Tom Jones is so associated with “What’s New Pussycat?,” that when even well-known singers like k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge cover the song they are in essence doing the Tom Jones version, albeit with tongue-in-cheek nods to lesbianism.

It was a challenge to move this pop song into the jazz idiom. I’d been working on a few changes for several years with some success, but it wasn’t where it needed to be. Then came the difference maker—minor additions to the lyric to imply that the singer professing his love for “pussycat” is actually a stalker. Grim? Yes, and a little disturbing, but it allowed us to take the song in a new direction.

Lyric additions:

Hi, diddle, diddle,
How to solve this riddle?
I was with you,
Now it’s though
I feel I’m in the middle of a… of a…
I’m watching you!