Tom Jones Announces New Album Surrounded by Time and Shares New Video for “No Hole In My Head”

Pop-star-turned-rocker Tom Jones released a music video for his latest song, “No Hole In My Head,” a Malvina Reynolds cover. The track is set to join 11 others for Jones’ upcoming covers record Surrounded by Time on April 23. Digital pre-orders are now available via S-Curve Records/BMG.

On “No Hole In My Head,” Jones turns Reynolds’ 1970 folk song into a psychedelic rock tune, complete with sitar and ‘60s-style organ playing. He changes the rhythm of the song as well, from an old-time folk-blues strumming pattern to a much punchy, steady rhythm. Of course, the main element he keeps from the original are Reynolds’ strong-minded lyrics, “Everybody thinks my head’s full of nothin’/They wanna put their own special stuff in/Fill up the space with candy wrappers/Keep out sex and revolution/But there’s no hole in my head/Too bad.”

The video is set in the intimidating confines of a police station’s interrogation room. Tom Jones and several others get their mug shots taken before ending up in the room, where they lip-sync the lyrics to a figure whose head has been completely wrapped in bandages. As they try to fill the figure’s mind with their words, light slips in through the cracks in the blinds behind them and a red light keeps passing over them.

Jones commented on the message of the song, “This song is powerful at any age. It’s about having confidence in who you are. Particularly during this time of a pervasive, boundless media that can wield so much influence, it’s more important than ever to know and be strong in your own self.”

It’s the second single released from the album after an equally loose cover of a Todd Snider song, “Talking Reality Television Blues.” All of the songs on the album are reimagined in some way, but were chosen because they all have had a sizable impact on Jones throughout his long career.

Surrounded By Time Tracklist:

1. I Won’t Crumble With You If You Fall (Bernice Johnson Reagon)
2. The Windmills Of Your Mind (Michel Legrand/Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
3. Popstar (Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam)
4. No Hole In My Head (Malvina Reynolds)
5. Talking Reality Television Blues (Todd Snider)
6. I Won’t Lie (Michael Kiwanuka & Paul Butler)
7. This is the Sea (Michael Scott)
8. One More Cup Of Coffee (Bob Dylan)
9. Samson And Delilah (Tom Jones, Ethan Johns, Mark Woodward)
10. Old Mother Earth (Tony Joe White)
11. I’m Growing Old (Bobby Cole)
12. Lazurus Man (Terry Callier)

Photo credit: Boston Lynn Schulz