What's New Pussycat? (song)

"What's New Pussycat?"
Single by Tom Jones
from the album What's New Pussycat?
B-side"The Rose"
Released5 June 1965 (US)
9 August 1965 (UK)
GenreTraditional pop[citation needed]
Length2:18
LabelDecca
Songwriter(s)Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Producer(s)Peter Sullivan
Tom Jones UK singles chronology
"With These Hands"
(1965)
"What's New Pussycat?"
(1965)
"Thunderball"
(1966)
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]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Matthew Greenwald. "What's New Pussycat? - Tom Jones | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
  3. ^ 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.