Sir Tom Jones’ everlasting regret over The Beatles hit written for him

David Owens

He’s a global superstar that has achieved everything in music during his illustrious 60 year career, although there is one huge regret the Welshman harbours – and it involves The Fab Four.

During the recent finale of The Voice, in which the show’s winner Ava Mannings performed a version of The Beatles’ The Long And Winding Road, the Welshman told a brief story of his relationship with the classic song.

It is of course now known as one of The Beatles’ most famous tracks but if the course of rock ‘n’ roll history had been altered, it’s Sir Tom Jones who would be famous for singing The Long And Winding Road – not The Fab Four.

Beatles’ classic

When I interviewed the singer back in 2012, the Welsh icon went into greater detail over what he described as his biggest career regret, revealing how his fellow knight of the realm, Sir Paul McCartney offered him the opportunity to record The Beatles’ classic.

“I saw him in a club called Scotts Of St James on Jermyn Street in London,” explained the 84-year-old music legend.

“So we were in there one night so I said to him when are you going to write me a song then Paul.

“He said, aye I will then. Then not long after he sent a song around to my house, which was The Long And Winding Road, but the condition was that I could do it but it had to be my next single.

“Paul wanted it out straight away. At that time I had a song called Without Love that I was going to be releasing.

“The record company was gearing up towards the release of it. The timing was terrible, but I asked if we could stop everything and I could do the Long And Winding Road.

“They said it would take a lot of time and it was impractical, so I ended up not doing it.”

Without Love subsequently became a top 10 hit for Sir Tom while The Long And Winding Road – which was inspired by the growing tension at that time within The Beatles – was one of the final singles John, Paul, George and Ringo released before they split. It reached the chart top spot in the US, the band’s 20th and final number one.

The Pontypridd-born legend explained he has spent many years regretting the choice he made.

‘Kicking myself’

“I was kicking myself,” he said. “I knew it was a strong song and of course it subsequently appeared on (The Beatles’) Let It Be album.”

Ironically, more than four decades later Sir Tom finally recorded a Macca composition – (I Want To) Come Home, which featured on his critically acclaimed 2012 album Spirit In The Room.

In another quirk of fate, it’s also a song which has similar lyrics to The Long And Winding Room.

“The message of it is, I’ve done this, I’ve done that, it was great at the time. I was out there, tried to do it on my own – done this, had success with that, but now I want to come home,” explained the singer. “So it can mean home literally, or home, to myself, rather than being out there trying to prove something.

The Welsh star said that Wales was never far from his thoughts when he recorded the McCartney track.

“There’s nods to Wales there, of course definitely. Every time I think of home I think of Wales. Like I did the Green Green Grass Of Home , Wales was in my mind, and a lot of people think it’s actually a Welsh song.”

And if you are wondering what Tom would sound like singing The Beatles’ hit, here’s his version recorded live on a TV special in the ’70s…