Born in tiny North, South Carolina to Mamie Kitt, who was of Cherokee and African-American descent, and an American father (surname Kitt) of German and Dutch descent, she was raised by her maternal aunt Anna Mae Riley, whom she believed was her mother up until after Riley's death, when she was sent to live in New York City with her real mother.
Kitt began her career as a member of the Katherine Dunham Company and made her film debut with them in Casbah (1948). A talented singer with a distinctive voice, her hits include Let's Do It, C'est Si Bon (It's So Good), Just an Old Fashioned Girl, Monotonous, Love for Sale, I'd Rather Be Burned as a Witch, Uska Dara, Mink, Schmink, Under the Bridges of Paris, and arguably her most recognizable hit, the sexily sung Christmas song Santa Baby. She sang quite a few songs in French, a language she picked up during her years performing in Europe, but she never lost her American accent, which made her French songs sound rather amusing to native French speakers. She dabbled in other languages as well, which she demonstrated in many of the live recordings of her cabaret performances.
In 1950, Orson Welles gave her her first starring role, as Helen of Troy in his staging of Dr. Faustus. A few years later, she was cast in the revue New Faces of 1952, introducing "Monotonous", "C'est Si Bon" and "Santa Baby", three songs with which she continues to be identified. During her run, 20th Century Fox filmed a version of the play. Welles and Kitt allegedly had a torrid affair during her run in Shinbone Alley, which earned her the nickname by Welles as "the most exciting woman in the world". In 1958, Kitt made her feature film debut opposite Sidney Poitier in The Mark of the Hawk. Throughout the rest of the 1950s and early 1960s, Kitt would work on and off in film, television and on nightclub stages. In the late 1960s television series Batman, she played Catwoman after Julie Newmar left the role. This was the role for which she would best be remembered, owing to her purring feline drawl.
In 1968, however, Kitt encountered a substantial professional setback after she made anti-war statements during a White House luncheon that reportedly made First Lady Lady Bird Johnson weep uncontrollably. Professionally exiled from the U.S., she devoted her energies to overseas performances before returning to New York in a triumphant turn in the Broadway spectacle Timbuktu! (a version of the perennial Kismet set in Africa) in 1978. In the musical, one song gives a 'recipe' for mahoun, a preparation of cannabis, in which her sultry purring rendition of the refrain "constantly stirring with a long wooden spoon" was distinctive.
In 1984, she returned to hit music with a dance song, Where Is My Man; the first certified Gold record of her career. Kitt found new audiences in nightclubs across the country, including a whole new generation of gay male fans, and she responded by frequently giving benefit performances in support of HIV/AIDS organizations.
In 2000, Kitt again returned to Broadway in the short but notable run of the revival of the 1920s-themed, The Wild Party, opposite Mandy Patinkin and Toni Collette. In 2003, she replaced Chita Rivera in Nine. In recent years she had also appeared as the Wicked Witch in the North American national touring company of The Wizard of Oz.
One of her more unusual roles was as Kaa the python in a 1994 BBC Radio adaptation of The Jungle Book. Kitt lent her distinctive voice to the role of Yzma in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove and also did other voiceover work such as the voice of Queen Vexus on the animated TV series My Life as a Teenage Robot. She continued her role as Yzma on the spin-off TV series of The Emperor's New Groove, The Emperor's New School.
In recent years, Kitt's annual appearances in New York made her a fixture of the Manhattan cabaret scene. She took the stage at venues such as the Ballroom and, more recently, the Café Carlyle to explore and define her highly stylized image, alternating between signature songs (such as "Old Fashioned Millionaire"), which emphasized a witty, mercenary world-weariness, and less familiar repertoire, much of which she performed with an unexpected ferocity and bite that presented her as a survivor with a seemingly bottomless reservoir of resilience - her version of Here's to Life, frequently used as a closing number, was a sterling example of the latter. This side of her later performances is reflected in at least one of her recordings, Thinking Jazz, which preserves a series of performances with a small jazz combo that took place in the early 1990s in Germany, and which includes both standards (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes) and numbers (such as Something May Go Wrong) that seem more specifically tailored to her talents; one version of the CD includes as bonus performances a fierce, angry Yesterdays and a live take of "C'est Si Bon" that good-humoredly satirizes her sex-kitten persona.
Personal life
Kitt was married to John William McDonald, an associate of a real-estate investment company, from 1960 to 1965. They had one child, a daughter, Kitt (b. 1962, married Charles Lawrence Shapiro); and two grandchildren, Jason and Rachel Shapiro.
Eartha Kitt died of colon cancer on Christmas Day, December 25, 2008.
