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."
Guilty
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out on the street anybody you meet got a heartache of their own
(It oughta be illegal)
Make it a crime to be lonely or sad
(It oughta be illegal)
You got a reason for livin'
You battle on with the love you're livin' on
You gotta be mine
It's gotta be night and say
Just a matter of time
And we got nothing to be guilty of
Our love will climb any mountain near or far, we are
And we never let it end
We are devotion
And we got nothing to be sorry for
Our love is one in a million
Eyes can see that we got a highway to the sky
I don't wanna hear your goodbye
Oh!
Aaah!
Pulse's racing , darling
How grand we are
Little by little we meet in the middle
There's danger in the dark
(It oughta be illegal)
Make it a crime to be out in the cold
(It oughta be illegal)
You got a reason for livin'
You battle on with the love you're buildin' on
Together
You gotta be mine
We take it away
It's gotta be night and day
Just a matter of time
And we got nothing to be guilty of
Our love will climb and mountain near or far, we are
And we never let it end
We are devotion
And we got nothing to be sorry for
Our love is one in a million
Eyes can see that we got a highway to the sky
I don't wanna hear your goodbye
Barry
Don't wanna hear your goodbye
Together
I don't wanna hear your
And we got nothing to be guilty of
Our love will climb and mountain near or far , we are
And we never let it end
We are devotion
And we got nothing to be sorry for
Our love is one in a million
Eyes can see that we got a highway to the sky
Don't wanna hear your goodbye
Don't wanna hear your
And we got nothing to be guilty of
The lyrics of Tom Jones and Gladys Knight's song "Guilty" talk about two people who are in love and standing alone in the shadows. The song highlights the pain that everybody on the street carries with them. The singers question why it is not illegal to be lonely or sad, expressing that they have a reason to live, fighting for the love they have. As they take on their battles and love each other, they have nothing to be guilty of, and their love will climb any mountain, near or far, as they are devotion personified.
The song's lyrics imply that being in love is sufficient to battle through life's struggles. The term "guilty" suggests that society often questions the morality of love, but their love is pure and faultless. The singers believe that their love can overcome anything, and they will go to great lengths to defend their relationship. The song highlights how the lovers are ready to face any danger together, even if it means meeting in the middle of the dark, lonely night.
Line by Line Meaning
Shadows falling, baby, we stand alone
We are alone in the darkness with our thoughts.
Out on the street anybody you meet got a heartache of their own
Everyone we see outside is dealing with their own personal struggles.
(It oughta be illegal)
Make it a crime to be lonely or sad
Being alone or sad should not be allowed or accepted in society.
(It oughta be illegal)
You got a reason for livin'
Everyone has a reason for living and should not feel like they have no purpose.
You battle on with the love you're livin' on
We continue to fight for the love that we have in our lives.
You gotta be mine
We take it away
It's gotta be night and say
Just a matter of time
We need to be together and we will make it happen no matter what.
And we got nothing to be guilty of
Our love will climb any mountain near or far, we are
And we never let it end
We are devotion
And we got nothing to be sorry for
Our love is one in a million
Eyes can see that we got a highway to the sky
We have no reason to feel guilty or sorry for our love because it is strong and will overcome any obstacles.
Pulse's racing , darling
How grand we are
Our hearts are beating fast and we feel amazing.
Little by little we meet in the middle
There's danger in the dark
We are slowly coming together but there is still a risk involved.
(It oughta be illegal)
Make it a crime to be out in the cold
No one should be left out in the cold and feel alone.
You battle on with the love you're buildin' on
Together
We are fighting for our love together.
Barry
Don't wanna hear your goodbye
Together
We don't want to say goodbye to each other.
And we got nothing to be guilty of
Our love will climb and mountain near or far , we are
And we never let it end
We are devotion
And we got nothing to be sorry for
Our love is one in a million
Eyes can see that we got a highway to the sky
Don't wanna hear your goodbye
Don't wanna hear your
Once again, we have no reason to feel guilty or sorry for our love and we don't want to say goodbye.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: VIVIAN PATRICK CAMPBELL, PHILIP COLLEN, JOSEPH ELLIOTT, RICHARD SAVAGE, PETER WOODROFFE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind