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The 11 best Tom Jones songs
Counting down the best Tom Jones hits ahead of his summer 2026 dates
Hailing from the small Welsh town of Treforest, Tom Jones’ journey to international superstar came out of the blue in the 1960s. But with his unmistakable booming baritone voice and effortless charisma, it’s easy to see why the 86-year-old has managed to sell more than 100 million records across a six-decade career.
With a genre-spanning discography that ranges between pop, R&B, soul, show tunes, gospel, country and dance, he has scooped countless accolades, including multiple BRIT Awards, a Silver Clef Award, the Music Industry Trusts Award and a Hitmaker Award from the US Songwriters Hall of Fame. The ‘Sexbomb’ hitmaker has even received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
His fan base is equally as diverse as his songs. In fact, a typical Tom Jones show is a cross-generational knees-up – something sure to be proved again at his summer 2026 dates including Scarborough Open Air Theatre and Crystal Palace Bowl.
Here, we narrow down his top 11 tracks.
11. ‘Talking Reality Television Blues’
(Surrounded By Time, 2021)
Despite being in his 80s, Jones isn’t slowing down. Quite the opposite, actually: his 2021 album Surrounded By Time made him the oldest person to claim a No.1 spot [with new material] on the UK Official Albums Chart. Not only proof that he remains one of the most popular names in music, taking a sharp look under the microscope of modern life gave a fresh perspective to his artistry. Few others could sell a line like “Then a show called The Apprentice came on and pretty soon an old man with a comb-over had sold us the moon” as convincingly as Jones does on the pondering ‘Talking Reality Television Blues’.
10. ‘(It Looks Like) I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’
(13 Smash Hits, 1967)
The story goes that the writer of this sway-along classic, British skiffle star Lonnie Donegan, recorded it first but felt it wasn’t right for his own voice. Knowing a young Tom Jones, Donegan played him a demo. Jones loved the track, recorded it and turned it into a massive global hit. Fast forward several decades and, in a touching real-life twist, Donegan’s son, Peter, auditioned for The Voice UK while Jones was a judge. Recognising the connection, the pair performed an emotional, impromptu duet of the song on stage.
9. ‘Green Green Grass Of Home’
(Green, Green Grass Of Home, 1967)
There won’t be a dry eye left in the field when Jones unleashes this emotional cover of the Jerry Lee Lewis classic this summer. Despite sombre lyrics which have made it a popular choice of funeral song around the world, there’s a comforting feel when listening to the 1996 Christmas No.1.
8. ‘Burning Down The House’ (with The Cardigans)
(Reload, 1999)
Over the years, Jones has released some brilliant cover versions, each time transforming the original track into something unique and true to his sound. A perfect example is his turn-of-the-milenium collaboration with Swedish rock band The Cardigans. Together, they reimagined the Talking Heads original from the previous decade as a huge dance-pop anthem.
7. ‘What’s New Pussycat?’
(What’s New Pussycat, 1966)
While Jones was initially skeptical about the undeniably-quirky ‘What’s New Pussycat?’ when he first heard it, it’s unlikely that he regrets getting on board with the vision of its writers Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Jones’ bold and energetic vocal performance helped to land him a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
6. ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’ (with Stereophonics)
(Reload, 1999)
With a rhythm and funkiness that could make it a lost Motown classic, Jones’ team-up with Welsh rock band Stereophonics is always a quick way to get audiences up on their feet. Having regularly shared the stage with frontman Kelly Jones in the years since, the pair have become good friends and he reportedly views Jones as a “second father figure”.
5. ‘Sexbomb’ feat. Mousse T
(Reload, 1991)
Originally written for Mousse T’s own album, the German-Turkish producer knew that the funky, upbeat track needed a legendary vocalist. Enter Tom Jones, who turned the irrepressible ‘Sexbomb’ – which remains a party favourite – into a European dancefloor smash.
4. ‘Help Yourself’
(The Best Of … Tom Jones, 1997)
As big brassy love songs go, you’d be hard pushed to find one more infatuated than ‘Help Yourself’, whose melody was originally an Italian song. With its irresistible easy-listening groove and new English lyrics from songwriter Jack Fishman (a.k.a. Larry Khan), the flirtatious number became one of Jones’ best-known songs.
3. ‘Delilah’
(Delilah, 1968)
Few murder ballads elicit such huge singalongs as ‘Delilah’. The unofficial Welsh rugby anthem’s lyrics tell the story of a jealous man who discovers his lover is unfaithful, confronts her, and stabs her to death in a fit of rage after she laughs at him. But, despite its dark subtext, the track topped charts worldwide in the late 60s and its catchy chorus made it one of Jones’ biggest hits (even covered by Metallica at their recent Cardiff show).
2. ‘She’s A Lady’
(Tom Jones Sings She’s A Lady, 1971)
Written with the idea of breaking into new territory, Jones’ manager asked Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka to pen a song that was guaranteed to be a hit in the United States. Crafted while the latter was on a plane home from London, he struck gold. With Jones’ trademark vocal, confident delivery and some infectious brass horns thrown into the mix, ‘She’s A Lady’ quickly reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Unsurprisingly, it now holds the title of being the biggest-selling single of Jones’ entire career.
1. ‘It’s Not Unusual’
(Along Came Jones, 1965)
Initially penned for Sandie Shaw, a then-unknown Tom Jones was hired to sing the demo version of ‘Its Not Unusual’. The Welshman’s take on the horn-filled track impressed the ‘Puppet On A String’ hitmaker so much that she recommended he sing it instead. Having gone on to top the UK Singles Chart, his party-starting breakthrough has withstood the test of time ever since.
