Help Yourself (Tom Jones song)
Encyclopedia
"Help Yourself" is a 1968 song performed by Tom Jones
. The song is one of Jones' best known songs and reached the top 5 in the United Kingdom in its original run. It is featured in the movie Anchorman
. The American single reached Billboard peaks of #35 pop and #3 easy listening, and is still widely played on adult-standards radio.
"Help Yourself" is a rewrite of the song "Gli Occhi Miei" which was written by Carlo Donida and originally performed by Dino and Wilma Goich at the 1968 Sanremo festival. Jack Fishman provided the English lyrics.
in character as Tony Ferrino. The track was used in the TV show, included on an album and released as a single in November 1996, reaching #42 in the UK singles chart.
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
. The song is one of Jones' best known songs and reached the top 5 in the United Kingdom in its original run. It is featured in the movie Anchorman
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, or simply Anchorman, is a 2004 American comedy film, directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell. The film, which was also written by Ferrell and McKay, is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the 1970s, particularly the then-new Action News format...
. The American single reached Billboard peaks of #35 pop and #3 easy listening, and is still widely played on adult-standards radio.
"Help Yourself" is a rewrite of the song "Gli Occhi Miei" which was written by Carlo Donida and originally performed by Dino and Wilma Goich at the 1968 Sanremo festival. Jack Fishman provided the English lyrics.
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom (Record Retailer Record Retailer Record Retailer was a trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker... ) |
5 |
| United Kingdom (NME) | 1 |
| United States (Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... ) |
35 |
| United States (Billboard Easy Listening) | 3 |
Tony Ferrino version
The song was recorded by comedian Steve CooganSteve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
in character as Tony Ferrino. The track was used in the TV show, included on an album and released as a single in November 1996, reaching #42 in the UK singles chart.
Other Cover Versions
- In 1970, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
female singer Billie Tam (蓓蕾), released a Mandarin Chinese language version with ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
lyrics written by Di Yi (狄薏) and given the title name of 夢遊人, on her 喇叭與我 (Billie And The Big Brass) LP album with EMI Angel RecordsAngel RecordsAngel Records is a record label belonging to EMI. It was formed in 1953 and specialised in classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score...
.
- In 1972, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
female singer Frances YipFrances YipFrances Yip Lai-yee is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer. She is best known for performing many of the theme songs for television series produced by TVB in the 1980s and early 1990s....
(葉麗儀) recorded it on her Frances Yip Greatest Hits LP album with Life Records.
- In 1973, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
female singer/artist Sum Sum (森森), also recorded the song in Mandarin Chinese language with ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
lyrics (different from Billie Tam's version) written by Shu Yun (舒雲) and given the title name of 我比花兒好年華, on her 春雨傘‧森森玉女團南遊專輯 LP album with EMI Regal RecordsRegal RecordingsRegal Recordings is a British record label functioning as an imprint of Parlophone.-Background:Regal Records was a British record label founded in 1914 as a subsidiary of the UK branch of Columbia Records known as Columbia Graphophone Company...
.
- Between 1972 and 1974, this song was covered by SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
-based female singer Ervinna, backing music by the Charlie & His Boys, on her LP album Golden Hits Of 20th Century Vol. 4 with White Cloud Record of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
- In 1970s this song was frequently performed by Soviet baritone singer Muslim MagomayevMuslim MagomayevMuslim Mahammad oglu Magomayev , "King of Songs" or "Soviet Sinatra" as some refer him was an iconic Soviet and Azerbaijani baritone operatic and pop singer of the 1960s and 1970s...
.
- In 1978, the song was covered by FilipinoFilipino peopleThe Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
singer Sam Sorono (1950–2008) on his Sings Tom Jones' Greatest Hits LP album with EMI RecordsEMI RecordsEMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...