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."
Resurrection Shuffle
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twist yourself further from the middle of the floor
Throw a little kiss to the woman next door
Step on the gas put your hand in the air
Make a V-sign and you throw back your hair
Think about nothin' now you're nice and high
You're advocating love but you don't know why
Now you're getting vibrations all down to your feet
Put your hand on your hips
Now you let your backbone slip
Put out your tongue, put your hand in the air
Make a V sign you just don't care
Now you feel free you gotta lose control
All Gods children got a little bit of soul
You don't have to think you don't have to move a muscle
To do the brow beating, heavy, leather, resurrection shuffle
Alright
Oh here we go again
Oh that's it you're doin' it
Alright
You Think about nothin' now you're nice and high
You're advocating love but you dont know why
You're getting vibrations all down to your feet
That's the brow beating, heavy, leather, resurrection beat
Here we go
Put your hand on your hip
You gotta let your backbone slip
Put out your tongue, put your hand in the air
Make a V sign like you just don't care
Now you feel free you gotta lose control
All Gods children got some soul
You don't have to think you don't have to move a muscle
To do the brow beating, heavy, leather, resurrection shuffle
You doin' alright
This is gonna last you for years and years and it alright
You doin' alright, don't get uptight
Uh-huh yea, that sounds alright, um-hum
Do do n do do do
In Tom Jones's song Resurrection Shuffle, the lyrics encourage the listener to let loose and enjoy the moment. The upbeat tempo and catchy lyrics create a fun and exciting atmosphere that make it difficult for the listener not to get involved. The song brings together an eclectic mix of references that mix dancing, love, and religion, making it easy for diverse groups of people to relate to and enjoy.
The first verse starts with the phrase "Twist yourself further from the middle of the floor." This line encapsulates the idea of not caring about what others think and just enjoying the moment. The verse goes on to mention putting your hand in the air to make a V-sign, which is a gesture of victory or peace. It's a way of showing that everything is good and nothing can bring you down. The idea of "resurrection" comes into play in the chorus, where the lyrics mention a "brow beating, heavy, leather, resurrection beat." This is a metaphor for the uplifting feeling one can get from music, where it feels like their spirit is being resurrected.
The second verse builds on the idea of letting go and enjoying the moment. The line "You don't have to think you don't have to move a muscle" is a way of saying that you don't have to worry about anything and can just let the music take over. The lyrics also mention that "All Gods children got a little bit of soul." This references the idea that everyone has something special and unique inside of them. It's a way of saying that everyone can get down and dance if they want to.
Overall, Resurrection Shuffle is a fun and lighthearted song that encourages the listener to let go and enjoy the moment. It brings together various themes, from love to religion to dancing, and creates a unique and entertaining experience for the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Who who
An exclamation to get the attention of the audience
Twist yourself further from the middle of the floor
Move away from the center of the dance floor and express yourself freely
Throw a little kiss to the woman next door
Flirt with the woman standing next to you
Step on the gas put your hand in the air
Accelerate your excitement and raise your arm up high
Make a V-sign and you throw back your hair
Make the peace sign and flourish your hair to show your freedom and individuality
Think about nothin' now you're nice and high
Stop thinking and enjoy the euphoric feeling
You're advocating love but you don't know why
You're promoting love without knowing the reason behind it
Now you're getting vibrations all down to your feet
You're feeling the intensified rhythm throughout your body
That's the brow beating, heavy, leather, resurrection beat
This is the energetic and pulsating music that motivates you to dance
Put your hand on your hips
Place your hand on your waist
Now you let your backbone slip
Relax your body and move with the rhythm
Put out your tongue, put your hand in the air
Stick out your tongue and raise your arm up high to show your carefree spirit
Make a V sign you just don't care
Make the peace sign to demonstrate that you don't care about others' opinions
Now you feel free you gotta lose control
You feel liberated and must let go of inhibition
All Gods children got a little bit of soul
Everyone possesses a bit of soulfulness in them
You don't have to think you don't have to move a muscle
You don't need to think about what you're doing, just let the music guide you
To do the brow beating, heavy, leather, resurrection shuffle
To perform this lively and dynamic dance that uplifts your soul
Alright
An affirmation to continue the excitement
Oh here we go again
An expression of expectation and anticipation for more of the same
Oh that's it you're doin' it
An acknowledgement and encouragement of the dance moves being performed
You Think about nothin' now you're nice and high
You're still not thinking and enjoying the elevated high
You're advocating love but you dont know why
You're still promoting love without knowing the genesis of it
You're getting vibrations all down to your feet
You're still feeling the reverberating rhythm in your feet
This is gonna last you for years and years and it alright
This energetic experience will stay with you for a very long time
You doin' alright, don't get uptight
You're still doing fine and should not get nervous
Uh-huh yea, that sounds alright, um-hum
An expression of agreement and satisfaction with the ongoing performance
Do do n do do do
Nonsensical syllables depicting the musical interlude
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TONY ASHTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind