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In 1987, Tom Jones knew his time in the spotlight was slipping. Then, “a busting hit” saved his career
After his early success with hits such as “It’s Not Unusual” and “Green, Green Grass of Home”, Tom Jones’s chart career faded as punk, post-punk and synth-pop reshaped popular music. A 1987 comeback helped restore his profile, and Jones later described his 1988 collaboration with Art of Noise on Prince’s “Kiss” as a song that saved his career.
Jones had spent much of the late 1970s and early 1980s recording country music and performing in the US, where he had nine top 40 country singles between 1980 and 1986 but no return to the US or UK top 100. After his manager Gordon Mills died in 1986, his son Mark took over and helped steer a new direction. “A Boy from Nowhere” reached number two in the UK in 1987; “Kiss” reached number five there and entered the US top 40.
In short
- Tom Jones’s chart fortunes had waned by the 1980s.
- “A Boy from Nowhere” reached number two in the UK in 1987.
- Jones later called his Art of Noise version of “Kiss” career-saving.
Explained simply
Tom Jones became famous in the 1960s with songs including “It’s Not Unusual”. By the late 1970s, musical tastes had changed, and although he continued recording country music and performing in the United States, he had stopped reaching the main British and American charts.
After his manager Gordon Mills died in 1986, Mills’s son Mark took over and helped guide Jones towards a new musical direction. A hit with “A Boy from Nowhere” in 1987 was followed by a 1988 version of Prince’s “Kiss” with the electronic group Art of Noise. The success of these records brought Jones back to a wide audience and marked a new phase in his career.
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