"What's New Pussycat?" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Tom Jones | ||||
from the album What's New Pussycat? | ||||
B-side | "The Rose" | |||
Released | 5 June 1965 (US) 9 August 1965 (UK) | |||
Genre | Traditional pop[citation needed] | |||
Length | 2:18 | |||
Label | Decca | |||
Songwriter(s) | Burt Bacharach and Hal David | |||
Producer(s) | Peter Sullivan | |||
Tom Jones UK singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"What's New Pussycat?" on YouTube |
"What's New Pussycat?" is the theme song for the eponymous movie, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David,[1][2] and sung by Welsh singer Tom Jones. The original single included a 13-second instrumental introduction, ending in the sound of shattering glass, but later issues omitted this introduction.[3]
Jones was skeptical about the song when first approached about it. He said when it was offered to him, he felt it was "sort of a backhanded compliment: 'I've got to have you, but this is the song.'"[1] Jones said it took convincing from Bacharach to perform it:
"When I first heard it I thought, 'Christ! What the bloody hell do they want me to sing this for?' But Burt Bacharach explained, 'I want the big voice to sing this bloody crazy song.' And you put it on, it’s a classic."[1]
Chart performance
[edit]It was Jones' third UK top 30 record, and peaked at number 11.[4] In the US, "What's New Pussycat?" peaked at number 3, and was Jones' second entry on the top 40.[5]
Accolades
[edit]It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1966, and lost to "The Shadow of Your Smile".[6]
In popular culture and cover versions
[edit]It has also been performed by:
- Bobby Darin[7][8]
- Steve Lawrence
- Stefán Karl Stefánsson[9]
- Anita Kerr[10]
- The Wailers
- The Four Seasons[3]
- Barbra Streisand performed several lines in her "Color Me Barbra Medley" from the TV special and album Color Me Barbra.
- It has been referenced in John Mulaney’s popular segment “The Salt and Pepper Diner,” the last segment in his stand up routine The Top Part.[11]
- Wendy Carlos recorded a version performed with a moog synthesizer on her album By Request (1975). This version features cat's meow voices imitated with a synthesizer.[12][13]
- A metal version of the song was recorded by Leo Moracchioli for his YouTube channel, Frog Leap Studios.[14]
- The song was used in the episode Husbands and Knives of The Simpsons where Milo (voiced by Jack Black) plays the Korean-language version.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c McEvoy, Colin (February 9, 2023). "What It Was Like to Work with Burt Bacharach, in the Words of his Collaborators". Biography. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ Matthew Greenwald. "What's New Pussycat? - Tom Jones | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- ^ a b Dominic, Serene (2003). Burt Bacharach, Song by Song: The Ultimate Burt Bacharach Reference for Fans, Serious Record Collectors, and Music Critics. Schirmer Trade Books. ISBN 9780825672804.
- ^ "TOM JONES | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 333.
- ^ "The 38th Academy Awards (1966)". oscars.org. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ "What's New Pussycat". YouTube.
- ^ "What's New Pussycat? - Bobby Darin | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Heimilistónar & Stefán Karl - Pussuköttur [2009] [HQ]". YouTube.
- ^ Anita Kerr. "Anita Kerr Singers - Reflect On The Hits Of Burt Bacharach & Hal David / Velvet Voices And Bold Brass". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ^ Various Artists - Topic (2016-11-11), The Salt and Pepper Diner, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2018-10-26
- ^ "Wendy Carlos, by Request".
- ^ "Wendy Carlos by Request - Wendy Carlos | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ What´s New Pussycat (metal cover by Leo Moracchioli) on YouTube
- ^ "TV Episode Guides, Reviews, Videos, Wikis & TV Show Previews - IGN". Archived from the original on 2007-11-22.