Sir Thomas John Woodward, known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer who sang the eponymous theme song of the 4th James Bond film produced by Eon Productions, Thunderball (1965). Selling over 100 million records across his career,[1] Jones has had thirty-six Top 40 hits in the United Kingdom and nineteen in the United States. Some of his notable songs include "It's Not Unusual", "What's New Pussycat", "Thunderball", "She's a Lady", "Kiss" and "Sex Bomb".[1]
Bond involvement
Originally, the main title theme to Thunderball was a piece titled "Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang". Written by composers John Barry and Leslie Bricusse,[2] it was originally recorded by Dionne Warwick and later rerecorded by Shirley Bassey.[3] Close to the film's 1965 release, plans to use either version of the song were scrapped by the producers following a request from United Artists that the theme song's lyrics contain the film's title.[4] Barry and lyricist Don Black hurriedly wrote "Thunderball", which was sung by up-and-coming artist, Tom Jones.[3] The singer allegedly fainted in the recording booth after singing the song's final, high note.[3] Jones later recalled, "I closed my eyes and I held the note for so long when I opened my eyes the room was spinning."[5]
See also
- Thunderball (song)
- Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (song)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 (20 June 2009) Billboard – Google Books. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved on 12 October 2015.
- ↑ Fiegel, Eddy. John Barry: A Sixties Theme. New York: Macmillan, 2001.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Spencer, Kristopher. Film and Television Scores, 1950–1979: A Critical Survey by Genre. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2008, p. 63-64.
- ↑ Burlingame, Jon, The Music of James Bond, Oxford University Press, 11 October 2012, p. 51
- ↑ Tom Jones's comments on the Thunderball song. Interview with Singer Tom Jones. Retrieved on 10 September 2005.
