Tom Jones at 75: I’m still living a dream
Then (below) and now: God has been good to me. My voice is in good shape. I hope I can go on for as long as possible because I love singing. I can’t imagine life without music.
No, it’s not unusual for a singer to go on singing even if he has been in the business for half a century. Look at Tom Jones who, at 75, still sounds the same way he did back then, reinventing his enduring hits such as Delilah, Help Yourself, What’s New Pussycat?, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again and, yes, It’s Not Unusual without missing a beat.
Those are just some of the songs in Jones’ repertoire when he performs at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on April 2. It’s his second visit to the Philippines. Last Friday, Conversations did an exclusive phone interview with Jones who turned out to be as engaging and entertaining as he always is onstage.
We are looking forward to your concert in Manila. What can we expect this time?
“Ahm, well, the show is a mixture of some songs from the last three albums that I’ve recorded with Ethan Johns. And then, of course, some of the old songs that people are familiar with but I changed some of the arrangements a bit. But The Green, Green Grass of Home is still the same…” (adding with a laugh)…“the old hometown still looks the same. I haven’t changed that much. Songs like Delilah which started off as a ballad, it has gone into tempo. Same with Sex Bomb, I changed the arrangement only a bit.
Thunderball, the song that I did for the James Bond movie (Thunderball, 1965) is now more of a rock version.”
What about It’s Not Unusual?
“Yes, I’m doing It’s Not Unusual with more of a Latin flavor. But it’s still recognizable because I didn’t change the arrangement. Just to change it up a bit and give the people something a little different from just listening to the record.”
We Filipino fans would love to listen to your old enduring hits. What would you consider your Most Requested Song (MRS)?
“Delilah is one, and The Green, Green Grass of Home, and a few others. I would have to find out from the Filipino people themselves what they want to hear. I’ve sold a lot of records in the Philippines so I should know what kind of songs they want to hear and I’ve met a lot of Filipino people. You know, when I sat as judge on The Voice UK, one of my singers that I picked from my team was from the Philippines. He got into the semi-finals and almost won it. He got knocked out before he got into the finals.”
Oh, wonderful!
“His parents were always there, watching the show. His mother used to make a big fuss about me. The family came from the Philippines but they are now staying in England. Their son goes to college in England. They were telling me how much the Filipino people have enjoyed my music over the years. I know that Filipinos are very musical, that they love to sing. So I’m really looking forward to going back to the Philippines.”
What else do you know about the Philippines?
“Hmmm, I know that there’s a mixture of Oriental people… you know, and the Spanish language. I know that there are other languages and there are indigenous people. I know exactly where the Philippine Islands
are. I was born in 1940 and I’m very interested in history. I know what the Philippines went through during the Second World War. And I was there once before…” (Adding with a laugh)…” and I know about the weather in the Philippines, hahahaha!!!”
That was years ago! What do you remember from that first visit?
“Yes, a long time ago! I remember the same thing… that the Filipino people are very musical. There’s a lot of music there. I enjoyed being there. I just had a good feeling with the people. When I was singing, they were enjoying it and they were getting my feeling… you know, the feeling that I was putting into my songs. That’s the most important thing to me, the people of a country and how they feel with my songs.”
You’ve been in the business for 50 years and that’s quite a feat. What’s the secret of your staying power?
“Well, I’ve been lucky because I’ve got good health. And my desire to sing is just as strong as it was when I first started. You have to want to do it. You can’t stay in this business if your heart is not in it. If you stop loving it, you shouldn’t do it. And I haven’t stopped loving it. I love to sing, to record, to travel, to sing in different countries to different people and see what other cultures are like. I’m still living a dream.”
Oh really?
“When I was a kid, I had a dream to become a successful entertainer. Ever since I got my first hit record I’ve been living a dream! And I hope I can go on for as long as possible because I love to sing. I can’t imagine life without music.”
Did you ever imagine that you would last this long?
“I thought that if my voice stayed in good shape, and God has been good to me with my health, as long as you don’t get an illness that would stop you from doing what you love to do, you just go on. I try to look after myself as best as I can.”
How do you do it?
“You know, not to drink too much. When I was younger, I used to drink more than I do now. When you get old, you can’t do certain things. You know what I mean? I used to run, but now I just walk…I walk a lot. Running is bad for your joints. When I get to the gym, I use the electrical machine. That takes the place of running. But I still like to walk and see what the places are like.”
Do you sing while you’re walking?
“Yes. I’m either singing or whistling. I whistle a lot.”
What about your diet?
“I like all kinds of food and that’s the problem. There’s nothing that I don’t like. But I try not to eat too much. I know that I have to keep fit in order to get onstage. When you sing, your breathing is very important. In order to do that, you have to do vascular exercises.”
No wonder at 75 you still look very sexy.
“Really? Hahahaha!!!”
Any regrets… anything else that you want to do?
“Not really. My love has always been to sing. Thank God my voice is still strong enough to do that. Oh maybe, to make a movie when I was younger. Maybe I should have taken a shot at that.”
What kind of role would you have liked to do?
“I love westerns, I love movies in general. I love comedy, I love drama, all kinds of movies You know, when you get older you become curious and you think, ‘I wonder if I could have done that when I was younger?’ Because you know, you can’t have that time back again. But all in all, I’m so grateful that I have done and am still doing the thing closest to my heart, and that is to sing.”
Oh, by the way, I can’t wait to read your autobiography, Over The Top and Back. Is it a tell-all book that spares nothing and nobody?
“I just wanted to write about the things that are important to me. I told the book publisher that I wanted to write about growing up in South Wales where I come from, a coal-mining area which is important to me because I spent more than 24 years of my life there, and about the people that I’ve met, and all the funny stories about my life. I’m pleased with the book as I am with my last album, Long Lost Suitcase.”
Why did you call it Long Lost Suitcase?
“Well, because most of the songs that I picked came out of my suitcase. You know, I have a lot of suitcases. I have lost count. I have them in storage. When you get home, you take out the things that you need and leave a lot of other things in there, including songs and pictures. Some of the things that I thought I had lost I found in those suitcases. That’s why I called my album
Long Lost Suitcase”… (adding with a laugh)…” I should have called it The Found Suitcase.”
Of all your achievements, what are you most proud of?
“Oh, being knighted by The Queen. I didn’t figure on that at all. When I was a boy growing up in South Wales, I had a dream of becoming a successful singer. If somebody told me that someday I would be Sir Tom Jones, I would be knighted, I wouldn’t have believed him. Because you know, at that time singers were not being knighted.”
(Tom Jones Live In Manila is presented by Live Nation and Ovation Productions. It is supported by The Philippine STAR, Manila Bulletin and BusinessWorld. Tickets priced at P8,185; P6,075; P5,020; P2,960; P1,750; and P930 and are available through Ticketnet.com.) (E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@
Among his achievements, what is he most proud of? Jones said, ‘Being knighted by The Queen.’