Surprisingly this song was not composed by Tom Jones. It was put together by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, and it was first offered to Sandi Shaw to perform. After Jones performed what he thought was going to be a demo Shaw was so impressed that she declined to sing the song. His first time around with the song must have been just that good, because most fans will attest to the fact that its been great ever since. Tom Jones first sang this track back in the 1960’s, but for about five decades now it’s been a classic. That’s a lot of staying power for a song to be honest, and the fact that it’s still used in movies and TV shows is also impressive.
Here are a few movies in which the song shows up at one point or another.
5. Hot Shots!
The famous spoof of Top Gun and a few other far more serious films, this movie kind of helped to kick off the spoof era as more and more comedies started poking fun at other performances and movies. Charlie Sheen started to get very well known during this time and easily rode the wave of success forward as he took on a role that would allow him to show his more comedic side.
4. Mars Attacks!
The film itself was kind of ridiculous and packed with more stars than anyone had rightfully expected it to be. But being that it was a campy kind of scifi thriller it wasn’t meant to win any awards, it just had to be over the top. Mars Attacks was in fact just what people expected it to be, and didn’t raise anyone’s expectations much higher than a solid B rating. Tom Jones actually had quite a few lines in this film but didn’t sing It’s Not Unusual until the end when he was surrounded by adoring animals.
3. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
If it’s Las Vegas you’re bound to hear Tom Jones sooner or later. If Duke or Gonzo heard him it might have sounded like Rob Zombie or even The Clash for all they knew. Yeah, that much of a trip. this entire film was seemingly about one massive, prolonged, drug-induced hallucination that didn’t end for more than a couple hours or less. If they weren’t popping pills or dropping acid, Duke and Gonzo were out causing trouble and somehow not getting themselves arrested. Don’t watch this when you’re drunk or high, for your own good.
2. Home for the Holidays
The holidays are almost always chaotic. There’s always so much to do, people to see, issues to be fixed, issues to be rehashed, and so on and so forth until the new year finally comes and the mayhem dies down. At that point you get to work up to it again, but for the time you’re with loved ones for the holidays, there’s just so much that can go wrong and so much that can be said, done, or even implied that make the holidays a unique time of the year. Tom Jones can only do so much with his voice, but it might be just enough to remind people that it’s not unusual to be annoyed by anyone.
1. Edward Scissorhands
Edward would be a lot of use as a gardening assistant, or a hairdresser, or for any position that required an excessive amount of cutting. Maybe if he sterilized his blades he could even be a top notch butcher. He’s not someone you want to shake hands with though.
Tom Jones’ song It’s Not Unusual has showed up in each of these films at various spots. The track is still catchy and is being used in new and upcoming films and TV shows as well.
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