Me and Mrs. Jones

"Me and Mrs. Jones"
Single by Billy Paul
from the album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul
B-side "Your Song"
Released October 1972 (1972-10)
Format 7-inch single
Genre Soul
Length 4:42
Label Philadelphia International
Songwriter(s) Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Cary Gilbert
Producer(s) Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff
Billy Paul singles chronology
"This is Your Life"
(1972)		 "Me and Mrs. Jones"
(1972)		 "Am I Black Enough for You?"
(1973)

"Me and Mrs. Jones" is a 1972 soul song written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert, and originally recorded by Billy Paul. It describes an extramarital affair between a man and his lover, Mrs. Jones. In the song, the two meet in secret "every day at the same cafe", where they hold hands and talk. The two are caught in a quandary: "we both know that it's wrong/but it's much too strong/to let it go now".

Billy Paul version

"Me and Mrs. Jones" was a #1 single originally performed by Billy Paul, recorded and released in 1972 on CBS Records' Philadelphia International imprint. The single, included on the album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul, was written by Cary 'Hippy' Gilbert, Kenny Gamble, and Leon Huff.

The single became Paul's only #1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at that position for three weeks in December 1972. "Me and Mrs. Jones" also achieved this feat on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, remaining at the top position for four weeks.[1] On the Hot 100, it replaced "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy and was replaced by Carly Simon's "You're So Vain". It also hit #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. For two weeks - 3rd-10th February 1973 - it peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]

The radio edit versions were shorter, omitting the second verse, as well as shortening the coda. The video clip of this song features Billy Paul playing piano in a recording session, while accompanied by dancers.[3]

Chart history

Michael Bublé version

"Me and Mrs. Jones"
Single by Michael Bublé featuring Emily Blunt
from the album Call Me Irresponsible
Released September 3, 2007 (2007-09-03)
Format CD single, Digital download
Recorded 2007
Genre Big Band
Length 4:33 (album version)
Label 143, Reprise
Songwriter(s) Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Cary Gilbert
Michael Bublé featuring Emily Blunt singles chronology
"Everything"
(2007)		 "Me and Mrs. Jones"
(2007)		 "Lost"
(2007)

"Me and Mrs. Jones" was recorded in 2007 by Canadian crooner Michael Bublé and released as the second single from his third major-label studio album, Call Me Irresponsible. The song is a collaboration with Bublé's then-girlfriend, Emily Blunt, who appears at the end of the track to perform the final verse.

Background

Bublé's version of "Me and Mrs. Jones" was well received by critics, with Okayplayer stating; "he skillfully portrays the pain of this song’s affair and his take on the final verse could stand with anyone else’s." The single was also promoted by its performance during Bublé's AOL Sessions performances.[13] The track has also been performed at many of his concerts. Due to his break-up with then-girlfriend Emily Blunt shortly before the release of the single, the release was cancelled, the physical single pulled, and little or no promotion for the song was undertaken. Thus, "Me and Mrs. Jones" was not eligible to chart in any major music charts; however, it did chart in Switzerland due to strong downloads from the album.[14]

A short promotional music video was first broadcast on French television during April 2007. The clip alternates between scenes of Bublé performing by the window, in the dark, as it rains, used in the official music video, and scenes of a blonde woman during a day at the beach, horseback riding and watching the sunset as the clip ends.[15] The official music video was first broadcast during July 2007. It consists mainly of the scenes Bublé standing performing by the window, as seen in the French promotional clip. Some scenes show a brunette woman, representing "Mrs. Jones". Some shots from the promotional video of "Lost" were also used, particularly the ones where Bublé is sitting on a white bed. The video was directed by Sean Turrell.[16]

Track listing

  • UK CD single #1 (Withdrawn)
  1. "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Album Version) - 4:33
  2. "It's All in the Game" - 2:36
  • UK CD single #2 (Withdrawn)
  1. "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Album Version) - 4:33
  2. "Dream a Little Dream" - 3:08
  3. "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Live Version) - 4:48

Chart performance

Chart Peak
position
Brazilian Singles Chart (ABPD)[17] 86
Swiss Music Charts 68

Other notable versions

  • A recording by the 1970s group the Dramatics peaked at No. 47 on the pop chart and No. 4 on the R&B chart in 1974.[18]
  • The song was also recorded by Taufik Batisah on his debut album in 2004.

In film and television

See also

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 452.
  2. ↑ The Guinness Book of Top 40 Charts, second edition, 1996
  3. ↑ "Billy Paul. Me And Mrs Jones. Original Video". YouTube. 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  4. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (doc)|format= requires |url= (help). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1973-02-03. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
  6. ↑ Flavour of New Zealand, 5 March 1973
  7. ↑ https://tsort.info/music/yr1973.htm
  8. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  9. ↑ "Billy Paul Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  10. ↑ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 30, 1973
  11. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  12. ↑ Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1973
  13. ↑ "'Me and Mrs. Jones' (AOL Sessions) Video by Michael Buble - AOL Music". Music.aol.com. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  14. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Michael Bublé - Me And Mrs Jones". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  15. ↑ "Michael Buble Mrs Jones - Vidéo Dailymotion". Dailymotion.com. 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  16. ↑ v16513256hyk5dFQ3 Archived July 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ "Brazil" (PDF). ABPD. October 6, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  18. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 172.
  19. ↑ O'Sullivan, Charlotte (6 December 2002). "Will the Real Mrs Jones Stand Up". The Independent. London.
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