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."
love is in the air
Tom Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love is in the air every sight and every sound
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
Don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes.
Love is in the air, in the whisper of the tree,
And I don't know if I'm just dreaming,
Don't know if I feel safe,
But it's something that I
Must believe in and it's there when you call out my name.
Love is in the air, love is in the air, oh, oh, oh, oh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
Love is in the air, in the rising of the sun,
Love is in the air, when the day is nearly done,
And I don't know if you are illusion,
Don't know if I see truth,
But you are something that I must believe in,
And you are there when I reach out for you.
Love is in the air everywhere I look around
Love is in the air every sight and every sound
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
Don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes.
Love is in the air, love is in the air, oh, oh, oh, oh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
The lyrics to Tom Jones's "Love Is in the Air" express the feeling of being completely enveloped in love. The first verse emphasizes the omnipresence of love, with the singer stating that it seems to be everywhere he looks and listens. The second verse emphasizes the visceral feelings of love; it's in the whisper of the trees and the thunder of the sea. The singer admits he doesn't know if he's being foolish or wise to believe in love, but he knows it's a necessary belief that he can't let go of. The chorus repeats the sentiment that love is in the air and serves as a joyful celebration of those feelings.
The song touches on the idea that love can be all-encompassing and uncertain all at once. It's something that's felt in both tangible and intangible ways, and the singer doesn't always know how to interpret it. However, despite any doubts, he chooses to embrace it and see where it takes him. It's a message of hope and positivity, encouraging listeners to lean into their feelings and trust in love's power.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is in the air everywhere I look around
Love is ever-present and visible in all aspects of life
Love is in the air every sight and every sound
Love can be seen and heard in all the beauty and harmony of the world
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
The intensity of this emotion makes one unsure whether they are acting rationally
Don't know if I'm being wise
The depth of feeling calls into question the practicality of the situation
But it's something that I must believe in
Despite doubts or uncertainty, this feeling is too important to ignore
And it's there when I look in your eyes.
The object of this love is tangible and discernible in the gaze of another person
Love is in the air, in the whisper of the tree,
This feeling is even apparent in the gentle rustle of the leaves on a tree
Love is in the air in the thunder of the sea,
It is even present in the immense power of the ocean during a storm
And I don't know if I'm just dreaming,
The overwhelming nature of love raises uncertainty about its reality
Don't know if I feel safe,
Despite its intensity, this love may feel risky or unsafe
But it's something that I must believe in and it's there when you call out my name.
Despite fear or doubt, the presence of the beloved can bring reassurance and a sense of security
Love is in the air, love is in the air, oh, oh, oh, oh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
This intense emotion is all-encompassing and inescapable
Love is in the air, in the rising of the sun,
Love is evident even in the beauty of a sunrise or sunset
Love is in the air, when the day is nearly done,
It is present at the end of a long day, filling one with a sense of warmth and comfort
And I don't know if you are illusion,
The powerful feelings of love create doubt about the reality of the beloved
Don't know if I see truth,
It is possible that this love is a deception or an illusion
But you are something that I must believe in,
Despite doubt or confusion, the importance of the beloved demands belief
And you are there when I reach out for you.
The beloved is a source of comfort and stability when one is in need
Love is in the air everywhere I look around
The presence of love is ubiquitous and ever-present
Love is in the air every sight and every sound
Love is visible and audible in every aspect of the world
And I don't know if I'm being foolish
The intensity of love can make one unsure of their own behavior
Don't know if I'm being wise
The practicality of this overwhelming love is in question
But it's something that I must believe in
Despite uncertainty, the importance of love demands belief
And it's there when I look in your eyes.
The object of this love is visible and tangible in the gaze of another person
Love is in the air, love is in the air, oh, oh, oh, oh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
The scope and pervasiveness of this feeling is inescapable
Contributed by Gianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@veronicaordonez7273
Amo a Sir Tom Jones, el es absolutamente Increíble aun a sus 83 años, me encanta esta canción y mas en la hermosa voz de este hermoso cantante 💕
@polart3817
Simplemente fantástico
@nuno1582
Legendary😎
@Uzer-patriot
Tom Jones is Great singer forever!
@guscalderon5186
Happy 80th Birthday Sir Tom Jones
@raulantonio65
Great version.
@xzavierlouis4162
Dunno if you guys cares but if you are stoned like me atm then you can watch pretty much all the latest movies on instaflixxer. Have been binge watching with my gf recently :)
@claytonmanuel6797
@Xzavier Louis Yup, been watching on Instaflixxer for years myself =)
@frangutierrez7440
K recuerdos inolvidables ❤
@HercGem
I love this version-actually prefer it to the John Paul Young hit version!