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"Nathan Jones"
Single by The Supremes from the album Touch
Released	April 15, 1971
Format	7" single
Recorded	Hitsville USA (Studio A): December 17, 1970
Genre	Soul/pop
Length	3:04
Label	Motown M 1182
Writer	Leonard Caston Kathy Wakefield
Producer	Frank Wilson
The Supremes singles chronology
"River Deep - Mountain High" (with Four Tops) (1970) "Nathan Jones" (1971) "You Gotta Have Love in Your Heart" (with Four Tops) (1971)

"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 eight Top 40 hits the Supremes recorded after its original frontwoman, Diana Ross, left the act for a solo career.

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Supremes version 1.2 Bananarama version 2 Credits 2.1 Supremes version 3 Charts 3.1 Supremes version 3.2 Bananarama version 4 External links

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 what can (now) be considered classic studio sensibilities to take the Funk Brothers' backing tracks for "Nathan Jones" and give them a phase shifting sound at various points during the song. This was accomplished by either using a second recorder (as the Beatles would have done) or (less likely) an outboard processor such as the blue faced MXR flanger.

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.

"Nathan Jones"
Single by Bananarama from the album Wow!
Released	November 1988
Format	7" single, 12" single, CD single
Recorded	August 1988
Genre	Pop
Length	3:19
Label	London NANX 18
Writer	Leonard Caston Kathy Wakefield
Producer	Stock Aitken Waterman
Bananarama singles chronology
"Love, Truth and Honesty" (1988) "Nathan Jones" (1988) "Help!" (1989)

"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 (with completely new vocal and instrumental arrangements) for the Rain Man soundtrack. This new version was also included on their Greatest Hits Collection. It was then remixed and released as a single, peaking at number fifteen on 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.

• Lead and background vocals by Jean Terrell, Mary Wilson, and Cindy Birdsong
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
• Arranged by Jerry Long and David Van DePitte
• Engineering by Cal Harris
• Mixed By Russ Terrana

Chart (1971)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	16
US Billboard R&B singles	8
UK Singles chart	5

Chart (1988)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	15
Australia ARIA singles	61
New Zealand singles	22

Youtube Video - Former Motown employees Russ & Ralph Terrana discuss the mixing of Nathan Jones

v • d • e Bananarama
Sara Dallin | Keren Woodward Siobhan Fahey | Jacquie O'Sullivan
Discography
Studio albums: Deep Sea Skiving | Bananarama | True Confessions | Wow! | Pop Life | Please Yourself | Ultra Violet / I Found Love | Exotica | Drama Compilations: Greatest Hits Collection | Greatest Remixes Collection | Bunch of Hits | Master Series | The Essentials | The Very Best of Bananarama | Venus and Other Hits | Really Saying Something: The Platinum Collection | The Twelve Inches of Bananarama | Greatest Hits and More More More Singles: Aie a Mwana | T'ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It) | Really Saying Something | Shy Boy | Cheers Then | He's Got Tact | Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye | Cruel Summer | Robert DeNiro's Waiting | Rough Justice | King of the Jungle | Hot Line to Heaven | The Wild Life | Do Not Disturb | Venus | More Than Physical | A Trick of the Night | Set on You | I Heard a Rumour | Love in the First Degree | I Can't Help It | I Want You Back | The Bananarama Mega-Mix | Love, Truth and Honesty | Nathan Jones | Help! | Cruel Summer '89 | Megarama '89 | Only Your Love | Preacher Man | Long Train Running | Tripping on Your Love | Movin' On | Last Thing on My Mind | More, More, More | I Found Love | Every Shade of Blue | Take Me to Your Heart | Careless Whisper | If | Really Saying Something (Solasso Remix) | Move in My Direction | Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango)
Video compilations: And That's Not All... | Video Singles | The Greatest Hits Collection
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Jolley & Swain | Stock Aitken Waterman