Tom Jones Releases New Single 'Pop Star'

Today, Tom Jones has released "Pop Star," the fourth song to be taken from his forthcoming album Surrounded By Time out April 23 via BMG. The song follows the release of "Talking Reality Television Blues," "No Hole In My Head," and "One More Cupt Of Coffee," which saw the release of an official lyric video last week. Surrounded By Time is now available for pre-order.

Cleverly constructed imagery illustrating the song's narrative accompanies the track, presenting another piece of the aural landscape of Surrounded By Time.

"To me, 'Pop Star' is all about the excitement I felt at the time of my first success, and I imagine that a great many bands and artists feel the same when things start to happen for them," explains Sir Tom. "To get your first TV records out there, to be on TV for the first time, to get your first important gigs, and to go to the bank with your first earnings... what could be better than that? This track contains all that fantastic energy and brings back great memories for me."

Co-produced by Ethan Johns and Mark Woodward, Surrounded By Time marks out new territory with a sonic landscape of outstanding musicianship and a vocal delivery that re-imagines a diverse set of songs of personal importance that have impacted Jones throughout a long, unpredictable but undeniably impressive career.

For an artist such as Sir Tom Jones, with over 100 million record sales to his name, certain milestones loom large over the horizon - and with those milestones come certain expectations. A few years ago, Tom's record label raised the topic of his 80th birthday coming in June 2020. When you've enjoyed 36 Top 40 hits spanning five decades, a new Greatest Hits collection somewhat suggests itself. But after a period of upheaval which saw him come to terms with the loss of his wife Linda of 59 years, and time spent in the hospital with a bacterial infection, Tom's instinct was not to reflect upon his legacy, but to further extend it.

"You know, I wasn't so well a couple of years ago. When I came out of hospital, I saw the doctor and he said that, taking my age into account, it was time to slow down. Well, really, that was like a red rag to a bull."

Having recorded three acclaimed albums with producer Ethan Johns (Laura Marling, Paolo Nutini, Kings Of Leon, Ray Lamontagne), Tom was keen to continue what was already the longest musical association of his career. An avid record collector, there were songs he had set aside for decades, waiting to reach an age at which he would truly be able to do them justice. Here and elsewhere, perhaps the question that determined the shape and feel of Surrounded By Time was this: what if this were to be Tom Jones' final album? "I hope I get to make several more," he adds, "But at this point, you really have to make it count."

Watch the video here:

Photo Credit: Rick Guest

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