Five of the Best: Tom Jones

Tom Jones was recently announced as one the headline acts for the Byron Bay Bluesfest and now he has announced a solo tour throughout Australia.

As a legend of the entertainment industry, Tom Jones is a perfect fit for Bluesfest, Australia’s pre-eminent blues and roots festival. The event regularly attracts the biggest names in music and the 2016 festival will be no different with Brian Wilson, Noel Gallagher, Kendrick Lamar, Jackson Browne and Melissa Etheridge already announced to perform alongside Tom Jones.

In further exciting news, Tom Jones has just announced a series of solo performances around Australia before he hits the stage for Bluesfest. He will perform at Perth’s Kings Park on March 13, 2016, the Derwent Entertainment Centre in Tasmania on March 17, 2016, and at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on March 25, 2015.

To celebrate this incredible event announcement we decided we had to compile a list of Tom Jones’ best hits. We hope you enjoy this edition of Five of the Best.

5 Delilah

Delilah was recorded and released in 1968 and was a worldwide hit for Tom Jones. While the song is a soulful rock and roll tune, it has a reputation as a power ballad given the narration throughout the song, which tells the story of a jilted lover who sees the silhouette of his lady with another man. The song doesn’t exactly have a happy ending – listen to the lyrics to find out the ending – but we still think it is a fantastic example of Jones’ work and a worthy inductee in our list.

4 Sex Bomb

Tom Jones’ career began with hit singles in the 1960s. Incredibly, he continued to produce hit singles decades later with Sex Bomb enjoying chart success in 2000. The song featured on Jones’ Reload album, which also produced the hit single Burning Down the House, and was a collaboration with producer Mousse T. The song is punchy and upbeat and is a guaranteed party starter.

3 She’s a Lady

In 1971, Tom Jones released She’s A Lady, which was written by Canadian crooner, Paul Anka. The song sold more than a million copies and was Jones’ most-successful song in America. In 2013 the song was re-released as a duet featuring Anka and Jones on Anka’s Duets album. She’s A Lady is a classic pop song and one of Jones’ best hits.

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2 What’s New Pussycat?

What’s New Pussycat features in the 1965 film of the same name and is one of Tom Jones’ best known and most loved songs. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, What’s New Pussycat was a worldwide hit for Jones. It is also one of his most-covered songs with many famous names having performed their own versions, including Bobby Darin, the Four Seasons, Tony Bennett and even Alvin and the Chipmunks. We think the original – performed by Tom Jones himself – is the clear winner.

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1 It’s Not Unusual

It’s Not Unusual was the song that catapulted Tom Jones to superstardom. Released in 1965, it was a massive worldwide hit and put Jones on the map. Since then it has become Jones’ signature tune and was the theme for his music variety show throughout the 60s and 70s, This is Tom Jones. Amazingly, Jones was never meant to sing this song. It was written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills for Sandie Shaw, but when she heard Jones’ demo, she encouraged him to release it. The rest, as they say, is history.