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."
Burning Hell
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the church house
Get down
On a bended knee
Deacon Jones
Pray for me
Deacon Jones please pray for me
Maybe there ain't no hell
Maybe there ain't no heaven
No burning hell
No
I'm going down to the cross roads
With no devil
Well I'll make a deal
I'm going down to the cross roads
With no devil
Well I'll make a deal
No
Hey
Maybe there ain't no heaven
Maybe there ain't no hell
Maybe there ain't no heaven
No burning hell
No
When I die
Where will I go?
When I die
Where will I go?
Somebody tell me
Somebody tell me
Somebody please tell me
Where will I go?
Maybe there ain't no heaven
Maybe there ain't no hell
Maybe there ain't no heaven
No burning hell
No
Maybe there ain't no heaven
Maybe there ain't no hell
Maybe there ain't no heaven
No burning hell
No
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, yeah, hey, hey
In Tom Jones's song "Burning Hell," the lyrics reflect a questioning of the afterlife and the idea of heaven and hell. The opening lines describe the singer going down to the church house and getting down on bended knee, asking Deacon Jones to pray for him. It seems that the singer is looking for comfort and guidance in this uncertain world. In the following lines, the singer questions the existence of heaven and hell, wondering if there really is a place of eternal damnation or salvation. The repetition of "maybe there ain't no heaven, no burning hell" suggests a deep sense of doubt and confusion.
In the second stanza, the singer mentions going down to the crossroads, which is a reference to the myth of Robert Johnson, a legendary blues musician who allegedly sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for his musical talent. The singer says there is no devil there, implying that he would make a deal with the devil if he were present. Again, the doubt about the afterlife is reinforced with the repetition of "maybe there ain't no heaven, no burning hell."
The final stanza poses the question of where the singer will go when he dies. He asks for someone to tell him, suggesting that he does not know himself. The song ends with the repetition of the doubts about heaven and hell.
Overall, "Burning Hell" is a song that explores the uncertainty and confusion of the afterlife. It raises questions about the existence of heaven and hell and seeks answers to the mysteries of death.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going down
I am heading towards a situation which might not be very enjoyable
To the church house
To the place of worship
Get down
Kneel down
On a bended knee
Kneeling on one or both knees
Deacon Jones
A religious leader
Pray for me
Requesting the religious leader to pray for me
Deacon Jones please pray for me
Requesting the specific religious leader named Deacon Jones to pray for me
Maybe there ain't no heaven
Perhaps there is no paradise after death
Maybe there ain't no hell
Perhaps there is no hellish place where sinners go after death
No burning hell
There is no fiery place where people end up suffering eternally
I'm going down to the cross roads
Heading towards the intersection of multiple paths
With no devil
Without the influence of evil forces
Well I'll make a deal
I will bargain
When I die
After I pass away
Where will I go?
What will be my destination?
Somebody tell me
Asking anyone for an answer
Somebody please tell me
Urgently requesting anyone to respond
Hey, hey, hey
A sound of acknowledgement
Hey, yeah, hey, hey
A sound of acknowledgement
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@smokinjz
I'm going down
To the church house
Get down
On a bended knee
Deacon Jones
Pray for me
Deacon Jones please pray for me
Maybe there ain't no heaven
Maybe there ain't no hell
Maybe there ain't no heaven
No burning hell
No
I'm going down to the cross roads
With no devil
Well I'll make a deal
I'm going down to the cross roads
With no devil
Well I'll make a deal
No
Hey
Maybe there ain't no heaven
Maybe there ain't no hell
Maybe there ain't no heaven
No burning hell
No
When I die
Where will I go?
When I die
Where will I go?
Somebody tell me
Somebody tell me
Somebody please tell me
Where will I go?
Maybe there ain't no heaven
Maybe there ain't no hell
Maybe there ain't no heaven
No burning hell
No
Maybe there ain't no heaven
Maybe there ain't no hell
Maybe there ain't no heaven
No burning hell
No
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, yeah, hey, hey
@waadfrelle
I am mind struck by this album, I play it over and over since I bought it a few hours ago. Way to go, Tom. Loved you with Delilah back when we were young :) Love love love you even more now!
@LesSmith45
This man is just amazing! he can cover anything and give it a truely different sound. There are very little artists out there today young or old that has have the talent this man STILL HAS!
@BigEarRadio
I love this track, the guitarist and Tom's voice were made for each other. I agree Tom just gets better and better! A great interpretor of great music.
@NicaCore
This is a great song. I love the live performance he did on Letterman. It blows the studio version away. Tom Jones is a phenomenon to be experienced live.
@Hapunkey
the man is a true performer. trying different stuff even after all these years. love the guitar in this song.
@Arigatoes
man... he still have the same perfect voice since the 60's... how can this be real? OMG!!!
@BrianCarnevaleB26
Great isolation of the Gibson lead guitar. Slowed down just a tad and it percolates with soul.
@frovil
Awesome work Tommy - you never fail to surprise!
@rickytleg
Guitar, bass, drums, fantastic backing vocals and Tom Jones! Fantastic!
@christistratton
The guitarwork in this completely kicked ass. Add Tom Jones and his growly seasoned voice, and its twice as awesome. I'd like to hear more of this bluesy vibe.