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."
Show Me
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Show me
Show me a man out there that's got a good woman
Show me (huh huh)
Show me a man that's got a good woman
Show me a man that's got a good woman
Show me a man that's got a good woman
Show me a man that's got a good woman
I'll show you a man that goes to work hummin'
He knows he's got some sweet love coming at the end of his working day.
Yeah Show me a woman that's got a good man show me!
I wanna see a woman out there that claims she got a good man!
Show me!
And if you show me a woman that's got a good man
Show me a woman that's got a good man
Show me a woman that's got a good man
Show me a woman that's got a good man
Show me a woman that's got a good man
I'll show you a woman doin' all she can
To make life worth living for her good man
So his troubles don't cross his mind.
Yeah
Show me two people that's in love with each other
Y'all, show me.
I want you to show me two people that's in love with each other
Show me.
Ah ya show me two people that's in love with each other
Show me two people in love with each other
Show me two people in love with each other
Show me two people in love with each other
Show me two people that's in love with each other
I'll show you two people that ain't going no further
than their arms can reach to hold one another
Let them lovers alone, yeah they doin' all right
Tom Jones's song "Show Me" is about finding love and admiration in a partner. The song opens with the singer exclaiming, "Show me a man that's got a good woman!" and repeats this line throughout the song. He is requesting to see couples that are truly in love and have a deep connection. The lyrics also touch upon the idea of mutual respect and support in a relationship. For example, in the second verse, Jones sings, "I'll show you a man that goes to work hummin' / He knows he's got some sweet love coming at the end of his working day."
The song emphasizes the importance of finding someone who makes life worth living, saying, "I'll show you a woman doin' all she can / To make life worth living for her good man / So his troubles don't cross his mind." Jones sees the beauty in two people who are genuinely in love with each other and wants others to recognize and appreciate it as well.
Overall, "Show Me" highlights the significance of finding a true partner in life and cherishing that love. It is about celebrating the beauty of genuine emotional connections between two people.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah! Show me a man that's got a good woman
I want to see a man who's lucky enough to have found a good woman
Show me
I'm serious, really show me
I'll show you a man that goes to work hummin'
If you can show me a man with a good woman, I can show you a man who's happy and excited to work knowing he has love waiting at home
He knows he's got some sweet love coming at the end of his working day.
He's sure his good woman will be there for him when he's done with work
Yeah Show me a woman that's got a good man show me!
I also want to see a woman who's in a good relationship with a good man
I wanna see a woman out there that claims she got a good man!
I want to meet a woman who's proud and happy to have a good man in her life
I'll show you a woman doin' all she can
If you can show me a woman with a good man, I can show you a woman who's doing everything she can to make her man happy and content
To make life worth living for her good man
She's committed to making her good man's life fulfilling and enjoyable
So his troubles don't cross his mind.
He's so happy with her that he won't even have to think of his problems
Show me two people that's in love with each other
I also want to see two people who are deeply in love
Y'all, show me.
Please, show me
Ah ya show me two people that's in love with each other
I really want to see two people who are completely smitten with each other
I'll show you two people that ain't going no further
If you do show me those two people in love, I can guarantee that they won't be looking for anything more than what they have
Than their arms can reach to hold one another
They're satisfied with the love they have and they won't need anything else
Let them lovers alone, yeah they doin' all right
Just let those two people be, they're doing great and they don't need anyone else to interfere in their happy relationship
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, FREDERICK LOEWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J H
Tom Jones has it all - AMAZING voice, soulful delivery, natural rhythm, swag, charisma, and a pure enjoyment of sharing his talent. Legendary!
Надежда Андреева
Удивительно харизматичный Том Джонс😊👋👋👋🌹
6lr6ak6
I know Tom's done so many great songs, but this is definitely one of his best.
Валентина Мельникова
Встреча с Вами всегда незабываема. Пусть и Вам встречи с вашими поклонниками дарят прекрасное настроение, дорогой сэр, Том Джонс.
Personal pandemic stories Org
I know the voice always gets well deserved praise, but the dancing is the best for me. I love it! ❤️
B H
And together.....🔥!
Maria De Lourdes Salatino
¡ FANTÁSTICO TOM JONES! SIEMPRE!
Brenda Holliday
Still, and always will be an icon and musical singing legend, Sir Tom Jones. You're "simply the best!" Take care 🌟
Regina Ückermann
❤️So,good✌️✌️✌️❤️❤️❤️👍👍
Linda Lyte
Soulful vocals..... Personified!!!!!
Continuous Blessings,
Sir Tom Jones.....Much
Love🙏🏿😔😘💖