“Sexbomb” by Tom Jones (ft. Mousse T)

From the onset of “Sexbomb”, we find Mr. Jones, via the usage of pretty-basic metaphors, coming off as if he is hot and sensually excited. One of the first things that really jumps out about these lyrics is him looking forward to the addressee, the apple of his eye, putting up a “fight” in the process of him doing this thing. To be honest, this is the type of assertion that would likely be frowned upon now in the 2020s.

But the vocalist clarifies later on that actually doing “harm” to the addressee is about the last thing on his mind. Instead, what Tom is basically putting forth is her being the only one who can float his boat. 

Therefore, since he is in the mood, he really has no choice but to aim his sexual aggression, if you will, towards her.

But alas, all of that said, to note it is not he who is the titular “sex bomb”. Instead, that title is being granted upon the addressee. And even though it never appears to be stated forthrightly, the implication is that when she does do him, she does him well. Or if such is not the case, i.e. them already sharing an edifying sexual history, then in any event Tom clearly perceives the prospect of doing it with her as one he will certainly not regret.

Tom Jones

Tom Jones is of course the legendary and unique Welsh singer who has been in the game since the mid-1960s. It can be said that his heyday was during the 1960s and 70s, though Tom did sell a considerable amount of records during the 1990s. Moreover his most-recent LP, 2021’s “Surrounded by Time”, actually topped the UK Albums Chart.

It was also during the 1990s that another of his four UK Albums Chart toppers, “Reload”, came out via V2 Records. (And just to note, the other two would be 1968’s “Delilah” and 1975’s “20 Greatest Hits”.) 

It is from that outing that we get “Sex Bomb”.

Release of “Sexbomb”

“Sexbomb” has an official release date of September 9th, 1999. It was released Reload‘s second single. Upon release, “Sexbomb” quickly encountered massive success. It actually is one of Jones’ most successful songs.

It charted in a many countries and reached number one on a handful of them, including on the Eurochart Hot 100. It also peaked at number 2 on the UK Indie Chart and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart proper. In addition to this, a few years down the line, it popped up on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs list stateside.

Credits

The featured artist on “Sexbomb” is Mousse T. Mousse is a German musician of Turkish origins. He co-wrote and co-produced this track. 

He achieved the former task alongside Errol Rennalls. Tom Jones isn’t a credited writer of “Sexbomb”. This simply means he played no role in writing this song. And this is despite the song being one of his most well-known songs.

FYI:

Mousse T. has been active since the late 1980s, and to note, this track stands as the most all-around successful in his discography and his only collaboration with Tom Jones to date.

Tom Jones’ “Reload”

“Reload” is the 34th studio album released by Welsh singer, Tom Jones. It was officially released on September 16 of 1999. It consists mainly of cover versions of pop and rock songs with a total track listing of 17.

The album is responsible for Jones’ hit single, “Sexbomb.” This song happens to be the only original song listed on “Reload”.

The album was recorded between 1998 and 1999 with a number of renowned record producers including Guy Holmes and Mark Woodward teaming up to produce it.

Two record labels, Gut Records and V2 Records located in the UK and the US respectively were the record labels through which the album got into the public domain.

With a total runtime of 62 minutes and 39 seconds, “Reload,” became the Welsh singer’s most successful album. It peaked at the apex of the UK’s OCC as well as the Sverigetopplistan in Sweden. “Reload” was a top-10 album in the following counties:

• Australia (3)
• France (9)
• Norway (6)
• New Zealand (4)
• Ireland (2)

Since its 1999 release, it has sold over 1.5 million copies in the UK alone, with global sales exceeding 4 million copies. The album is currently platinum in Europe, courtesy, IFPI. It has also been certified 4x platinum in the UK, 2x platinum in Italy, Spain as well as Australia. Furthermore, it has received platinum certifications in Austria, New Zealand, Netherlands, Sweden and Germany.