African Lullaby
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Streisand Superman
Lullaby For Myself
Self-contained and self-content
No promises to keep
I've got things so together
That i just can't fall asleep
Walked the night and drank the moon
And i knew that no-one marked my time
As i unlocked my door.
It's really lovely to discover
That you like to be alone
Not to owe your man an answer
When he gets you on the phone
Not to share a pair of porkchops
When you crave champagne and cheese
And your aim becomes to please yourself
And not to aim to please
Oh they sold me when they told me
Two can live as cheap as one
But i'm learning twice you're earning
Doesn't mean it's twice the fun
If you spend your each dime and all your time
On someone else's schemes
I'm not needy but i'm greedy
And i live my deepest dreams
Take an hour in the shower
Use the water while it's hot
In the tub a hand to scrub my back
Is all i haven't got.
Self-aware with self-esteem
Is selfishness a crime?
I take the day for quite a ride
And i take my own sweet time
Time to spare and time to share
And grateful i would be
If just one damn man would share the need
To be alone with me.
Eartha Kitt's song "African Lullaby" talks about self-sufficiency and being content with oneself. In the opening lines, the singer talks about being self-contained and not having any promises to keep. She has everything in her life so well arranged that she can't fall asleep easily. The singer talks about indulging in some lone time, wandering around in the night, drinking the moon, and returning home quietly. She is pleased that she doesn't owe her man any explanation or answer when he tries to contact her. She doesn't have to compromise and share her favorite things with anyone. She can please herself, and her only aim is to fulfill her deepest desires. In the end, the singer desires someone who shares her need to be alone.
The song conveys a message to listeners about the importance of self-love and self-care. Being self-contained, being happy with oneself, and spending quality time alone can provide mental and emotional rejuvenation. It also speaks about the double standards of society where women are expected to be sacrificial and selfless towards their partners and families.
Line by Line Meaning
Barbra Streisand
Mentioning a famous actress/singer known for her independence and self-confidence.
Streisand Superman
Referencing the idea of Superman, who is also known for being self-sufficient and able to handle things on his own.
Lullaby For Myself
Describing the song as a soothing melody for the singer alone.
Self-contained and self-content
Expressing contentment and self-sufficiency, not needing anyone else to feel fulfilled.
No promises to keep
Not being beholden to anyone else's expectations or demands.
I've got things so together, that i just can't fall asleep
Feeling accomplished and organized, even to the point of having trouble relaxing and sleeping.
Walked the night and drank the moon
Enjoying the simple beauty of nighttime and being outside at night.
Got home at half-past four, and i knew that no-one marked my time, as i unlocked my door.
Being free to come and go as she pleases, without having to answer to anyone else or explain her whereabouts.
It's really lovely to discover that you like to be alone
Finding joy and comfort in being independent and not needing company all the time.
Not to owe your man an answer, when he gets you on the phone
Being free to choose when and if to communicate with a romantic partner or anyone else.
Not to share a pair of porkchops, when you crave champagne and cheese
Being able to indulge her own tastes and preferences, without having to compromise or adjust for someone else.
And your aim becomes to please yourself, and not to aim to please
Prioritizing her own happiness and satisfaction, rather than worrying about pleasing others.
Oh they sold me when they told me, two can live as cheap as one
Being skeptical of the idea that being with someone is always financially advantageous or necessary.
But i'm learning twice you're earning, doesn't mean it's twice the fun
Realizing that having another person around may not necessarily make life more enjoyable or fulfilling.
If you spend your each dime and all your time, on someone else's schemes
Warning against devoting all of one's resources and energy to someone else's goals and plans, at the expense of their own.
I'm not needy but i'm greedy, and i live my deepest dreams
Acknowledging that she is not dependent on anyone else, but is always striving for her own fulfillment and desires.
Take an hour in the shower, use the water while it's hot
Savoring little moments of luxury and indulgence, when she has the opportunity to enjoy them.
In the tub a hand to scrub my back, is all i haven't got
Not feeling like she needs anyone else for physical comfort or care, but acknowledging that it might be nice to have someone to scrub her back.
Self-aware with self-esteem, is selfishness a crime?
Questioning whether it's truly wrong to be self-aware and have healthy self-esteem.
I take the day for quite a ride, and i take my own sweet time
Choosing to live life on her own terms, at her own pace, without rushing or feeling pressured by others.
Time to spare and time to share, and grateful i would be
Valuing her own free time and opportunities to enjoy life, but open to sharing them with someone who appreciates them.
If just one damn man would share the need, to be alone with me
Expressing a desire for companionship and intimacy, but only if someone can understand and appreciate her need for independence and solitude.
Contributed by David H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.