In the swinging heart of 1965 London, a sound was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. It was a song so vibrant, so full of life, that it became an instant anthem for joy and celebration. That song was “It’s Not Unusual,” and it turned a young Welshman named Tom Jones into a global icon overnight. But behind the infectious beat and the soaring vocals lies a tale of profound sadness and hidden despair that has been overlooked for decades.
The track, penned by the legendary songwriting duo Les Reed and Gordon Mills, was an unstoppable force. It stormed to the top of the charts in the UK and broke into the top ten in America, a seismic cultural event fueled by Jones’s raw, primal energy. His performances were electric, a whirlwind of magnetic charisma and a voice so powerful it could shake the foundations of any concert hall. It was the song that launched a career, a defining moment of the 1960s.
A former studio assistant who worked on the original recording session recently confided, his voice hushed with the weight of memory, “We all knew it was a hit. The melody was undeniable. But when Tom sang, it was something else entirely. Les [Reed] turned to me during a take and whispered, ‘He’s not just singing the words; he’s living them.’ We saw the charm and the swagger on stage, but in the studio, between the notes, you could feel a deep, aching loneliness. The entire control room would go silent.”
For over half a century, “It’s Not Unusual” has been the soundtrack to our happiest moments. It has echoed through wedding receptions, office parties, and countless films, a guaranteed floor-filler. Its legacy is cemented as a timeless classic, a testament to the enduring power of pop music. Generations have sung along, danced with abandon, and smiled at its familiar, joyful sound.
Yet, the tragic irony has been hiding in plain sight. The lyrics, so often drowned out by the exuberant horns and Jones’s powerful delivery, do not speak of joy. They speak of unbearable heartbreak. “It’s not unusual to see me cry, I wanna die,” Jones confesses in the song. It’s the story of a man watching the person he adores with someone else, his heart breaking with every beat of the seemingly cheerful tune. The song that has brought joy to millions is, in its soul, a desperate cry of unrequited love and agonizing jealousy, a secret hidden behind a wall of sensational sound.