"It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones,[4] after it had first been offered to Sandie Shaw.[3] He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with his delivery that she recommended he sing it instead.
"It's Not Unusual" is the theme song of his late 1960s–early 1970s television musical variety series, This Is Tom Jones. The first studio version was released in 1995 on the compilation album, The Legendary Tom Jones – 30th Anniversary Album.
Musical arrangement and recording
The musical arranger was Les Reed. Although the guitarist has been cited as Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin,[9] Reed has said the only guitarist was Joe Moretti, who also played on "Shakin' All Over" and "Brand New Cadillac". Page lists the session in his online discography.[10] Drums were played by Scottish percussionist Andy White, who had previously drummed on a Beatles recording session,[11] or possibly by Ronnie Verrell,.[12] Alan Grahame has also said he was involved.[13] According to Jones's regular drummer, Chris Slade, there were four attempts with different drummers, him included, in order to get one with the right 'feel'. Though he was certain that his take was not chosen, he was unable to confirm which one of the others did make the final recording.
Jones's group, "Tom Jones and the Squires", were missing their regular keyboard player for the session, so Slade (a future member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, AC/DC, and The Firm with Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers) ran across the street to the "La Giaconda" coffee house, and recruited the then-unknown Reginald Dwight (who later adopted the stage name Elton John) for the one-day recording session.[14]
Personnel
As was standard practice in the 1960s, session musicians were used instead of Jones's regular backing band. There are conflicting reports about who actually played on the record, but the most likely candidates are:[12]
The Dells also recorded a version in 1965 and released it as the title track of an LP on Vee-Jay records in Chicago. It was released as the B-side to their original recording of Stay in My Corner.
The Supremes recorded a version of this song for their Supremes A' Go-Go album, but was not included.[29] It was recently released on a collection of Supremes' previously unreleased recordings and rarities.
Florence Ballard (of The Supremes and featured on their version) recorded a version of this song in 1968 for her debut solo album, You Don't Have To, that was shelved by ABC Records and left unreleased until the release of The Supreme Florence Ballard CD.
Vikki Carr recorded the song for her 1968 album Don't Break My Pretty Balloon.
Italian rock singer Little Tony performed a local version with the title "Non è normale " ("It's not usual") [sic].
The song enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-1990s, as it was used in the hit sitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on several occasions. It typically features Carlton Banks, one of the lead characters, lip-syncing to the lyrics and performing comedic choreography (which came to be known as "the Carlton dance").[33] Jones had guest-starred on the show on a few occasions, also performing and dancing alongside Carlton in the episodes. Jones later made a guest appearance in the third season episode "The Alma Matter" as Carlton's guardian angel, who performed the song with Carlton's actor Alfonso Ribeiro.[34]
