Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of… Read Full Bio ↴Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville Sound."

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cramer grew up in the small town of Huttig, Arkansas, teaching himself to play the piano. After finishing high school, he returned to Shreveport, where he worked as a pianist for the Louisiana Hayride radio show.

In 1952, he made his way to Nashville at a time when the use of piano accompanists in country music was growing in popularity. Before long, Cramer would become one of the busiest studio musicians in the industry, playing piano for stars such as Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, The Browns, Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson and the Everly Brothers, and many others. It is Cramer's piano that is heard, for example, on Presley's first national hit, "Heartbreak Hotel."

However, Cramer remained a virtual unknown to anyone but music industry insiders until he recorded a 45 rpm single in 1960 called "Last Date." An instrumental, the music exhibited a relatively new concept for piano playing known as the "slip note" style. The record went to Number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. By the mid-1960s, Cramer had become a respected performer, making numerous record albums and touring with guitar maestro Chet Atkins and saxophonist Boots Randolph.

Floyd Cramer died of lung cancer in 1997 at the age of 64 and was interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery in the Nashville suburb of Madison, Tennessee.

In 2003, he was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee offers the "Floyd Cramer Competitive Scholarship."

What's New Pussycat
Floyd Cramer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What's new pussycat whoa
What's new pussycat whoa oh

Pussycat, pussycat, I've got flowers
And lots of hours to spend time with you
So go and powder your cute little pussycat nose
Pussycat, pussycat, I love you yes I do
You and your pussycat nose

What's new pussycat whoa
What's new pussycat whoa oh oh

Pussycat, pussycat, you're so thrilling
And I'm so willing to care for you
So go and make up your big little pussycat eyes
Pussycat, pussycat, I love you yes I do
You and your pussycat eyes

What's new pussycat whoa
What's new pussycat whoa oh oh

Pussycat, pussycat, you're delicious
And if my wishes can all come true
I'll soon be kissing your sweet little pussycat lips
Pussycat, pussycat, I love you yes I do

You and your pussycat eyes whoa
You and your pussycat nose

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Floyd Cramer's song "What's New Pussycat?" are essentially about a man expressing his love and admiration for his significant other whom he calls "pussycat". The first verse talks about how the man has plenty of time to spend with his partner and presents her with flowers. He encourages her to make herself look even more beautiful by powdering her nose. The second verse focuses on the man's willingness to care for his partner and highlights her alluring eyes. He lovingly suggests that he will soon be able to kiss her lips if his wishes come true. The song ends with a repetition of the refrain, "What's new pussycat?"

Overall, the lyrics are quite simple and straightforward, expressing a desire to shower affection on one's partner. The use of the term "pussycat" may seem odd or even inappropriate by today's standards, but it is simply a term of endearment that was more common in the 1960s when the song was released.

Line by Line Meaning

What's new pussycat whoa
What's going on, my beloved?

What's new pussycat whoa oh
What's going on, my beloved?

Pussycat, pussycat, I've got flowers
Beloved, I have gifts and time to spend with you

And lots of hours to spend time with you
I have an abundance of time for you

So go and powder your cute little pussycat nose
Take some time for yourself, make yourself pretty for me, my beloved

Pussycat, pussycat, I love you yes I do
I love you very much, my darling

You and your pussycat nose
I love your nose, my beloved

Pussycat, pussycat, you're so thrilling
You excite me, my darling

And I'm so willing to care for you
I'm ready and eager to take care of you

So go and make up your big little pussycat eyes
Get dolled up and enhance your lovely eyes for me, my darling

Pussycat, pussycat, I love you yes I do
I love you very much, my darling