[7]
On 1 July 2007, Jones was one of the invited artists who performed at Wembley Stadium at the Concert for Diana, joined on stage by guitarist Joe Perry of Aerosmith and British soul singer Joss Stone. He sang the British National Anthem before Ricky Hatton's fight against Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas on 8 December 2007. On 19 April 2008 he sang the Welsh National Anthem at the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight in Las Vegas.
Although his manager and public relations staff have attempted to change his sex-bomb image and neutralize the knicker-throwing fans, to the delight of his audiences Jones has never felt the need to tone down his behavior in the shows. Tom Jones has remained highly respected by other singers and continues to attract audiences of all ages. As of 2008, Jones continues to tour and record. A major portion of the year he regularly performs his show at the MGM Grand hotel, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, USA. His show at the MGM is performed in a cabaret-style theater. Other venues on his yearly schedule include numerous shows at Atlantic City, NJ and appearances in the USA, United Kingdom and Canada. In February 2007, Jones made a long-awaited South American tour.
On 17 September 2008, Jones announced the release of his retro-tinged album "24 Hours" on S-Curve Records, his first for 15 years in the US; notably, this is the first record in which he's had a direct song-writing input. It was produced largely by drum'n'bass stalwarts Future Cut.
"It's all very well just singing songs," says Jones, "but for this record I really wanted to get properly personal. I've been getting reflective recently, looking over my journey through life, and I wanted to get that down on song. This time I wanted to make something that was all about me, my stories, my life. In other words, you listen to this album and you get the real me."
24 Hours
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweated pores like rain
I can feel the attack
But I'm known to pain
The cold is creeping in
And it chills my veins
I've got one more minute, twenty four hours to go
No illusions owned for start
What I did I cant take back
There's no use in wishing that
The bell is ringing now
And the clock counts down
I got one more minute, twenty four hours to go
Angels wont help me now
This fate is all mine
Darkness is fading out
And so is my time
Hear the footsteps at my door
I don't struggle anymore
As I take my final breath
I don't feel what lies ahead
I'm leaving to a place
Where ill see your face
I had one more minute, twenty four hours ago
One more minute, twenty four hours ago
In Tom Jones's song "24 Hours," the lyrics describe the final moments of someone's life. The first few lines convey a sense of physical discomfort, with salty skin, sweated pores, and a feeling of attack. The singer is known to pain, implying they have experienced hardship and suffering. Despite this, they are resigned to their fate, as the cold creeps in and chills their veins. They have only one more minute, twenty-four hours to go.
The second verse reveals an inner turmoil, as the singer has no redemption in their heart and no illusions left. They acknowledge that they cannot change what they have done and that there is no use in wishing for a different outcome. The bell is ringing, and the clock counts down, measuring the precious time remaining. In the chorus, the singer accepts their fate, knowing that angels won't rescue them, and their darkness is fading away along with their time.
The final verse describes the arrival of the end, with footsteps heard at the door, and the singer no longer struggling. As they take their final breath, they don't feel what lies ahead. They are leaving for a place where they will see the face of someone they cared about. The line, "I had one more minute, twenty-four hours ago," suggests that they were once alive, but now their time has come.
Line by Line Meaning
Salty skin on my body
My body is covered in sweat
Sweated pores like rain
My pores are open and sweating profusely
I can feel the attack
I am aware of my imminent death
But I'm known to pain
I am used to pain and suffering
The cold is creeping in
I am starting to feel cold and numb
And it chills my veins
My blood vessels feel constricted and cold
I've got one more minute, twenty four hours to go
I have very little time left to live
No redemption in my heart
I feel guilty and have no hope for forgiveness
No illusions owned for start
I have no false beliefs or delusions about my situation
What I did I cant take back
I regret my past actions and cannot undo them
There's no use in wishing that
Wishing won't change the outcome
The bell is ringing now
It is time for me to face the consequences
And the clock counts down
Time is running out for me
I got one more minute, twenty four hours to go
I am running out of time and have only a short while to live
Angels wont help me now
I cannot rely on divine intervention or salvation
This fate is all mine
I alone am responsible for my fate
Darkness is fading out
I am losing consciousness and dying
And so is my time
The time left for me to live is rapidly diminishing
Hear the footsteps at my door
I hear someone approaching me
I don't struggle anymore
I have accepted my fate and stopped fighting
As I take my final breath
I am taking my last breath before dying
I don't feel what lies ahead
I do not know what will happen to me after I die
I'm leaving to a place
I am going to a location that is unknown to me
Where ill see your face
I will see the face of someone I care about in the afterlife
I had one more minute, twenty four hours ago
I only had a short time to live, but that time has now passed
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IYIOLA BABLOLA, LISA GREENE, TOM JONES, DARREN LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patrick Stocks
Salty skin on my body!
Sweated pores like rain
I can feel the attack
But I’m known to pain
The cold is creeping in
And it chills my veins
I’ve got one more minute
24 hours to go
No redemption in my heart
No illusions owned for start
What I did I can’t take back
There’s no use in wishing that
The bell ringing now
And the clock counts down
I got one more minute
24 hours to go
Angels won’t help me now
This fate is all mine
Darkness is fading out
And so is my time
Hear the footsteps at my door
I don’t struggle anymore
As I take my final breath
I don’t feel what lies ahead
I’m leaving to a place
Where I’ll see your face
I had one more minute
And 24 hours ago
One more minute
24 hours ago
Валентина Мельникова
Все в исполнении Тома Джонса - величайшее мастерство и переживание души.
Adrian Wechsler
Amazing Song Sung By The Most Magnificent Male Singer Of All Time! Sir Tom Jones, I Love You!
Jorja Jones
Wow...every song he sings he brings the best out of that song...amazing. Can't get enough of his singing and his new album is dope...(which means very good)💙🌹🌹🌹💙
Patrick Stocks
Salty skin on my body!
Sweated pores like rain
I can feel the attack
But I’m known to pain
The cold is creeping in
And it chills my veins
I’ve got one more minute
24 hours to go
No redemption in my heart
No illusions owned for start
What I did I can’t take back
There’s no use in wishing that
The bell ringing now
And the clock counts down
I got one more minute
24 hours to go
Angels won’t help me now
This fate is all mine
Darkness is fading out
And so is my time
Hear the footsteps at my door
I don’t struggle anymore
As I take my final breath
I don’t feel what lies ahead
I’m leaving to a place
Where I’ll see your face
I had one more minute
And 24 hours ago
One more minute
24 hours ago
Subrina Pechacek
This song hit my soul. I love the song it does speak to my soul but every song that I have heard from Tom Jones always speaks to the heart and this song defintely does that.
Sumer61
So beautiful.
I remember my mother-in-law last year, when she decided to end her life with dignity, because of cancer.
She must have been thinking something like this the day before we all came to her side, Omg :(
So sad. We all kissed her goodbye, and her two remaining sons held her hands whilst she went n this new journey. It was a site to behold, I never saw someone die before my eyes, None of us did. But she was so brave and strong.
This song is dedicated to my mother-in-law Maureen.
Richard Young
Sumer61, THANK you for sharing your story with us it was so brave of you, hope you are well my friend. PEACE BE WITH YOU MY FRIEND. 🙏 😎✌🏴
Paul Atallah
Superb, chilling, unique
Joseantonio Amigo
Genial como siempre autentico jones forever
Val Fay
Wow, that was hard hitting, powerful song!