Me and Mrs. Jones

"Me and Mrs. Jones" is a soul song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. It describes an extramarital affair between a man and his lover, Mrs. Jones. It has been recorded by Billy Paul and Michael Bublé, amongst others.

Billy Paul version

"Me and Mrs. Jones" was a number-one 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 Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. It describes an extramarital affair between a man and his lover, Mrs. Jones.

The single became Paul's only number-one single on the 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 number-one position for four weeks.^[1] It replaced "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy and was replaced by Carly Simon's "You're So Vain".

During the song's intro, the saxophone plays the first line of "Secret Love," a song made popular by Doris Day in 1954.

Michael Bublé version

"Me and Mrs. Jones" is the second single to be released from Call Me Irresponsible, Michael Bublé's third album. The song was a collaboration with Bublé's then-girlfriend, Emily Blunt, who appears at the end of the song singing minor backing vocals. "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." Additionally, the song was promoted by its performance during some AOL Sessions.^[2] It has also been performed at many of his concerts, promoting new material. Since it is believed that the single was cancelled soon after its release, and there was little to no promotion for the song, "Me and Mrs. Jones" was not eligible to chart in any major music charts. However, it did chart in Switzerland.^[3]

Tracklisting

1. "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Album Version) - 4:33

Music video

A short promotional music clip was broadcast on French television in 2007. The clip alternates between scenes of Bublé singing 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.^[4] The official music video was broadcast during the summer of 2007. It consists mainly of Bublé standing in front of a window singing the song, as seen in the French promotional clip. Some scenes show a brunette woman, representing "Mrs. Jones". Some shots from the promotional videos of "Lost" were used, particularly the ones where he sits on a white bed.^[5]

Chart performance

Other notable recordings

A cover of the song was also a hit for the 1970s group The Dramatics. Their version peaked at #47 on the pop charts and #4 on the R&B charts in 1974.^[6]

It has also been covered by Andy Abraham, George Huff, Head, Sarah Jane Morris, Johnny Mathis, Hall & Oates, the experimental rock band Sun City Girls, Amii Stewart, the soul band Tower of Power and François Pérusse (a parody version named Guy A Un Bicycle Jaune).

The song was comically inverted by Sandra Bernhard into a lesbian scenario on her 1987 live album and subsequent film Without You I'm Nothing.

This song was recorded by Freddie Jackson in 1992. Coolio recorded a version on his album Gangsta's Paradise, entitled "A Thing Goin' On".

Bobby Brown sampled the song in his first #1 solo hit, "Girlfriend", in 1986.

Cross platform supergroup Tower Of Power also released a cover version on their "Great American Soulbook" album in 2009.

Patrick Stump has played this song on a few nights of his tour during a piano solo.

See also

• R&B number-one hits of 1972 (USA)
• List of number-one R&B hits (United States)

References