About the song
At 85, Sir Tom Jones has seen it all — fame, heartbreak, and the headlines that refused to let him live in peace. But in his new memoir, Over the Top and Back, the Welsh legend made a deliberate choice: to leave out the stories of his alleged affairs that once dominated tabloids for decades.
“I didn’t want to write a tell-all,” Tom explained in a candid BBC interview. “That’s not what my life or music has been about. People have written plenty about that already — most of it exaggerated.” Instead, Jones chose to focus on his career, his love for music, and his late wife Linda, the woman he described as “the one constant in a whirlwind life.”
For years, Tom Jones was one of the most magnetic performers on the planet — a man whose raw voice and smoldering charisma captivated audiences from Las Vegas to London. Yet his personal life became just as famous, filled with rumors of romantic escapades and alleged flings with Hollywood icons. He acknowledges that side of his past, but says the obsession with it has always overshadowed what mattered most.
“I loved Linda since I was twelve years old,” he said softly. “She was my anchor. I’ve made mistakes, but I don’t need to relive them in a book. I wanted to write something that honored her — not something that reopened wounds.”
Close friend and producer Ethan Johns, who worked with Jones on his later albums, supported that decision. “Tom’s not hiding anything,” Johns told The Guardian. “He’s a man who’s lived through incredible highs and lows. What he’s doing now is telling his truth — the truth that really matters to him. Music, love, loss, and legacy.”
That sense of legacy looms large throughout the memoir. From growing up in the coal-mining valleys of South Wales to performing for royalty and selling more than 100 million records, Jones’s journey is a testament to endurance. But his story also carries deep personal pain. When Linda passed away in 2016, after 59 years of marriage, Tom said he was “completely lost.” Writing the book, he admits, became a form of healing.
“I used to think about quitting after Linda died,” he said. “But she told me, before she went, ‘You’ve got to keep singing. That’s who you are.’ So I did.”
Jones also hopes the memoir serves as a reminder that behind every legend is a human being — flawed, emotional, still searching for meaning. “The tabloids had their fun,” he laughed. “But the real story isn’t about scandal. It’s about survival.”
Today, Sir Tom continues to perform to sold-out crowds, his voice still rich and defiant. When asked if he ever regrets not addressing the affairs directly, he smiles. “No. People will believe what they want. I’d rather they listen to the songs. That’s where the truth always was.”
