Nathan Jones (song)
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| “Nathan Jones” | |||||
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| Single by The Supremes from the album Touch |
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| Released | April 15, 1971 | ||||
| Format | 7" single | ||||
| Recorded | Hitsville USA (Studio A): December 17, 1970 | ||||
| Genre | Soul/pop | ||||
| Length | 3:04 | ||||
| Label | Motown M 1182 |
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| Writer(s) | Leonard Caston Kathy Wakefield |
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| Producer | Frank Wilson | ||||
| The Supremes singles chronology | |||||
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"Nathan Jones" is a hit single recorded by The Supremes, and released in spring 1971 (see 1971 in music) on the Motown label. Produced by Frank Wilson and written by Leonard Caston and Kathy Wakefield, "Nathan Jones" was one of eight Top 40 hits the Supremes recorded after its original frontwoman, Diana Ross, left the act for a solo career.
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[edit] Overview
[edit] Supremes version
The song centers around a woman's longing for her former lover, a man named Nathan Jones, who left her nearly a year ago "to ease [his] mind." Suffering through the long separation ("Winter's past, spring, and fall") without any contact or communication between herself and Jones, the narrator is no longer in love with Jones, remarking that "Nathan Jones/you've been gone too long".
"Nathan Jones" is an unusual entry among the Supremes' singles repertoire for several reasons, the least of which is the fact that all three members of the group (Jean Terrell, Mary Wilson, and Cindy Birdsong) sing the song's lead vocal in unison. While working on the song, producer Frank Wilson had in mind a rock music style of phrasing for the song, resulting in the unison vocals. In addition, Wilson had his engineer, Cal Harris, use what can (now) be considered classic studio sensibilities to take the Funk Brothers' backing tracks for "Nathan Jones" and give them a phase shifting sound at various points during the song. This was accomplished by either using a second recorder (as the Beatles would have done) or (less likely) an outboard processor such as the blue faced MXR flanger.
Released as a single on April 15, 1971 with "Happy is a Bumpy Road" as the B-side, "Nathan Jones" peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, number-eight on the Billboard R&B chart, and number-five on the UK Singles Chart. "Nathan Jones" was the most successful single released from the Supremes' fourteenth regular studio album, Touch.
[edit] Bananarama version
| “Nathan Jones” | |||||
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| Single by Bananarama from the album Wow! |
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| Released | November 1988 | ||||
| Format | 7" single, 12" single, CD single | ||||
| Recorded | August 1988 | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 3:19 | ||||
| Label | London NANX 18 |
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| Writer(s) | Leonard Caston Kathy Wakefield |
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| Producer | Stock Aitken Waterman | ||||
| Bananarama singles chronology | |||||
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"Nathan Jones" was covered by British girl group Bananarama. They first recorded it on their 1987 album Wow! with their original line-up. Some of the vocals were sampled on their "I Heard a Rumour" B-side song "Clean Cut Boy".
After Siobhan Fahey was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan, Bananarama re-recorded the song (with completely new vocal and instrumental arrangements) for the Rain Man soundtrack. This new version was also included on their Greatest Hits Collection. It was then remixed and released as a single, peaking at number fifteen on the UK singles chart.
The music video featured the girls performing the song in large sun hats and dresses as they dance vogue-style with several male dancers dressed in British-style suits, hats, and umbrellas. The video was nominated for best music video at the BRIT Awards, but lost to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal.
[edit] Credits
[edit] Supremes version
- Lead and background vocals by Jean Terrell, Mary Wilson, and Cindy Birdsong
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
- Arranged by Jerry Long and David Van DePitte
- Engineering by Cal Harris
- Mixed By Russ Terrana
[edit] Charts
[edit] Supremes version
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
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| US Billboard Hot 100 | 16 |
| US Billboard R&B singles | 8 |
| UK Singles chart | 5 |
[edit] Bananarama version
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
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| UK Singles Chart | 15 |
| Australian Music Report singles | 61 |
| New Zealand singles | 22 |
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