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."
Bad as Me
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You’re the nail on the cross
You’re the fly in my beer
You’re the key that got lost
You’re the letter from Jesus on the bathroom wall
You’re the mother superior in only a bra
You’re the same
You’re the same kind of bad as me
You’re the same kind of bad as me
The same kind of bad as me
You’re the same kind of bad as me
The same kind of bad as me
I’m the hat on the bed
I’m the coffee instead
The fish or cut bait
The detective up late
I’m the blood on the floor
And the thunder and the roar
The boat that won’t sink
I just won’t slip a wink
You’re the same kind of bad as me
The same kind of bad as me
You’re the same kind of bad as me
Same kind of bad as me
Same kind of bad as me
We're good you say
But that’s good enough for me
Haha
You’re the wreath that caught fire
You’re the preach to the choir
You bite down on the sheet
But your teeth have been wired
You the skid in the rain
You’re trying to shift
You’re grinding the gears
You’re trying to shift
You’re the same kind of bad as me
The same kind of bad as me
The same kind of bad as me
The same kind of bad as me
Same kind of bad
The same kind of bad as me
They told me you were no good
But I know you’ll take care of all my needs
Because you’re the same kind of bad as me
I’m the mattress in the back
I’m the old gunny sack
I’m the one with the gun
Most likely to run
I’m the car in the weeds
If you cut me I’ll bleed
You’re the same kind of bad as me
You’re the same kind of bad as me
You’re the same kind of bad as me
You’re the same kind of bad as me
You’re the same kind of bad
The same kind of bad
The same kind of bad as me
You’re the same kind of bad as me
The same kind of bad as me
You're the same kind of bad
The same kind of bad
The same kind of bad as me
In "Bad as Me," Tom Jones acknowledges his flaws and compares them to those of his lover. Jones uses vivid imagery to describe himself and his lover as flawed, yet compatible. He compares himself to a "hat on the bed" and "the coffee instead" while his lover is "the head on the spear" and "the nail on the cross." They are both "the same kind of bad" and their compatibility is emphasized in the repetition of the phrase.
Jones also references religious imagery with lines like "You’re the letter from Jesus on the bathroom wall" and "You’re the mother superior in only a bra." These lines suggest that there is something spiritual about the bond between the two characters, despite their imperfections.
The chorus repeats the phrase "You’re the same kind of bad as me" and drives home the idea that their flaws are what make them fit together. They may not be perfect, but they are perfect for each other.
Overall, "Bad as Me" is a song about embracing our imperfections and finding someone who complements them. It's a song about finding someone who is "the same kind of bad as me" and reveling in the knowledge that we are not alone in our flaws.
Line by Line Meaning
You’re the head on the spear
You are the leader, the one in charge
You’re the nail on the cross
You are the one who is suffering, the martyr
You’re the fly in my beer
You are the annoying presence, the inconvenience
You’re the key that got lost
You are the missing piece, the solution that is out of reach
You’re the letter from Jesus on the bathroom wall
You are the unexpected message, the divine intervention
You’re the mother superior in only a bra
You are the contradiction, the unexpected appearance
You’re the same
You are identical
You’re the same kind of bad as me
You have the same flaws, the same imperfections
I’m the hat on the bed
I am the symbol of a failed romance
I’m the coffee instead
I am the alternative, the replacement
The fish or cut bait
The moment of truth, the decision that has to be made
The detective up late
The one who is searching for answers, the curious mind
I’m the blood on the floor
I am the evidence of violence, the aftermath of a struggle
And the thunder and the roar
I am the chaos, the noise, the uncontrollable
The boat that won’t sink
The resilience, the ability to survive against all odds
I just won’t slip a wink
I refuse to give up, to surrender to sleep
We're good you say
You claim that we are virtuous, that we are doing the right thing
But that’s good enough for me
But I am content with being just good, I do not strive for perfection
You’re the wreath that caught fire
You are the symbol of honor and respect that turned into ashes
You’re the preach to the choir
You are the message that is delivered to the already converted
You bite down on the sheet
You are in pain, you are trying to hold back your emotions
But your teeth have been wired
But you are restrained, you are not free to express yourself fully
You the skid in the rain
You are the loss of control, the danger, the accident waiting to happen
You’re trying to shift
You are attempting to change, to correct your course
You’re grinding the gears
But you are struggling, you are not succeeding in your efforts
They told me you were no good
They warned me about your reputation, your bad influence
But I know you’ll take care of all my needs
But I trust you, I believe you are capable of providing for me
I’m the mattress in the back
I am the forgotten, the neglected, the overlooked
I’m the old gunny sack
I am the useless, the outdated, the discarded
I’m the one with the gun
I am the source of power, the one who makes the decisions
Most likely to run
Most likely to flee, to escape responsibility
I’m the car in the weeds
I am the obstacle, the hindrance, the one who is stuck
If you cut me I’ll bleed
But I am human, I am vulnerable, I can be hurt
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KATHLEEN BRENNAN, THOMAS ALAN WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind