Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, KBE (born 7 June 1940), best known by his stage … Read Full Bio ↴Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, KBE (born 7 June 1940), best known by his stage name, Tom Jones, is a Welsh pop singer particularly noted for his powerful voice. He was born in Treforest, near Pontypridd in South Wales.

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."

For Once in my Life
Tom Jones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
Someone I've needed so long
For once unafraid I can go where life leads me and somehow I know I'll be strong

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew
Someone warm like you
Who have my dreams come true

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it's hurt me before

For once I have someone I know won't desert me
I'm not alone anymore

For once I can say
This is mine you can't take it
As long as I know I have love I can make it
For once in my life I have someone who needs me

For once I can say
This is mine you can't take it

As long as I know I have love we can make it
For once in my life I have someone who needs me

Overall Meaning

The Tom Jones song "For Once in my Life" is a declaration of love and a celebration of finally finding that special someone who brings happiness and security. The song is about the joy of being truly loved and needed by another person after a lifetime of feeling alone and unloved. The lyrics express a sense of newfound courage and strength, as the singer is now able to face the challenges of life head-on, with the support of a loving partner by his side.

The first verse speaks of having someone who needs the singer, and someone he has needed for a long time. The singer is no longer afraid of what life may bring, because he knows he has this person next to him. In the second verse, the singer speaks of being able to touch his dreams, which he had before he even knew that someone warm, like his partner, existed. For once, his dreams have come true, and it is all because of this special person.

In the third verse, the singer declares that he will not let sorrow hurt him anymore. He has found someone who will never leave him, and he is not alone anymore. He can finally say, "This is mine, you can't take it", which reflects his newfound confidence and sense of ownership over his life and his relationship. In the final chorus, the singer repeats the phrase "For once in my life, I have someone who needs me," emphasizing the profound impact that this person has had on his life.

Overall, "For Once in my Life" is a beautiful and moving tribute to the power of love and the happiness and security it brings. It is a celebration of finding that special someone who makes life worth living, and an expression of gratitude for the strength and courage that this love provides.

Line by Line Meaning

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
I have found someone who relies on me and who I can rely on in return

Someone I've needed so long
This person is someone that I have longed for and desired for a significant amount of time

For once unafraid I can go where life leads me and somehow I know I'll be strong
I am no longer scared to take on whatever comes my way and I am confident that I can handle it

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of, long before I knew someone warm like you who have my dreams come true
I am able to experience the things I've always wished for, even before I met someone like you who makes them come true

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me, not like it's hurt me before
I am making a decision to not let sadness affect me like it has in the past

For once I have someone I know won't desert me, I'm not alone anymore
I've finally found someone who I can trust and who won't abandon me, and as a result, I'm no longer isolated

For once I can say, 'This is mine, you can't take it.' As long as I know I have love I can make it
I am proud of what I've accomplished and what I have now, and no one can take it away from me as long as I have the support and love of someone like you

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
I have found someone who relies on me and who I can rely on in return

For once I can say, 'This is mine, you can't take it.' As long as I know I have love we can make it
I am proud of what I've accomplished and what I have now, and no one can take it away from me as long as we have each other's support and love

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
I have found someone who relies on me and who I can rely on in return

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ronald N. Miller, Orlando Murden

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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