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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 six Top 40 hits the Supremes recorded after its original frontwoman, Diana Ross, left the act for a solo career.
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 a large analog synthesizer to take the Funk Brothers' backing tracks for "Nathan Jones" and give them a phase shifting sound at various points during the song. 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. Bananarama version "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 for the Rain Man soundtrack. It was then remixed for their Greatest Hits Collection. They released this third version as a single, which peaked at number fifteen in 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. Supremes version Supremes version Bananarama version | ||||||||
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