Honestly, there is something deeply uncomfortable about the lyrics of this song. You’re sitting in a café at 6:30 PM, holding hands with someone who isn't your spouse, knowing full well you’ve both got "obligations" waiting at home. It’s messy. It’s wrong. And yet, when the horns kick in and that smooth baritone starts climbing the scale, you kind of forget the ethics for a second. Me and Mrs. Jones Michael Buble version isn't just a cover; it’s a masterclass in how to take a soul classic and dress it up in a tuxedo without losing the grit.
Most people associate this track with Billy Paul’s 1972 original, which was a towering achievement of the "Philadelphia Soul" era. But in 2007, Michael Bublé decided to take a swing at it for his album Call Me Irresponsible. What resulted was a version that felt both timeless and strangely contemporary. It’s one of those rare tracks that works at a wedding (ironically) and a lonely late-night drive.
The Secret Ingredient: Emily Blunt?
Wait, what? Yeah, if you listen to the very end of the studio track on the album, there’s a female voice that joins in for the final "Me and Mrs. Jones." That’s actually actress Emily Blunt. At the time, she and Bublé were a high-profile couple, and her subtle, uncredited cameo adds this weirdly intimate layer to a song about a secret affair.
It’s kind of tragic when you look back on it. Shortly after the song was set to be promoted as a major single, the couple broke up. The physical single was largely pulled from shelves, and the big marketing push never really happened. It became the "lost" hit that everyone knows but nobody saw a music video for on MTV every five minutes.
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Why the Production Works
David Foster and Humberto Gatica produced this thing, and you can hear their fingerprints everywhere. It’s polished. Shiny. But Bublé brings a certain desperation to the vocals that keeps it from feeling like elevator music.
- The Build-Up: The song starts with that iconic, strolling bass line. It’s slow. Patient.
- The "Screaming" Moment: Around the three-minute mark, Bublé hits that "Me-e-e-e-and... Mrs. Jones!" It’s a vocal tightrope walk. If you undersing it, the song dies. If you oversing it, you’re just a guy shouting in a recording booth.
- The Horns: They don't just play; they punch. The arrangement by David Foster and Jerry Hey gives it that big-band weight that Billy Paul’s version traded for silky strings.
It’s interesting because the song itself—written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert—was originally a commentary on the "impossible" nature of desire. In 1972, adultery was actually still illegal in Pennsylvania. By the time Bublé got his hands on it in 2007, the legal stakes were gone, but the emotional weight stayed exactly the same.
The "Everything" vs. "Me and Mrs. Jones" Debate
If you were around in 2007, you couldn't escape the song "Everything." It was the lead single from Call Me Irresponsible, and it was everywhere. It was happy. It was bouncy. It was the "safe" Michael Bublé.
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Then you had Me and Mrs. Jones Michael Buble.
This was the darker sibling. While "Everything" was about being in love, "Me and Mrs. Jones" was about being in trouble. Critics at the time, including those from Okayplayer, noted that Bublé "skillfully portrays the pain" of the affair. It proved he wasn't just a wedding singer; he could handle the heavy stuff. He wasn't just imitating Frank Sinatra; he was channeling the soul of Philly.
What Most People Miss About the Lyrics
The song is incredibly specific.
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- 6:30 PM: That’s the meet time. It’s that awkward window between work and going home.
- The Jukebox: It’s the only third party allowed in the room.
- The Toying with Hopes: "We gotta be extra careful that we don't build our hopes up too high."
That line is the most honest part of the song. It’s an admission that this thing they have has no future. It’s a loop. Tomorrow they’ll meet at the same place, at the same time, and nothing will change. Bublé sings this with a sort of weary resignation that makes the high notes feel earned.
How to Appreciate the Track Today
If you want to actually "hear" this song properly, don't just play it through your phone speakers while doing the dishes. It’s too dense for that.
- Listen for the Bass: Brian Bromberg handled the bass on this track, and his tone is thick and warm. It’s the heartbeat of the whole thing.
- Compare the Versions: Go back and listen to Billy Paul’s version. Notice how Paul uses more falsetto and "church" influence. Then listen to how Bublé uses "theatrical" power. Both are valid. Both are great.
- Check the Live Versions: Bublé’s AOL Sessions or his performance at Madison Square Garden show just how much he has to sweat to hit those notes. It’s not an easy song.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re a fan of this specific vibe, you shouldn't stop at this one track. Here is what you do next:
- Listen to the full album Call Me Irresponsible: Specifically "It Had Better Be Tonight." It has that same high-energy, big-band intensity.
- Find the Emily Blunt backstory: Look up the Saturday Night Live sketches or old interviews from 2007. It puts the song's production into a totally different context once you realize they were living together while recording it.
- Explore Philly Soul: If you like the songwriting, dive into the Gamble and Huff catalog. They wrote the blueprint for this kind of "sophisticated soul."
Me and Mrs. Jones Michael Buble remains a staple because it captures a feeling everyone understands: the tension between what we want and what we’re allowed to have. It’s a cover that respected the past but made a very loud, very brassy claim on the future.