| It's Not Unusual | |
| Cover: | Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Tom Jones |
| Album: | Along Came Jones (It's Not Unusual) |
| B-Side: | "To Wait for Love" (Bacharach-David) |
| Released: | 22 January 1965 (UK) March 1965 (US) |
| Recorded: | 11 November 1964 |
| Studio: | Decca Studios, London |
| Length: | 2:03 |
| Producer: | Peter Sullivan |
| Prev Title: | Chills and Fever |
| Prev Year: | 1964 |
| Next Title: | Once Upon a Time |
| Next Year: | 1965 |
"It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones,[1] after it had first been offered to Sandie Shaw.[2] 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,[3] reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1965.[4] [5] 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.[6]
"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.
The musical arranger was Les Reed. Although the guitarist has been cited as Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin,[7] 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.[8] Drums were played by Scottish percussionist Andy White, who had previously drummed on a Beatles recording session,[9] or possibly by Ronnie Verrell,. Alan Grahame has also said he was involved.[10] 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.[11]
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:
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (KMR)[13] | 3 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[14] | 2 |
| South Africa (Springbok)[15] | 1 |
| UK | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[16] | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Selling Rhythm and Blues Singles[17] | 26 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100[18] | 10 |
| Chart (1965) | Rank |
|---|---|
| South Africa [19] | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[20] | 64 |
| U.S. Cash Box [21] | 52 |
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"). 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.