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."
With These Hands
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm yours forever and a day.
With these hands, I will bring to you,
A tender love as warm as May.
With this heart I will sing to you,
Long after stars have lost their glow,
And with these hands, I'll provide for you.
I'll turn the tide for you,
And I'll never,
No, I'll never let you go.
The lyrics of Tom Jones's song With These Hands express a beautiful relationship between two people who are deeply in love with each other. The singer, who is singing the song, declares his undying commitment to his lover as he clings to her with his hands. He affirms that he will never let go of her and promises to provide for her and protect her from any turmoil that may come their way. The lyrics reveal the unblemished love that the singer has for his lover, and this love is unstinting, passionate, and sincere.
In the second verse of the song, the singer reaffirms his love by singing that he will continue to sing to his lover long after the stars have lost their glow. This metaphor indicates that even when the world around them is changing and moving on, their love will remain the same. The singer again stresses his commitment to his lover as he promises to turn the tide for her in case there is ever a stormy sea. These lines suggest that he will always be there for her, no matter what life brings their way. The song's lyrics project an image of a beautiful and unbreakable bond between two lovers guided by love, loyalty, and devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
With these hands, I will cling to you,
With dedication and commitment, I will hold onto you tightly.
I'm yours forever and a day.
I promise to belong to you indefinitely.
With these hands, I will bring to you,
I'll shower you with affection and care.
A tender love as warm as May.
The love I have for you is gentle and genuine, like the warmth of spring.
With this heart I will sing to you,
My heart will express the deepest emotions of love to you.
Long after stars have lost their glow,
Even when everything else fades away, my love will remain strong.
And with these hands, I'll provide for you.
I'll work tirelessly to ensure your needs are met.
Should there be a stormy sea,
If life presents us with challenges and difficulties,
I'll turn the tide for you,
I'll take action and ensure we overcome any obstacle.
And I'll never,
I promise to always be there for you.
No, I'll never let you go.
I'll never abandon or let you slip away from my life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: A. Silver, Benny Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tfs7033
With these hands
I will cling to you
I'm yours forever
And a day
With these hands
I will bring to you
A tender love
As warm as May
With this heart
I will sing to you
Long after stars
Have lost their glow
And
With these hands
I'll provide for you
Should there be a stormy sea
I'll turn the tide for you
And I'll never
Oh no I'll never
I'll never let you go
With these hands
I will sing to you
Long after stars
Have lost their glow
And
With these hands
I'll provide for you
Should there be a stormy sea
I'll turn the tide for you
Oh and I'll never
No I'll never
Let you go
@robertstdon9280
I played this song for my dying Mom .she loved Tom Jones an saw him once in concert .She passed away March 13 .miss you Mom .
@kirsty3253
awww Your mum had fabulous taste in men and music... May your memories be rosey always
@robertstdon9280
@Kirsty thank you dear .
@tinamcintyre6797
My deepest sympathy 💕
@MARTIN-bd7gm
Sorry for your loss Robert stay strong .
@robertstdon9280
@MARTIN Thank you
@wangmowangmo6545
I discovered this song after reading about ELVIS Presley and now I love this song since Elvis loved it😙😊❤
@dixiebombardiere8363
Love,love,love it❤❤❤
@esthelabarrera5016
A Presley le encantó en la voz increíble de Tom. Of course.
@ritaduarte3181
One of my favorite.❤