Peak
1
Weeks
16
Score
3,693
Chart Year
1972
///
This song is about marital infidelity. The couple meets at the same time and place every day, but must be careful not to arouse the suspicions of their partners. It's somewhat rare in the sense that it's told from the point of view of the people doing the cheating. A hint about this song's subject matter is cleverly "hidden" in its intro: the saxophone is playing the first line from a 1953 Doris Day hit entitled "Secret Love," which won the Oscar for Best Original Song (Day sang it in the movie Calamity Jane). >> This was written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Carey Gilbert. Gamble and Huff formed a famous songwriting team that helped define the Philadelphia Soul sound of the '70s. Gilbert, also known as "Hippy," is a lyricist who often teamed with Gamble and Huff, and worked on hits for The O'Jays, Lou Rawls and many others. Kenny Gamble explained to National Public Radio in 2008 that he and Huff got the idea for the song from trips to a little bar downstairs in the Schubert Building, which was where their record company was located. Said Gamble: "This guy used to come into the bar every day - little guy that looked like a judge. We're songwriters, so we're always thinking about a song. The next day he came in again, and every day after he'd come in, this girl would come in 10-15 minutes after he'd get there, and they'd sit in the same booth, then go to the jukebox and play the same songs. We said, 'That's me and Mrs. Jones.' Then, when they'd get ready to leave, he would go his way and she would go hers. It could have been his daughter, his niece, anybody, but we created a story that there was some kind of romantic connection between these people, so we went upstairs to our office and wrote the song." The song came to life after Billy Paul took it with him on vacation and came back to deliver the powerful, emotive vocals that many people could relate to. This was released on Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International records. 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul was his first release on the label. The female backing singers on this one were Carla Benson, Evette Benton and Barbara Ingram. Known as "The Sweethearts Of Sigma" or just "The Sweeties," they sang on many of the recordings that took place at Sigma Sound Studios, where this song was recorded. When this hit #1 on December 16, 1972, it knocked Helen Reddy's female-empowerment anthem "I Am Woman" out of the top spot. The Dramatics took this song to #47 in 1975; in 2007, Michael Bublé included it on his album Call Me Irresponsible. After Billy Paul died on April 24, 2016, the Gamble and Huff team released a statement saying, "Our proudest moment with Billy was the recording of the salacious smash 'Me and Mrs. Jones.' In our view, it is one of the greatest love songs ever recorded. Billy was one of the first artists to help launch the PIR/TSOP brand, and he will forever have a special place in music history." The Dramatics version was used in the 2001 romantic comedy Bridget Jones's Diary, starring Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant. The B-side of the single was a cover of Elton John's "Your Song."
Me and Mrs. Jones We got a thing goin' on We both know that it's wrong But it's much too strong To let it go now We meet every day at the same café Six-thirty and no one knows she'll be there Holding hands, making all kinds of plans While the jukebox plays our favorite songs Me and Mrs., Mrs. Jones Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones We got a thing goin' on We both know that it's wrong But it's much too strong To let it go now We gotta be extra careful That we don't build our hopes up too high 'Cause she's got her own obligations And so, and so do I Me and Mrs., Mrs. Jones Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones We got a thing goin' on We both know that it's wrong But it's much too strong To let it go now Well, it's time for us to be leaving It hurts so much, it hurts so much inside Now she'll go her way and I'll go mine Tomorrow we'll meet The same place, the same time Me and Mrs., Mrs. Jones Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones We got a thing goin' on (thing) We gotta be extra careful (goin' on) We can't afford to build our hopes up too high I wanna meet (thing) and talk with you At the same place (goin' on), the same café, the same time And we gonna hold hands like we used to We gonna talk it over, talk it over (Thing) we know, they know (goin' on), and you know And I know that it was wrong But our thing is strong, we gotta let 'em know now That we got a thing going on, a thing going on Writer/s: Cary Grant Gilbert, Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 4, 1972 | 74 | 52 |
| 2 | Nov 11, 1972 | 48 | 78 |
| 3 | Nov 18, 1972 | 39 | 87 |
| 4 | Nov 25, 1972 | 23 | 103 |
| 5 | Dec 2, 1972 | 13 | 113 |
| 6 | Dec 9, 1972 | 6 | 120 |
| 7 | Dec 16, 1972 | 1 | 125 |
| 8 | Dec 23, 1972 | 1 | 125 |
| 9 | Dec 30, 1972 | 1 | 125 |
| 10 | Jan 6, 1973 | 3 | 123 |
| 11 | Jan 13, 1973 | 3 | 123 |
| 12 | Jan 20, 1973 | 3 | 123 |
| 13 | Jan 27, 1973 | 6 | 120 |
| 14 | Feb 3, 1973 | 11 | 115 |
| 15 | Feb 10, 1973 | 20 | 106 |
| 16 | Feb 17, 1973 | 31 | 95 |