Do you like this song? #835
Yes I like it, I already know it
Yes I like it, first time listening
No I don't like it, I already know it
No I don't like it, first time listening
Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual 1965
"It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after it had first been offered to Sandie Shaw. 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. It reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 10 in in the US, where it also reached number 3 on Billboard's easy listening chart. The song was first aired on pirate radio in the UK, as the BBC rejected it because of Jones' sexual image.
Jones's group, "Tom Jones and the Squires", were missing their regular keyboard player for the session, so Slade (a future member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, AC/DC, and The Firm with Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers) ran across the street to the "La Giaconda" coffee house, and recruited the then-unknown Reginald Dwight (who later adopted the stage name Elton John) for the one-day recording session. "It's Not Unusual" is the theme song of Jones' late 1960s–early 1970s television musical variety series, This Is Tom Jones.
The song enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-1990s, as it was used in the hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on several occasions. It typically features Carlton Banks, one of the lead characters, lip-syncing to the lyrics and performing comedic choreography (which came to be known as "the Carlton dance"). Jones made a guest appearance in the third season episode "The Alma Matter" as Carlton's guardian angel, who performed the song with Carlton's actor Alfonso Ribeiro.
Jones also performed "It's Not Unusual" in Tim Burton's 1996 science fiction black comedy film Mars Attacks, where the song is interrupted and he has to escape from the alien invaders.
This one is for my mom. 💚
"It's Not Unusual" received a total of 87,2% yes votes! Previous Tom Jones polls: #736 "Green, Green Grass of Home".
