RECORD BREAKER
Sir Tom’s oldest man to top UK album chart
SIR Tom Jones has become the oldest man ever to top the UK album chart. The 80-year-old singer’s new release Surrounded By Time, his 41st studio album, sees him surpass Bob Dylan, who topped the chart at 79 last year with Rough And Rowdy Ways. Pontypridd-born Sir Tom has a l so become the oldest artist to top the Official Charts Company rankings with an album of new material.
The late singer Dame Vera Lynn holds the overall record for being the oldest album charttopper with her greatest hits collection We’ll Meet Again – The Very Best Of Vera Lynn, which was number one in 2009 when she was 92.
Surrounded By Time is Sir Tom’s fourth number one album and his first since 1999’s Reload. He said: “I am thrilled beyond words with the reception for Surrounded By Time, and to now hold these UK chart records is tremendous, just unbelievable.
“I am so proud of everyone who helped me create the music, I had a ball working with them and to get this result is just incredible. It’s wonderful that the public has allowed me to be musically expressive at my time of life and have shown their support. I am forever grateful.”
The album is the star’s fourth covers album produced by Ethan Johns, whom he has worked with since 2010, and features a tribute to his late wife Linda.
Sir Tom knocked last week’s leaders London Grammar off the top spot and into second with Californian Soil.
Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa was third, followed by Justin Bieber’s Justice in fourth and Flu Game by AJ Tracey in fifth.
In the singles chart, Lil Nas X’s Montero (Call Me By Your Name) made it five consecutive weeks at number one.
Sir Tom’s success comes just days after he revealed how he was going to record My Way – before it was offered to Frank Sinatra. The pop superstar told how songwriter Paul Anka had originally suggested he sing on the hit. But Anka’s music publisher overruled him and the song went to Sinatra. It was released in 1969, with the US crooner’s version spending 75 weeks in the UK top 40.
Sir Tom said there had been no hard feelings between the pair and that the song’s reflective lyrics suited Sinatra better, given he was an older man.
He said: “I was going to do My Way. Paul Anka wrote it. He said, ‘Look, I have written this great song and you would sing the s*** out of it.’ And I said, ‘Well thanks.’
“He played a demo that he had made and I said, ‘That is fantastic.’ He said, ‘There is only one problem, my music publisher sent it to Frank Sinatra and if Frank likes it he will do it.’
“I said, ‘Oh, OK.’ And Frank did do it. I missed it because they sent it to Frank Sinatra, which is fine. He was an older man anyway. I was too young at the time to sing, ‘I did it my way.’
“You have got to be around for a while before you can do that.”