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."
Lady Lay Down
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never kept the promises I told you
Now it's time I give in, I know
To the words that I should have said long ago
Lady, lay down beside me
Wrap your love around me
I need you to stay
Lady, lay down
You've been alone
I guess I've known about it
You gave me love
And learned to live without it
Now that you've turned to go
Let me beg you to stay
The best way I know
Lady, lay down beside me
Wrap your love around me
I need you to stay
Don't turn away from me now
Lady, lay down
In Tom Jones's song Lady Lay Down, the singer is lamenting the mistakes he has made in his relationship with his partner. He acknowledges the times he failed to hold her and keep his promises, and now he knows it is time to give in to the words that he should have said long ago. He begs his partner to lay down beside him and wrap her love around him, because he needs her to stay by his side. He pleads with her not to turn away from him now.
Throughout the song, the singer appears to be aware of how much his partner has endured during their relationship, and he takes some responsibility for this. He admits that he knew she had been alone and had learned to live on her own without his love. He now realizes that it is a mistake that he did not recognize all that she had done for him, and urges her to stay with him. He assures her that this is the best way he knows to communicate his love for her, and that now he is willing to make amends for the past.
The lyrics of Lady Lay Down resonate with anyone who has experienced difficulties in relationships. The song speaks to the ability of people to recognize their mistakes and attempt to make things right, even if it is after the fact. It also emphasizes the importance of communication in relationships, as the singer regrets not saying the words that he should have said earlier.
Line by Line Meaning
Too many times I didn't try to hold you
I failed to keep you close many times in the past.
I never kept the promises I told you
I broke promises that I made to you.
Now it's time I give in, I know
I confess that I have been wrong and need to make things right.
To the words that I should have said long ago
I need to tell you the words that I should have said a long time ago.
Lady, lay down beside me
Please come and lay down beside me.
Wrap your love around me
I need your love and affection.
I need you to stay
I need you to stay by my side.
Don't turn away from me now
Please do not leave me now.
Lady, lay down
Please lay down with me, Lady.
You've been alone
You have been solitary, lonely.
I guess I've known about it
I always knew that you were alone.
You gave me love
You gave me your love and affection.
And learned to live without it
You learned to live your life without expecting anything in return.
Now that you've turned to go
Now that you are about to leave.
Let me beg you to stay
Let me plead with you to stay with me.
The best way I know
The only way I can express my true feelings.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DON COOK, RAFE VAN HOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Нодира Бурханова
Пятьдесят лет слушаю ТОМа ДЖОНСа. Его голос восхищяет восторгает и уносит ввысь до сих пор!!!!
Callum Morgan
Have a listen to david Alexander's version
Нодира Бурханова
Спасибо за великолепное исполнение.
Гульзифа Хайбуллина
Очень люблю песни в исполнении Тома Джонса. Прекрасный трогательный голос и фантастический певец!
Subrina Pechacek
This song was sung on my teens years. I love this song
1326anne
Fantastic song, amazing singer. Tom was and still is the complete package...any genre and he can do it...thanks for posting. :)
Wayne Harvey
1326anne you're welcome, appreciate you listening
Paul David Hulme
+Wayne “BigNobody” Harvey So true - Sir Tom the living legend ! *******Pd
godofredz gapuz
the one and only versatile singer,sing any form of popular music.
Patricia Lutz
My Mother was a HUGE fan of Tom's,she loved this tune. thank you for posting this, it brings back very joyful memories of my Mom 😊❤️