| "It's Not Unusual" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byTom Jones | ||||
| from the albumAlong 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 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:03 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Peter Sullivan[3] | |||
| Tom Jones singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "It's Not Unusual" (Lyric Video) onYouTube | ||||
"It's Not Unusual" is a song written byLes Reed andGordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknownTom Jones,[4] after it had first been offered toSandie 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 singleDecca released,[5] reaching No. 1 on theUK Singles Chart in 1965.[6][7] It was his first hit in theUnited States, peaking at No. 10 in May of that year. It was released in the US byParrot Records and reached No. 3 onBillboard'seasy listening chart. The song was first aired onpirate radio in the UK, as theBBC rejected it because of Jones' sexual image. In the US, Jones performed the song on three occasions onThe Ed Sullivan Show.[8]
"It's Not Unusual" is thetheme song of his late 1960s–early 1970s television musical variety series,This Is Tom Jones. The initial studio version was released in 1995 as part of the compilation albumThe Legendary Tom Jones – 30th Anniversary Album.
The musical arranger wasLes Reed. Although the guitarist has been cited asJimmy Page ofLed Zeppelin,[9] Reed has said the only guitarist wasJoe 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 percussionistAndy White, who had previously drummed on aBeatles 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, including him included, 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 ofManfred Mann's Earth Band,AC/DC, andThe Firm withJimmy Page andPaul Rodgers) ran across the street to the "La Giaconda" coffee house, and recruited the then-unknown Reginald Dwight (who later adopted the stage nameElton John) for the one-day recording session.[14]
As was standard practice in the 1960s,session musicians were used instead of Jones's regular backing band. There are conflicting reports about who played on the record, but the most likely candidates are:[12]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[27] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "It's Not Unusual" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The song enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-1990s, as it was used in the hitsitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on several occasions. It typically featuresCarlton 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 actorAlfonso Ribeiro.[34]
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url= (help)