💔 Two Nights After Tina Turner’s Passing, Sir Tom Jones Turns a Concert Into a Farewell. The world was still mourning when Sir Tom Jones stepped onto the Beacon Theatre stage, just two days after the loss of Tina Turner. Midway through the show, he stopped, let the lights dim, and with a heavy pause whispered: “She was fire. She was thunder. And we remember her tonight.” Then, without rehearsal or introduction, the 83-year-old legend began to sing “Addicted to Love.” His voice — raw, trembling, yet unbreakable — filled the hall. The audience froze in silence, not watching a performance but witnessing a prayer in music. When the final note hung in the air, people rose to their feet, many wiping away tears. One fan whispered, “It wasn’t a performance. It was a farewell.” That night, Tom Jones reminded us that songs can be more than entertainment. They can be a language of love and loss, a way to honor those who came before us, and a bridge between legends whose voices will echo long after they are gone.

Introduction

Tom Jones and Art Of Noise – Kiss (Official Video)

“Kiss” is a song originally written and recorded by Prince, released in 1986 as the lead single from his album Parade. Prince’s version became a global hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a Grammy Award. Its minimalist funk arrangement and falsetto vocal made it one of the most distinctive recordings of the decade.

In 1988, the British avant-garde synth-pop group The Art of Noise released a radically different interpretation of “Kiss,” featuring Tom Jones on lead vocals. This collaboration emerged from the group’s interest in deconstructing well-known songs and reimagining them through experimental production. Inviting Tom Jones—an artist known for his powerful, traditional vocal delivery—was a deliberate contrast to Prince’s original style.

Produced by Trevor Horn, the Art of Noise version stripped the song of funk elements and replaced them with heavy electronic textures, sampled orchestration, and dramatic dynamics. Tom Jones delivered the vocal with operatic force and theatrical intensity, transforming “Kiss” into something closer to a grand pop-soul performance than a dance track. The result was intentionally bold and unconventional.

The recording was released as a single and became a significant hit, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it reached the Top 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The accompanying official video further emphasized the dramatic reinterpretation, featuring stylized visuals and heightened theatricality.

“Kiss” by The Art of Noise featuring Tom Jones stands as one of the most successful and memorable cover versions of the late 1980s. It demonstrated how a song could be completely reimagined without losing its identity. The collaboration also marked an important moment in Tom Jones’s career, reinforcing his versatility and willingness to engage with contemporary and experimental music. Today, the recording remains a striking example of how artistic risk can produce enduring and influential results.

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