About the song
For decades, the friendship between Sir Tom Jones and Elvis Presley has fascinated fans around the world. Both were charismatic performers with powerful voices, dominating stages and hearts across the 1960s and 1970s. Though their careers followed different paths—Elvis as the King of Rock and Roll, Tom as the proud Welshman who became an international sensation—the two shared a bond built on mutual respect, admiration, and an unspoken brotherhood. Now, at 85, Tom Jones has finally opened up, telling the truth about Elvis Presley in a way he has never done before.
Tom Jones first met Elvis in 1965 in Hollywood, a moment he describes as unforgettable. At the time, Tom was a rising star, just beginning to make waves with “It’s Not Unusual.” Elvis, already a global phenomenon, welcomed him not as a competitor but as a friend. According to Tom, their first meeting turned into an all-night jam session filled with laughter, music, and a surprising lack of ego. “Elvis wanted to sing my songs, and I wanted to sing his,” Tom recalled. “We were just two guys who loved music.”
Over the years, Tom became one of the few people who truly saw Elvis beyond the glittering costumes and screaming fans. In his recent interview, Tom admitted that Elvis carried a heavy burden—he was adored by millions, yet deeply lonely. “People think he had it all,” Tom revealed. “But Elvis wanted a normal life sometimes. He wanted real conversations, real friends. He could laugh like nobody else, but there was always something behind his eyes—like he was carrying the weight of the world.”
Tom also addressed one of the most painful truths: Elvis’s decline in the 1970s. As his health worsened and the pressures of fame intensified, Tom said he often tried to encourage his friend to take better care of himself. “I told him, ‘You don’t need all this medication, you need rest and peace,’” Tom admitted. “But Elvis was trapped in a cycle—his schedule, his management, his expectations. It broke my heart to see him fading.”
Perhaps the most surprising revelation was Tom’s admission that he still feels Elvis’s presence today. “I dream about him sometimes,” he confessed. “It’s like he’s still with me, still laughing, still singing. Elvis wasn’t just the King—he was my friend, and losing him was like losing a brother.”
Fans have long speculated about rivalries between the two, but Tom dismissed those rumors once and for all. “There was no competition,” he said firmly. “Elvis was Elvis. Nobody could touch him. I was proud just to stand beside him.”
At 85, Tom Jones’s reflections are more than memories—they are a final testimony to a friendship that shaped both men. By telling the truth about Elvis, Tom gives the world a glimpse of the man behind the myth: vulnerable, funny, kind, and human.
Elvis Presley may be gone, but through the eyes of his friend Tom Jones, his spirit continues to live on—not just as the King of Rock and Roll, but as a man who gave his heart to music and to those who loved him.
