The Ballad of Tom Jones

"The Ballad of Tom Jones" is a song by English band Space and Cerys Matthews, lead singer of Welsh band Catatonia. Lead singer Tommy Scott described Tom Jones as 'brilliant'.^[3] The song became a highly successful radio single, and resulted in Space performing with Jones in Jools Holland's' New Year's Eve television programme.^[4]

"The Ballad of Tom Jones"
Single by Space with Cerys Matthews
from the album Tin Planet
B-side	"Happy Endings" "Now She's Gone" "Stress Transmissions"
Released	23 February 1998 (1998-02-23)^[1]
Genre	Britpop^[2]
Length	4:11
Label	Gut
Songwriter(s)	Tommy Scott
Producer(s)	Jeremy Wheatley, Space
Space singles chronology
"Avenging Angels" (1997) "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (1998) "Begin Again" (1998)
Cerys Matthews singles chronology
"The Ballad of Tom Jones" (1998) "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (1999)

Released on 23 February 1998, the song peaked at number four in the United Kingdom, number 26 in Ireland, number 46 in Australia, and number 27 in New Zealand. It is the band's highest-selling single in their home country, earning a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of at least 200,000 copies.

Track listings

UK CD1^[5]

1. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" – 4:09
2. "Happy Endings" – 3:08
3. "Now She's Gone" – 2:36
4. "Stress Transmissions" – 3:53

UK CD2 and Australian CD single^[6][7]

1. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" – 4:09
2. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (Cocktail Lounge mix) – 5:45
3. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (Dirty Beatniks mix) – 4:29
4. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (Sound 5 mix) – 6:48
5. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (Sure Is Pure dub mix) – 7:14
6. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (SX Dub "Scratchin' Cuckoo" mix) – 5:04
7. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (Tom Jones: Axe to Your Head mix) – 6:04

UK 7-inch single^[8]

A. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" – 4:09

B. "Now She's Gone" – 2:36

UK cassette single^[9]

1. "The Ballad of Tom Jones" – 4:09
2. "Happy Endings" – 3:08
3. "Now She's Gone" – 2:36

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[10] 46 Ireland (IRMA)^[11] 26 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[12] 27 Scotland (OCC)^[13] 4 UK Singles (OCC)^[14] 4 UK Indie (OCC)^[15] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position UK Singles (OCC)^[16] 90

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[17]	Silver	200,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 21 February 1998. p. 29. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
2. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
3. Ellis, Lucy (2000). Tom Jones: close up. Omnibus. p. 339. ISBN 0711975493.
4. Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. pp. 179. ISBN 1858284570.
5. The Ballad of Tom Jones (UK CD1 liner notes). Space, Cerys Matthews. Gut Records. 1998. CDGUT18.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
6. The Ballad of Tom Jones (UK CD2 liner notes). Space, Cerys Matthews. Gut Records. 1998. CXGUT18.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. The Ballad of Tom Jones (Australian CD single liner notes). Space, Cerys Matthews. Festival Records. 1998. D1693.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. The Ballad of Tom Jones (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Space, Cerys Matthews. Gut Records. 1998. 7GUT18.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. The Ballad of Tom Jones (UK cassette single sleeve). Space, Cerys Matthews. Gut Records. 1998. CAGUT18.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. "Space with Cerys of Catatonia – The Ballad of Tom Jones". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
11. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Ballad of Tom Jones". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
12. "Space with Cerys of Catatonia – The Ballad of Tom Jones". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
13. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
15. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
16. (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
17. "British single certifications – Space – The Ballad of Tom Jones". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 July 2021.

External links

• "The Ballad of Tom Jones" article