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."
All You Need Is Love
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like a child without a home
The love you give me keeps me hangin' on
Oh honey, all I ever need is you
You're my first love, you're my last
You're my future, you're my past
And loving you is all I ask, honey
All I ever need is you
Sure as summer follows spring, all the things you do
Give me a reason to build my world around you
Some men follow rainbows, I am told
Some men search for silver some for gold
I have found my treasure in your soul, honey
All I ever need is you
Without love I'd never find the way
Through ups and downs of every single day
I won't sleep at night until you say, my honey
All I ever need is you
Tom Jones's song All You Need Is Love is a declaration of love and dependence on a person who is considered everything to the singer. The first verse talks about the singer's feeling of loneliness occasionally, and the chance the love from the specific person comes along to make everything okay. The second verse emphasizes how the love this person gives is what the singer needs, and that they are the first and the last love the singer will ever have. The third verse mentions the season's change and how they have been together through it all. The singer sees the little things the person does as reasons for building their world around them. The fourth verse speaks of the things that people search for, but the singer has found their treasure in the person's soul. Without them, the singer would be lost, and they need them to say what the singer needed from them.
The song is a remake of the song written by Jimmy Holiday and Eddie Reeves originally for Kenny Rogers and Dottie West in 1970. However, Tom Jones and his daughter-in-law Helena Reddy recorded their version in 1971, which was much more successful than the original. The songwriters wrote it about their spouses' relationships, but it became a song for people in love. It reached number nine on both the U.S. and UK charts. It stayed for 15 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, making it Jones's third-longest stay at that time.
Besides the versions released in different countries, there was no significant difference between Jones's All You Need Is Love and his duet version with Reddy. Helena Reddy is well known for her feminist anthem, "I am woman," but she is one of the few female performers that collaborated with Tom Jones. Jones correctly predicted that their recording would be a hit due to the popularity and dynamism of both artists.
Tom Jones's All You Need Is Love had a successful run for several weeks in the UK Singles Chart, holding the number one position for two months. The song features a strong country feel with its instrument use and lyrics, but it is different from the original country genre. The All You Need Is Love song was also included in Jones's 1971 album, "I won't be sorry to see Suzanne again."
Chords:
Verse: C, F, G, C
Chorus: F, G, C, Am, G
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes when I'm down and all alone
In moments of sadness and solitude
Just like a child without a home
Feeling lost and insecure
The love you give me keeps me hangin' on
Your affection is what keeps me going
Oh honey, all I ever need is you
You are my everything
You're my first love, you're my last
You are the beginning and end of my love
You're my future, you're my past
Your presence is with me always
And loving you is all I ask, honey
Having your love is all I desire
Winters come and they go, and we watch the melting snow
Seasons change but our love endures
Sure as summer follows spring, all the things you do
Your actions reassure me of your love
Give me a reason to build my world around you
You are the foundation of my life
Some men follow rainbows, I am told
People seek different things in life
Some men search for silver some for gold
Material goods do not interest me
I have found my treasure in your soul, honey
Your inner beauty is priceless to me
Without love I'd never find the way
Love is my compass in life
Through ups and downs of every single day
Love helps me through life's challenges
I won't sleep at night until you say, my honey
Your affirmation of love gives me peace
All I ever need is you
You are essential to my happiness and well-being
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Benton Reeves, Jimmy Holiday
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dircemendes1887
BOM DIA MENINO ROMÂNTICO POETA LINDO ADOREI!! Que maravilhoso que romantismo , nuito lindo!!
Parabéns POETA!! Parabéns!!!Obrigada!! BJOS 😗😗👏👏👏❤❤🎶🎶🎶🕊🕊🌞🌞🌞
@dircemendes1887
Obrigada pela linda mensagem adorei MENINO ROMÂNTICO POETA LINDO!Bom descanso bons sonhos e muita paz pra você e todos nós! Um belo AMANHECER com tudo de maravilhoso pra você! Bjos com carinho!!🎶🎶🎶🕊🕊❤❤😗
@dircemendes1887
Oi Menino Romântico Poeta Lindo ! Notando você triste através de suas mensagens e descrição ! Fico muito trite quando você fica triste fambem!!❤😗💛💟
@elianeregina6065
Amei.bjos
@missesguitarchick
More like All You is Sex from the looks of this video! I think the Beatles meant brotherly love type love. Still great rendition by Tom Jones.
@HanhibalGamerSKJ08U7342
Exactly. Tom Jones did this version in a childs' charity campaign, with that brotherly (and maybe parently) definition of love😁👌
@sangeethgodakandaarachchi6459
Best version of the song . But the video tries to show sex as love, which is a misnomer.