Tom Jones has been on the stage for years (Image: Getty)
When it comes to singing legends, itâs fair to say that Sir Tom Jones is up there with some of the best.
He may have hit the scene in the â60s but the Pontpridd-born singer, now 84, is still belting out the classics as good as ever before. The singer, from Wales, is also still a respected judge on ITVâs The Voice.
But even though he has a number of hits under his belt â like Green, Green Grass of Home, Sex Bomb and Sheâs A Lady â when it comes to his personal favourites, you may be a little surprised.
The topic formerly came up on Reddit when a social media user posted about stars opening up about their favourite Bob Dylan songs. Sir Tom featured in the line-up and it turns out heâs a big fan.
âI wasnât struck by Dylanâs voice at first,â Sir Tom told The Guardian. âBut then I heard âBlowinâ in the Windâ, and Iâve been a fan ever since. The lyrics are fantastic. Heâs basically asking, âHow many times do we have to go through all this s**t before we realise that weâre f***ing up the world?'â
During the interview, Sir Tom also hinted that the track makes it within the list of his all-time favourites â especially when it comes to songwriting. He added: âHe paints pictures with his songs so you can see things happening.
âWhat good am I if I just stand by and let things happen that I know I should be changing? He was the first singer-songwriter to make me think.â
It seems Sir Tom has always remained quite a big fan of Dylanâs work over the years too, even though his own singing styles are more conventional. Back in 2010, he covered Dylanâs 1989 song âWhat Good Am Iâ, and it formed a part of his album, Praise & Blame.
As well as this, in 2021, he recorded a version of âOne More Cup of Coffeeâ for his album Surrounded By Time.
Blowinâ In The Wind (1963)
âBlowinâ in the Windâ was written by Bob Dylan in 1962, and was released as a single as a part of his album, The Freewheelinâ Bob Dylan, in 1963. Itâs often dubbed a âprotest songâ as it asks a variety of rhetorical questions about peace, war and freedom.
In 1994, the song was actually added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. Then, 10 years later, it was also ranked number 14 on Rolling Stone magazineâs list of the â500 Greatest Songs of All Timeâ.
Even though it didnât make the charts when it was first released, it was very popular on radio stations. In fact, it got to number three in France on the airplay chart.
However, in 1963, Peter, Paul and Mary also released a cover of the song, which dropped three weeks after Dylanâs album. This version became the most commercially successful, as it managed to reach number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and also held the top spot on the Middle-Road charts for five weeks.