Its Not Unusual by donnica59

donnica59 - Its Not Unusual

donnica59

Jun 29, 2025 12:25pm

<ul><li>Feature</li><li>This swinging song is a classic case of lyrical dissonance, as Jones sings about the devastating pain of seeing what used to be his girl out with another guy. </li><li>"I wanna die," he proclaims, in contrast to the jaunty tune.</li><li>Drenched in horns, "It's Not Unusual" was the first hit for Tom Jones, leading to a horn sound on many of his subsequent songs, including "<a href="https://www.songfacts.com/facts/tom-jones/thunderball" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Thunderball</a>" and "<a href="https://www.songfacts.com/facts/tom-jones/whats-new-pussycat" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">What's New Pussycat?</a>"</li><li> </li><li>This was written by the classical music arranger and conductor Les Reed along with Tom Jones' manager Gordon Mills. </li><li>They wrote it for the British singer Sandie Shaw, but she turned it down. </li><li>Tom Jones saw the song's potential, recorded it, and it became his first hit single.</li><li> </li><li>Jones recalled to The Mail On Sunday February 6, 2011: "I did the demo on this song when it was being offered to Sandie Shaw. </li><li>I was just starting out and, God bless her, she said: 'Whoever's singing this, it's his song.' </li><li>Finding great new songs is never easy, and back in those days, finding one that would fit me – the way I felt and sang anyway – was difficult. </li><li>I'm indebted to Sandie for being so generous."</li><li>Tom Jones' real name is Thomas Jones Woodward. </li><li>He was spotted supporting Mandy Rice-Davies by the manager Gordon Mills who suggested the name Tom Jones and secured him a deal with Decca. After a succession of hit singles in the UK and US he moved to California in 1969, performing regularly in Las Vegas.</li><li>Tom Jones told the Observer Music Monthly December 2008 that first version he recorded wasn't anything special: "Then my producer Peter Sullivan said: 'You've got a big voice. Nice is not enough. You are not nice!' </li><li>As a result, the song jumped out of the speakers and became a hit."</li><li>Jones recorded this song with many of the top British session musicians of the time. </li><li>Vic Flick, who played guitar on the track, <a href="https://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/british-session-star-vic-flick" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">told us</a>: "Tom had a goal in life and nothing was going to stop him. </li><li>He is a great singer and all round good performer - lots of stage presence. </li><li>His recordings were always good to work on. Great songs, very good arrangements and always a great band."</li><li> </li><li>Will Smith was the star of the TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990-1996, but one of the most memorable bits involved his co-star, Alfonso Ribeiro, who played the rhythmically challenged Carlton. </li><li> </li><li>Ribeiro would do the wildly entertaining "Carlton Dance" to "It's Not Unusual," and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zrmyaDnYD8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">in one episode</a>, Jones appears as his guardian angel and the pair duet on the song, altering the lyrics to form the dialogue.</li><li> </li><li>Ribeiro was actually an excellent dancer - he won Dancing with the Stars in 2014. </li><li>During one routine, he and his partner Witney Carson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbSCWgZQf_g" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">danced to "It's Not Unusual"</a> in a routine that incorporated the Carlton Dance.</li></ul>