The 1980 song that Tom Jones said was too “perfect” to cover
The art of the cover song is a skill that Tom Jones mastered many moons ago.
The Welsh crooner knows all too well that there is no point in taking on a song and essentially recording a glorified karaoke version of the track. If he can’t inject a fresh feeling into a composition and offer only a Temu version of the original, then there’s nothing to gain for him to do so. Instead, he’ll opt for songs that he knows for certain that his skill set can enhance.
Jones isn’t a natural songwriter, but has made a career out of playing to his strengths rather than worrying about his weaknesses. With that in mind, he’s successfully infused his distinctive style into a series of beloved songs, reinterpreting them for a new generation of listeners. However, there is one particular song that Jones holds in such high regard that he hesitates to record it himself.
Jones has taken it into his own hands, especially in recent years, by sifting through his record collection for his tracks. However, even when he was at the peak of his popularity, record executives and songwriters constantly sent him tracks they believed he could turn into a hit. Yet, Jones would only accept if he thought his voice was worthwhile enough to add.
Following the success of ‘Green Green Grass of Home’, written by Curly Putman, Jones established a fruitful relationship with the songwriter. The original version of the track was released by Porter Wagoner in 1965. Although it had already been released, it was Jones who made it internationally renowned when he shared the definitive recording of ‘Green Green Grass of Home’ in 1966.
Understandably, after Jones worked his magic on ‘Green Green Grass of Home’, Putman wanted to work with him again. Therefore, years later, she sent him ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’, but Jones politely declined the offer. His decision wasn’t down to not liking the song, which would be his typical reasoning; instead, it was the complete opposite. In fact, Jones adored George Jones’ version to such a vast degree that he felt it couldn’t be improved.
During an interview with Shortlist, Jones was asked to name his favourite sad song, which led to him declaring his love for the track. He told the publication: “‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ by George Jones. It was written by Curly Putman, who wrote ‘The Green Green Grass Of Home’. And he sent me that song, but George Jones had already recorded it – he hadn’t put it out yet, but he sent it to me, and I said, ‘Why are you sending me this song? George Jones has already done it – George has put his thing on it, you know?'”
At this time, in 1980, Jones was a much more famous name than his namesake in the UK, and the original ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ did not travel outside of the US. Therefore, these two recordings of the same song could have both feasibly co-existed as hit records in different territories in the pre-Internet age.
However, Jones would never record a song just because he felt like it would be a hit; it needed to be of artistic merit. Therefore, while he allowed himself to perform it at concerts, he stopped short of heading to the studio.
Jones explained of his decision: “And he said, ‘Yes, but you could make a pop record out of it.’ I said, ‘I don’t think so. This is perfect the way George Jones has done it.’ And I love it. I used to do it myself on stage, it’s a beautiful, touching song.”
If Jones had recorded ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’, it perhaps would have become more widely known worldwide and become a mainstream hit. But the original country version had something within it that he could never recreate. With that in mind, he admirably, instinctively knew a watered-down commercial version of the track would have been an act of artistic disservice.
