Tom Jones reveals he 'almost collapsed' while recording iconic James Bond theme tune
The Welsh singer, 85, was recruited last-minute to conjure up a number incorporating the movie's name after Shirley Bassey and Dionne Warwick's attempts were axed by producers for exceeding the opening credits length.
Ultimately, composer John Barry and lyricist Don Black placed their bets on Tom, who is renowned for his powerful baritone voice.
However, Tom has confessed belting out the song's climactic high note left him close to passing out in the recording booth.
Sharing the nerve-wracking incident on Radio 2's Sound of the 60s with Tony Blackburn, Tom said: 'John Barry, who wrote the music, and Don Black did the lyrics,
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'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 went on to reveal that the original lyrics were meant to be 'he strikes like thunder' before taking a deep breath and belting out the word 'ball'.
He explained: '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.
Recounting the aftermath of singing the last note, he added: '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.'
During an interview with Far Out magazine, songwriter Don also recalled how Tom 'got a head rush' while singing the final note of the song.
He said: '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.'
Explaining his inspiration behind the lyrics of the tune, he added: '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 was chosen to perform the James Bond theme tune just a year after achieving chart success with his hit It's Not Unusual.
However, Thunderball only reached number 35 in the UK Top 40.
Tom has had a stellar career with an impressive tally of 36 UK Top 40 hits and 19 US Top 40 successes.
His significant contributions to the music industry were recognised when he was knighted in 2006.
However, his version of Thunderball didn't quite hit the mark according to Classic FM, which ranked the song as the fourth-worst James Bond theme in 2022.
On the other hand, Shirley's timeless hit Diamonds Are Forever from 1971 was crowned the best James Bond theme by the same publication.
The legendary singer, 88, also provided the vocals for Bond themes Goldfinger in 1964 and Moonraker in 1979.
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