It’s always a special night when Tom Jones makes time for a duet on The Voice UK! Tiger dropped another fan-favorite duet when he teamed up with Anne-Marie for Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.” Jones loves to sing the classics like this ‘61 hit, and it’s no secret as to why, as his sonorous baritone is just made for it. He instantly got the judges and crowd clapping and grooving along as soon as he kicked into the opening verse.
Anne-Marie added some serious soul of her own when she sang the first hook, delivering a delicious croon while performing a vocal interplay with Tiger. The Welsh hitmaker and Anne-Marie then traded cheeky lines after she got out of her chair to create a more intimate moment, which perfectly matched the lyrics of “Stand By Me.” The Music Man is confident in saying that sometimes no-frills, feel-good duets like this make for the best performances!
Tiger and Anne-Marie’s “Stand By Me” duet really hit the spot for The Voice viewers, who tuned in three million times on YouTube. Fans gave some love below the video, adding comments such as “Sir Tom could sing the yellow pages and make it sound amazing! The man is 83 and can still show up anyone on this show! The greatest!” and “Anne-Marie has such a beautiful voice, she’s lovely and Tom still has such a strong, powerful voice. Do more duets PLEASE!”
Whoever had the idea of getting Tom Jones on as a judge on The Voice is a genius, as his performances created many of the best moments on the show in recent years. Another highlight from Tiger came when he sang a duet with Jennifer Hudson on James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” From Hudson’s first note as she was finding the key, it was clear that this duet was going to pop off big time. It’s rare to hear a singer who can go toe to toe in the soul department with Jones, but J.Hud was def up for the job!
Ben E. King issued “Stand By Me” all the way back in 1961. King wrote the song with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. However, he did note that the title was inspired by a spiritual called “Stand by Me Father,” which was penned by Sam Cooke and J. W. Alexander. The Music Man readers probably won’t be surprised to hear that “Stand By Me” has been covered by hundreds of artists. Broadcast Music Inc. reported that the song had been broadcast more than seven million times on American radio and television, making it the fourth most-played song of the 20th century.