What Jack did for love

If Jack Jones were to woo a woman with one of his songs, what would it be?

Back in 2010 when I did an exclusive phone interview with him in L.A. during a break in the Resident Evil junket, I popped that question to Jack Jones and he said, ”Probably Lollipops and Roses because it says how you take care of a woman. It’s probably why it was my first hit because it’s very appealing to women to listen to it.”

For that interview, it was Jack himself who called on the phone in my room at Four Seasons. He was very nice, very casual and very easy to talk to, making you feel as if you’ve known each other for ages.

Last Jan. 31, I did another exclusive phone Conversation with Jack (a friendly warning: If you bump into him on a plane, don’t say, “Hi, Jack!” and risk being thrown out…joke!).  It was the start of the Chinese New Year and I asked Jack what animal he is. “I don’t know,” he wondered. “What do you think?” I checked. He’s an Ox (born on Jan. 14, 1938).

Jack will be back for Valentine concerts on Feb. 13 (Thursday) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and Feb. 14 (Friday) at the Manila Hotel.

I dialed Jack’s number and — surprise, surprise! — he was the one who answered. He was the same nice, casual and easy-to-talk-to Jack. Listen to how he kicked off the interview on a familiar note.

Hi! It’s good morning in Manila and good evening in L.A. I’m the journalist from Manila who’s supposed to have a phone interview with Mr. Jones.

“Hey, Ricky! How are you doing? It’s Jack.” (Obviously, he was told who I am by Viva Concerts guys who arranged the interview.)

Oh, it’s you! Jack, you will be in Manila for Valentine shows. How are you going to spend Valentine’s Day away from your family?

“I’m bringing my wife with me.”

How do you usually celebrate Valentine’s Day?

“Well, I’ll bring my wife to my concert at the Manila Hotel and sing to her.”

What song are you dedicating to her?

 â€œWell, there’s a song that means a lot to us, called On My Way To You, written by Allan Bergman. That’s the song that tells our story. My repertoire will include songs that the Filipinos love to hear again and again, including The Lorelei, of course.” (From our previous interview: “You know, when I first went to Manila, I had no idea that The Lorelei was a hit there. It wasn’t a hit anywhere else. When I was asked to sing it, I said, ‘No, I don’t sing that.’ And everyone kind of just froze. My drummer took me aside and told me, ‘No, you don’t understand. That’s why you’re here.’ So we took the record and studied it and scratched it out on paper and put it on the show. I was told, ‘If you don’t sing it here, something that happened to Harry Belafonte might happen to you.’ I asked, ‘What happened to Harry Belafonte?’ They said, ‘Well, Harry didn’t do Matilda, so the audience rose in protest.’ So I sang The Lorelei.”)

We’d love to hear The Lorelei and, of course, your other songs.

“We’re also doing my other songs. I have an album that is out just now. It’s called Jack Jones Live in Liverpool and we’re bringing it on the tour. We’re adding The Lorelei, which was recently recorded for that album, just for this particular tour.”

You’ve spent several Valentine’s Days. What would you consider the most memorable? Was it during your courtship days with your wife?

“Well…hmmmm, I don’t know. I never associate Valentine’s with anything like that but this time I do because I know the Filipinos to be a very romantic people. I’m also performing at the Araneta Coliseum owned by the Aranetas.” (He counts Jorge Araneta among his good Filipino friends, recalling also in the precious interview, “…my greatest memory was going on a boat trip with Jorge to an island where we were serenaded by the residents. The little island had no electricity in those days. The inhabitants were just listening to my music on transistor radios and they knew all my songs. Jorge put an electric piano at the back of the boat. After dinner, we were surrounded by the inhabitants riding in canoes. We had a microphone. They serenaded me with their songs and I serenaded them back with one of my own. They wanted to hear What I Did For Love. It was just a wonderful and warm and loving experience.”)

Do you remember how many times you’ve been to Manila?

“Oh, so many times that I have lost count. The last time was in 2010.”

Jack, you’ve been married for so long; not many marriages (especially in showbiz) last that long. How do you keep yours intact?

“Well, we’ve been married for only five years.”

Oh, five years. I’m sorry.

“Yes, five years, hahahahaha! She was with me the last time I was there. She goes with me everywhere. We are for keeps.”

Sorry for asking…but is it a second marriage?

“Uhm, I don’t want to put a number on it. My wife always says that she’s No. 1, hahahaha!”

To paraphrase the title of your song, Jack, what have you done for love?

“Ahhh, that’s a difficult question; it’s kind of personal that I did and so I, uhm, that’s a harmony answer.”

Have you ever been broken-hearted?

“A few times, yes. That’s supposed to be good for us. If we’re gonna be a good ballad singer, sing about lost love. We need to have gone through that. I guess that was one of Sinatra’s stronger points, he went through a lot of that. Fortunately, I didn’t have to go through as much as he did.”

How did you deal with that heart-breaking experience? Did you get depressed, lock yourself up in your room and cry and cry?

“Uhm, I think when you’re younger you dramatize the experience more. Some of them deal with it by going out and having a good time. But as you get more mature, you just try to internalize it and you accept it because that’s the way it is. I don’t remember hiding in my room.”

You’ve been singing your songs again and again through the years (Lollipops and Roses, Where Love Has Gone, Dear Heart, The True Picture, The Impossible Dream, With One More Look At You, The Windmills Of Your Mind, If You Go Away, What The World Needs Now, etc.). Does it feel mechanical or do you feel the same way you did the first time you sang those songs?

“That goes with your last question because those songs, especially If You Go Away, that one song makes you relive those feelings that you had when you were broken-hearted. And you don’t have to focus on any particular person, it’s just the feeling that you experienced that would bring that song back to life. You don’t get tired of it. Every time I sing my songs, it feels like a new experience and the audience can relate to it.”

You still sound the same. How do you preserve your voice?

“I can’t understand it myself. I’m very grateful for it. I can‘t really sound exactly the way I did when I was just starting but I assure you that my voice is intact and it has more edge to it, more depth to it. I don’t k now why but I thank God for that. I’ll keep singing for as long as I can. I work a lot and I’m singing all the time. Even if I’m not working, I do sing a lot. You just have to keep using your voice; you can’t stop.”

My favorite question: Do you sing in the bathroom like most singers (to energize their vocal cords)?

“I do but I feel a little conscious about it because I’m not the only one in the house and I would probably be disturbing somebody.”

If you were to turn back the hands of time, would you live your life the same way all over again?

“Oh, no way. But don’t ask me what I would change but I would hope that I could make better decisions here and there. I have two wonderful daughters and I don’t want to change things. I’m happy and fortunate to live my life the way I’ve lived it. I can’t change the future whatever that is.”

Which of your songs do you want people to remember you for?

“When I played Don Quixote for a whole season in the theater, I realized that in many ways that’s the way who I am. So I would think that The Impossible Dream (from that musical) would be the one that I want to be remembered for.”

(Jack Jones In A Valentine Concert is produced by Viva Live Inc. and Redstone Media Productions, with The Philippine STAR among the media partners. Ticket prices to the Smart Araneta Coliseum show are Patron A P5,000, Patron B P4,000, Lower Box P4,000, Upper Box A P2,000 and Upper Box B P1,000. Call Viva Concerts at 687-7236 or Ticketnet at 911-5555. For the Manila Hotel show, call 527-8802 or 527-0011 or Salute Promotions at 911-5615.)

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)