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"It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after it had first been offered to Sandie Shaw. 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 Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...
released, reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1965. It was his first hit in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, peaking at No. 10 in May of that year. It was released in the US by
Parrot Records Parrot Records was an American record label, a division of London Records, which started in 1964. The label usually licensed (or leased) recordings made by Decca Records, England, for release in the United States and Canada, most notably by th ...
and reached No. 3 on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'''s
easy listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary music, adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on ...
. The song was first aired on
pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...
in the UK, as the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
rejected it because of Jones' sexual image. In the US, Jones performed the song on three occasions on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
''. "It's Not Unusual" is the
theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...
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 James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...
of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
, 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. Drums were played by Scottish percussionist Andy White, who had previously drummed on a
Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
recording session, or possibly by Ronnie Verrell,. Alan Grahame has also said he was involved. According to Jones's regular drummer,
Chris Slade Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh drummer, who is perhaps best known for playing for Manfred Mann's Earth Band from its inception in 1971 to 1978 on eight albums, and AC/DC, for which he drummed from 1989 to ...
, 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 Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You (Bruce Springsteen song), For You", "Blinded by the Light" an ...
,
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
, and The Firm with
Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...
and
Paul Rodgers Paul Bernard Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is an English-Canadian singer. He was the lead vocalist of numerous successful rock bands, including Free (band), Free, Bad Company, The Firm (rock band), the Firm and The Law (English band), the L ...
) 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 Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
) for the one-day recording session.


Personnel

As was standard practice in the 1960s,
session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
s 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: * Tom Jones – vocals * Joe Moretti – guitar break *
Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...
– lead guitar * Vic Flick – guitar * Andy White, or Ronnie Verrell, or Alan Grahame – drums * Stan Barrett – percussion * Kenny Salmon – organ * Eric Ford – bass * John Carter and Ken Lewis – backing vocals * Stan Roderick, Kenny Baker, Bert Ezzard, and
Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...
or Eddie Blair
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
s * Ronnie Ross, Bob Efford –
tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...
* Harry Kleinbaritone sax


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Cover versions

* The Impressions recorded a version in 1965. *
The Dells The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first r ...
also recorded a version in 1965 and released it as the title track of an LP on Vee-Jay records in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. It was released as the B-side to their original recording of '' Stay in My Corner''. *
Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...
recorded the song on his 1965 album '' The Big Bad Rock Guitar of Glen Campbell''. *
Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...
recorded the song for her 1965 album ''Too Many Rivers''. *
Bobbi Martin Barbara Ann "Bobbi" Martin (November 29, 1938 – May 2, 2000) was an American country music, country and pop music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She grew up in Oslo, Minnesota and began her singing career in Baltimore, working her way up f ...
released her version on her 1965 album ''I Love You So''. * Los Bravos recorded a live version which was released as a single in 1966. * Jackie Trent included her version on her 1966 album ''Yesterdays''. *In 1966, South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela included the song to his album '' Hugh Masekela's Next Album''. * The Knickerbockers present the song in the 1966 Movie "Out Of Sight" *
The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...
recorded a version of this song for their '' Supremes A' Go-Go'' album, but was not included. It was recently released on a collection of Supremes' previously unreleased recordings and rarities. *
Florence Ballard Florence Glenda Chapman (''née'' Ballard; June 30, 1943 – February 22, 1976) was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown vocal female group the Supremes. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number- ...
(of The Supremes and featured on their version) recorded a version of this song in 1968 for her debut solo album, ''You Don't Have To'', that was shelved by ABC Records and left unreleased until the release of '' The Supreme Florence Ballard'' CD. * Vikki Carr recorded the song for her 1968 album ''Don't Break My Pretty Balloon''. *Italian rock singer Little Tony performed a local version with the title "Non è normale " ("It's not usual") 'sic'' *American alternative band Wild Colonials covered the song, which appeared on their album '' Reel Life vol 1'' (2000) and on the soundtrack of the
Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...
film '' Mr. Wrong''. *
Five Iron Frenzy Five Iron Frenzy is an American band which formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1995. Best known for playing ska punk music characterized by an offbeat sense of humor and prominent Christian themes, Five Iron Frenzy was one of the pioneering figure ...
covered this song on their live album '' Five Iron Frenzy LIVE: Proof That the Youth Are Revolting'', and later released a studio recorded version on their album '' All the Hype That Money Can Buy''. *
Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...
recorded a version of the song on her 1966 record, '' The Sonny Side of Cher''. *Writer Les Reed and his orchestra also recorded an
instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...
version on their 1971 record, ''Colour Me''. * Filipino singer/artist
Sam Sorono A Tom Jones impersonator is someone who impersonator, impersonates or imitates the look and sound of musician Tom Jones (singer), Tom Jones. Professional Tom Jones impersonators or Tom Jones tribute artists, perform all over the world as entertainer ...
(1950–2008) covered this song on his 1978 ''Sings Tom Jones' Greatest Hits'' LP album with
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...
. *
The Wedding Present The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, by members of The Lost Pandas. The band has been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member. Closely linked to the C86 scene ...
recorded a version included on the UK remastered re-release of their 1989 album, ''
Bizarro Bizarro () is a supervillain or anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in ''Superboy (comic bo ...
''. *The alternative rock band Belly covered the song on the 1994 soundtrack of the movie ''With Honors''. * Clare Teal in a jazz style on her 2012 album ''The Many Sides of Clare Teal''. * Temuera Morrison covered the song on his 2014 album ''Tem''.


''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air''

The song enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-1990s, as it was used in the hit
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
'' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' on several occasions. It typically features
Carlton Banks Carlton Banks is a fictional character portrayed by Alfonso Ribeiro on the NBC television sitcom '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from September 1990 to May 1996, the preppy and politically conservative cousin, main foil, and eventual close f ...
, one of the lead characters, lip-syncing to the lyrics and performing comedic choreography (which came to be known as "the Carlton dance"). 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 " as Carlton's guardian angel, who performed the song with Carlton's actor Alfonso Ribeiro.


References


Bibliography

* {{Tom Jones 1965 singles Decca Records singles Parrot Records singles Tom Jones (singer) songs Glen Campbell songs UK singles chart number-one singles Number-one singles in South Africa Songs written by Les Reed (songwriter) Songs written by Gordon Mills Baião songs