Song 135 - Loving arms - Tom Jans

Some of you are probably looking at this song choice and going who? Tom Jans was an American singer-songwriter from San Jose, California. To be honest with you, up until I did the research for this song, I wouldn't have been able to tell you who Tom Jans was, but I have loved his song Loving Arms since I heard it being performed by The Beautiful South on Later with Jools Holland. If I had been asked a week ago, who wrote this track, I probably would have said the Dixie Chicks!

Tom Jans started his music career by playing coffee-houses in San Francisco where he was introduced to Mimi Farina by Joan Baez. Farina and Jans formed a duo and became a support act for Cat Stevens and James Taylor. They recorded one album together, Take Heart, but unfortunately hardly anyone noticed it and the duo spilt. From there, Jans moved to Nashvillie to become a songwriter for the publishing house Irving/Almo. Loving Arms was Jans' first hit as a writer and the song was initially recorded by Dobie Gray and then Elvis Presley in 1973.

Jans did try and launch his own album with his own songs; but his solo albums were not as successful as this song that so many artists have covered. I think this is the beauty of the arts, that sometimes it is the unknown heroes that create some of the most beautiful songs in the world.

 If it wasn't for the Beautiful South, I wouldn't have heard this song and for years I didn't have a recording of this song. However, when Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot reformed and release their album What have we become?, the last track of the Album was Loving arms and some how a missing part of my music collection was complete.

To hear different versions of the song,

Elvis from his Good Times Album, 1973
Loving arms

Dixie Chicks from Wide Open Spaces, 1998
Loving arms

Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott from What have we become, 2014
Loving Arms

Tom Jans from Best of Tom, 1970-1972

Loving arms