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."
Set Me Free
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why not take your love line off of me and set me free
If you think our love's all wrong and you feel the fire is gone
If I'm not what you'd like for me to be set me free
Set me free and let me fly like a bluebird fly in high
Release the chains that bind me to be set me free
But you can't likes to hold on onto love 'til it grows cold
And you held on much too long to me so set me free
Release the chains that bind me to be set me free set me free
The lyrics to Tom Jones's "Set Me Free" express feelings of being trapped in a relationship that has lost its fire. The singer is pleading to his partner to let him go and set him free from the constraints of the relationship. There is a sense of frustration and desperation in the lyrics, as the singer feels that his partner is holding on to something that has long since faded away.
The opening lines "if you think you've had enough, if you think our life's been rough" suggest that the singer and his partner have been through a lot together, but things have taken a toll on their relationship. The next line "why not take your love line off of me and set me free" is a direct call to action, urging the partner to end things and let him go. There is a sense of urgency and finality in these lyrics that suggests that the singer has reached a breaking point and needs to move on.
The chorus "set me free and let me fly like a bluebird fly in high" is a metaphor for the singer's desire to be released from the burdens of the relationship and to be able to soar freely. The reference to a bluebird flying high is a symbol of hope and new beginnings. The lines "release the chains that bind me to be set me free" further emphasize the idea that the singer feels trapped and constrained by the relationship.
Overall, the lyrics to "Set Me Free" convey the universal desire to escape from a situation that is no longer fulfilling. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, conveying a sense of longing and hope for a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
If you think you've had enough if you think our life's been rough
If you feel like you can't take it anymore and our life together has been difficult
Why not take your love line off of me and set me free
Why not end this relationship and let me go
If you think our love's all wrong and you feel the fire is gone
If you believe our love is not right and you don't feel the same passion as before
If I'm not what you'd like for me to be set me free
If I'm not the person you want me to be, please let me go
Set me free and let me fly like a bluebird fly in high
Allow me to be free and happy like a bird soaring in the sky
Release the chains that bind me to be set me free
Let go of the things that keep me tied down and allow me to be free
But you can't likes to hold on onto love 'til it grows cold
However, some people hold onto love until it fades away
And you held on much too long to me so set me free
You have clung onto our relationship for too long, please let me go
Set me free and let me fly like a bluebird fly in high
Please free me from this relationship, so I can soar like a bird
Release the chains that bind me to be set me free set me free
Let go of the restrictions that hold me back and set me free from this relationship
Contributed by Audrey K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.