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It's Not Unusual

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For other uses, see It's Not Unusual (disambiguation).

"It's Not Unusual"
Single by Tom Jones
from the album Along Came Jones (It's Not Unusual)
B-side"To Wait for Love" (Bacharach-David)
Released22 January 1965 (UK)
March 1965 (US)
Recorded11 November 1964
StudioDecca Studios, London
Genre
Length2:03
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Peter Sullivan[3]
Tom Jones singles chronology
"Chills and Fever"
(1964) 		"It's Not Unusual"
(1965) 		"Once Upon a Time"
(1965)
Music video
"It's Not Unusual" (Lyric Video) on YouTube

"It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones,[4] after it had first been offered to Sandie Shaw.[3] He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with his delivery that she recommended he sing it instead.

The record was the second Jones single Decca released,[5] reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1965.[6][7] It was his first hit in the United States, peaking at No. 10 in May of that year. It was released in the US by Parrot Records and reached No. 3 on Billboard's easy listening chart. The song was first aired on pirate radio in the UK, as the BBC rejected it because of Jones' sexual image. In the US, Jones performed the song on three occasions on The Ed Sullivan Show.[8]

"It's Not Unusual" is the theme song of his late 1960s–early 1970s television musical variety series, This Is Tom Jones. The first studio version was released in 1995 on the compilation album, The Legendary Tom Jones – 30th Anniversary Album.

Musical arrangement and recording

The musical arranger was Les Reed. Although the guitarist has been cited as Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin,[9] Reed has said the only guitarist was Joe Moretti, who also played on "Shakin' All Over" and "Brand New Cadillac". Page lists the session in his online discography.[10] Drums were played by Scottish percussionist Andy White, who had previously drummed on a Beatles recording session,[11] or possibly by Ronnie Verrell,.[12] Alan Grahame has also said he was involved.[13] According to Jones's regular drummer, Chris Slade, there were four attempts with different drummers, him included, in order to get one with the right 'feel'. Though he was certain that his take was not chosen, he was unable to confirm which one of the others did make the final recording. Jones's group, "Tom Jones and the Squires", were missing their regular keyboard player for the session, so Slade (a future member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, AC/DC, and The Firm with Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers) ran across the street to the "La Giaconda" coffee house, and recruited the then-unknown Reginald Dwight (who later adopted the stage name Elton John) for the one-day recording session.[14]

Personnel

As was standard practice in the 1960s, session musicians were used instead of Jones's regular backing band. There are conflicting reports about who actually played on the record, but the most likely candidates are:[12]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

The song enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-1990s, as it was used in the hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on several occasions. It typically features Carlton Banks, one of the lead characters, lip-syncing to the lyrics and performing comedic choreography (which came to be known as "the Carlton dance").[33] Jones had guest-starred on the show on a few occasions, also performing and dancing alongside Carlton in the episodes. Jones later made a guest appearance in the third season episode "The Alma Matter" as Carlton's guardian angel, who performed the song with Carlton's actor Alfonso Ribeiro.[34]

References

  1. ^ Harcourt, Nic (2005). "The Call of Wales". Music Lust. Seattle: Sasquatch Books. p. 30. ISBN 1570614377.
  2. ^ "Spike Milligan". Gramophone: 34. June 1965. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 89. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  4. ^ a b "They can always go home to MAM". Life. 18 September 1970. p. 54. ISSN 0024-3019.
  5. ^ Browne, Ray Broadus; Browne, Pat (2001). The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Popular Press. pp. 448–. ISBN 978-0-87972-821-2.
  6. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 175. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. ^ Colin Larkin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. pp. 488–. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  8. ^ "Tom Jones - Ed Sullivan Show". Edsullivan.com. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  9. ^ "The Independent - Led Zeppelin: Faltering first steps on the stairway to heaven". The Independent. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Sessions". JimmyPage.com. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Scots percussionist paid fiver for playing drums on Beatles' debut single Love Me Do". Daily Record. London. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  12. ^ a b Thompson 2008.
  13. ^ "BBC - Session musician tells of working with Tom Jones". BBC News. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  14. ^ Slade, Chris. "Drummer". AC/DC Drummer Chris Slade - His Career. YouTube. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  15. ^ 'Song of the Week #109 - "It's Not Unusual"' Classic Pop Icons. 4 June 2012
  16. ^ Australian Chart Book (1940-1969) pp95 by David Kent
  17. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 24 May 1965. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  18. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It's Not Unusual". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  19. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  20. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  21. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 308.
  22. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 6/12/65". Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  24. ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1965". Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  25. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1965/Top 100 Songs of 1965". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  26. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1965". Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  27. ^ "British single certifications – Tom Jones – It's Not Unusual". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  28. ^ "Out of Sight (1966) - Soundtracks - IMDb". IMDb.
  29. ^ Mark Ribowsky (2010). The Supremes: A Saga of Motown Dreams, Success, and Betrayal. Da Capo Press. pp. 329–. ISBN 978-0-306-81873-8.
  30. ^ Mark Bego (15 July 2004). Cher: If You Believe. Taylor Trade Publishing. pp. 292–. ISBN 978-1-4616-2592-6.
  31. ^ Discogs - Sam Sorono – Sing Tom Jones' Greatest Hits
  32. ^ Clare Teal - It's Not Unusual on YouTube
  33. ^ The Carlton Dance, archived from the original on 14 December 2021, retrieved 14 March 2021
  34. ^ Carlton Banks and Tom Jones Scene (Fresh Prince of Bel Air), archived from the original on 14 December 2021, retrieved 14 March 2021

Bibliography

  • Thompson, Gordon (2008). Please Please Me: Sixties British Pop, Inside Out. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0195333251.
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