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."
Lay Down Sally
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wanting you to stay here with me
I know you've got somewhere to go
But won't you make yourself at home
And stay with me?
And don't you ever leave
Lay down Sally, and rest you in my arms
Lay down Sally, no need to leave so soon
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
The sun ain't nearly on the rise
We still got the moon and stars above
Don't you go and say goodbye
You can lay your worries down
And stay with me
And don't you ever leave
Lay down Sally, and rest you in my arms
Don't you think you want someone to talk to?
Lay down Sally, and no need to leave so soon
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
I long to see the morning light
Coloring your face so dreamily
So don't you go and say goodbye
You can lay your worries down
And stay with me
And don't you ever leave
Lay down Sally, and rest you in my arms
Don't you think you want someone to talk to?
Lay down Sally, there's no need to leave so soon
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
Lay down Sally, and rest you in my arms
Don't you think you want someone to talk to?
Lay down Sally, there's no need to leave so soon
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
"Lay Down Sally" is a song that tells the story of a man who is trying to convince a woman named Sally to stay with him. The song begins with the lyrics "There is nothing that is wrong, wanting you to stay here with me." The man knows that Sally has somewhere to go, but he wants her to make herself at home and stay with him. He doesn't want her to ever leave.
Throughout the song, the man pleads with Sally to lay down and rest in his arms. He wants her to talk to him and to stay with him for the night. He assures her that there is no need to leave so soon, and he has been trying all night long just to talk to her. He longs to see the morning light coloring her face so dreamily.
The song is about the desire for companionship, intimacy, and connecting with someone. It is about the longing to be close to someone and the feeling of being complete when you are with that person. The lyrics are simple but heartfelt and express the need for human connection that everyone feels at some point in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
There is nothing that is wrong
There's no issue if you stay here with me.
Wanting you to stay here with me
I hope you'll stay here and keep me company.
I know you've got somewhere to go
I understand you may have other plans.
But won't you make yourself at home
Please feel comfortable while you're here.
And stay with me?
Won't you spend some more time with me?
And don't you ever leave
Please stay with me for as long as possible.
Lay down Sally, and rest you in my arms
Come lay down here with me and relax.
Don't you think you want someone to talk to?
Maybe you need someone to talk to and I'm here for you.
Lay down Sally, no need to leave so soon
No need to go just yet, take your time.
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
I've been hoping to spend time with you and get to know you better all night.
The sun ain't nearly on the rise
It's still early in the night and there's plenty of time.
We still got the moon and stars above
The beautiful night sky is still above us.
Don't you go and say goodbye
Please don't leave just yet.
You can lay your worries down
Relax and forget any troubles you may have had.
And stay with me
Please keep me company a little longer.
I long to see the morning light
I hope to spend the night with you until morning.
Coloring your face so dreamily
As the morning light illuminates your face beautifully.
Lay down Sally, and rest you in my arms
Come lay down here with me and relax.
There's no need to leave so soon
Please don't go just yet.
I've been trying all night long just to talk to you
I've been wanting to talk and spend time with you all night.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ERIC PATRICK CLAPTON, GEORGE E. TERRY, MARCY LEVY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johndjackson7393
How can you not enjoy one of Eric's classics played by arguably some of the worlds best guitar players.
@robyn8842
No way! Highly overrated, actually
@stephenc4161
exactly!@@robyn8842
@Tomas1161
Extraordinary musicians gathered on the stage, and along with the guitarists, we should definitely mention the excellent keyboard player, John Hobbs. Respect!
@clonwolkowin
James Burton!!! A master of the Telecaster!!!
@richiespiro2267
Hard to believe that stage had the strength to hold up all that talent without collapsing in on itself! This is a kick-ass version for sure!! Love from Albania🥰
@richardkubicek3848
I love it when he says Sheryl Crow yall
@joestanley9725
Me too !
@CBeard849
Hard to believe that stage had the strength to hold up all that talent without collapsing in on itself! This is a kick-ass version for sure!!
@coreyferguson401
I love drummers who know their business - like this one. No overplaying. Just delivering whats necessary to present everything professionally. Great sound. Love this.