Tom Jones says he 'nearly' fainted singing this one iconic song
Sir Tom Jones was recruited to sing an iconic theme song just over a year after hitting the top of the charts with It's Not Unusual, but he almost had an unfortunate incident in the recording booth
Sir Tom Jones almost "passed out" while singing one iconic song
(Image: GETTY )
Sir Tom Jones revealed he 'almost fainted' when performing the theme tune to James Bond's Thunderball.
The 85-year-old crooner was recruited last minute to record a song that featured the film's title. It came after an earlier track recorded by Shirley Bassey, and latterly Dionne Warwick, was rejected by movie executives as it was too long for the film's opening sequence.
Legendary country musician Johnny Cash reportedly submitted his own song for consideration, which was also turned down. Instead, composer John Barry teamed up with lyricist Don Black and recruited Welsh icon Tom for the song.
Known for his low baritone sound, Tom admits he struggled with the final note of the song however. It led to a moment where he almost passed out in the recording booth.
Speaking on BBC Radio 2's Sound of the 60s with Tony Blackburn, Tom explained: 'John Barry who wrote the music and Don Black did the lyrics, so John Barry said, 'Hold the note as long as you can because the music is going to go on longer than that, so don't try to hold it until the end. So just hold it as long as you can and then forget it.' I forgot to take a big enough breath.'
Tom was recruited to record Thunderball at the last minute
(Image: GETTY )
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Sir Tom then explained that he should have sung 'he strikes like thunder' and then took a large breath in before singing 'ball'. He continued: 'But I didn't, so I hit ball and I'm going, and I'm going, and I close my eyes and I go a little flat towards the end there, you'll hear it just at the end, tapering off, because I couldn't hold it any longer.
'When I opened my eyes, the room was spinning, so I had to grab hold of the booth I was in to steady myself. I almost went down.'
The singer's version of events in the recording studio was echoed by the songwriter. Speaking to Far Out magazine, Don explained Tom 'got a head rush' singing the final note.
He said: 'With 'Thunderball' the first thing I did was look it up in the dictionary. So I scratched my head and used it as a code word, you know, 'He strikes like thunderball'.
Tom Jones has had 36 UK Top 40s
(Image: Daily Post Wales )
'The thing I remember most is Tom Jones' recording of the song in which he fainted on the last note. He got a head rush or something. The Bond songs I describe as the lure of the forbidden. It should have the whiff of a boudoir about it'
Tom, from Treforest near Pontypridd, was recruited to sing the James Bond theme just a year after his break-out song It's Not Unusual hit number one in the UK charts. The theme song however only reached number 35 in the Top 40.
The singer has scored 36 UK Top 40 hits during his career as well as 19 in the USA. He was given a knighthood for services to music in 2006.
Unfortunately for Tom, Thunderball was named as the fourth-worst James Bond theme by Classic FM in 2022, with Madonna's Die Another Day chosen as the worst. The publication described it as a "a curiously joyless effort".
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Shirley Bassey's 1971 hit Diamonds are Forever was named as the best. The legendary Welsh singer also recorded the theme songs for Goldfinger in 1964 and Moonraker in 1979.
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