Billy Paul – Me and Mrs. Jones

PhillySound on Soul Train presents: “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul (November 4, 1972)

“Me and Mrs. Jones” – Single by Billy Paul from the album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul
B-side: “Your Song”
Released: September 13, 1972
Recorded: 1972
Studio: Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Label: Philadelphia International
Songwriters: Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Cary Gilbert
Producers: Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff

The single became Paul’s only #1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, holding that position for three weeks in December 1972. “Me and Mrs. Jones” also achieved this feat on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart, remaining at the top for four weeks. On the Hot 100, it replaced “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy and was replaced by Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain”. It also hit #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. For two weeks – February 3-10, 1973 – it peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. Paul won Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male at the 15th Grammy Awards. In 2018, Paul’s single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

When this hit #1 on December 16, 1972, it knocked Helen Reddy’s female-empowerment anthem “I Am Woman” out of the top spot.

Lyrics:
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 cafe
Six-thirty and no one knows she’ll be there
Holding hands, making all kinds of plans
While the juke box 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 do we don’t build our hopes up too high
Because 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. Jones
We got a thing goin’ on
We gotta be extra careful
We can’t afford to build our hopes up too high
I wanna meet and talk with you
At the same place, the same cafe, the same time
And we gonna hold hands like we used to
We gonna talk it over, talk it over
We know, they know, and you know what I know that it was wrong
But our thing is strong, we gotta let ’em know now
That we gotta thing going on, a thing going on

#BillyPaul #MeAndMrsJones