Tom Jones Celebrates Major Milestone as 'It's Not Unusual' Turns 60: 'What a Ride It's Been!'

Mar. 15, 2025

Tom Jones performing on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ in December 1965 (left) and with Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton Banks on ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ in 1993.Photo:CBS via Getty; Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank

CBS via Getty; Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank

SirTom Jonesis celebrating a song that’s particularly special to his heart and career.

“60 years ago I released It’s Not Unusual, and what a ride it’s been! Back then I would never have believed this one tune would have led on to such a wonderful life and career, full of music, fantastic people and touring all over the world,” he wrote.

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“None of this would have been possible without the enduring support from my fans from day one, so thank you, you are sincerely loved and appreciated,” he continued.

Of the clip, he wrote, “It’s great fun to see the style and energy of those times. So here’s to music, the stage and YOU!”

“It’s Not Unusual” was Jones' second hit overseas and the first to break through in the United States. It served as the theme song for his late 1960s variety show,This Is Tom Jones.

The song also had a resurgence when it became part of a running gag onThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airin the mid 1990s. After one scene with Carlton dancing awkwardly to the song eventually became the character’s signature dance, the hit appeared multiple times, with Jones himself making a number of cameos on the show.

WritingforVarietyabout the Carlton dance in 2015, Alfonso Ribeiro recalled his days onFresh Princeand explains how the moment came about.

“The Carlton Dance was created when it said in the script: ‘Carlton dances.’ It was never even intended to be funny; it was just that he was dancing,” Ribeiro said. “The dance is ultimatelyCourteney Coxin the Bruce Springsteen video‘Dancing in the Dark.’That’s the basis. Or inEddie Murphy’s‘Delirious’ video,‘The White Man Dance,’as he called it.”

source: people.com