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.
Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where, oh where is Annie?)
Annie doesn't live here anymore.
You must be the one she waited for.
She said I would know you by the blue in your eye,
Checkered suit, a fancy vest, and polka-dot tie.
You answer to that description, so I guess that you're the guy.
Annie doesn't live here anymore. (Where's Annie?)
It's too bad you didn't call before. (Where's Annie?)
She just bought a gown that ties with ribbons above,
Brand new shoes, a pretty hat, and latest style glove.
She really looked so alluring, and just waiting for your love,
But Annie doesn't live here anymore.
It was spring. There was romance in the air,
And ev'rything seemed for loving hearts to share,
And there was she, just as lonely and as blue
As she could be. That's the reason—
Annie doesn't live here anymore.
Might have been your picture that she tore.
She was oh so faithful. What a pitiful sight!
Waited for the letter that you promised to write.
A gentleman with a top hat called around the other night,
And Annie doesn't live here anymore.(Annie, where's Annie?)
Annie doesn't live here anymore. (Annie, where's Annie?)
Annie doesn't live here anymore.
The lyrics of "Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore" tell a story of a man who is looking for his beloved Annie, but unfortunately she has moved away. The song sets the tone of a nostalgic and regretful mood. It becomes apparent that Annie was waiting for this man, but he failed to arrive, and as a result, Annie left without him. Now it's too late to find her anywhere, since she has already found someone else.
The lyrics suggest that the man has missed his chance with Annie, and she has moved on with her life. The song gives vivid descriptions of Annie's appearance, clothing, and elegance, indicating that she has transformed herself from the person she used to be. The lines "She just bought a gown that ties with ribbons above, Brand new shoes, a pretty hat, and latest style glove" describes Annie's attempt to attract this man's attention. However, the fact that she is no longer there and has changed her appearance suggests that she has given up hope of ever hearing from him.
The song deals with themes of love, loss, and regret, and portrays the emotional pain that comes with separation. It's a bittersweet song that touches the heart of the listener, and the way Eartha Kitt sings with such longing and emotion makes it even more poignant.
Line by Line Meaning
Annie doesn't live here anymore. (Annie, where's Annie?)
The person you are searching for, Annie, used to live here, but she has now moved out, which is why she is not here to be found.
You must be the one she waited for.
Annie was waiting for someone, and based on the description she gave, it appears that you match that description.
She said I would know you by the blue in your eye, Checkered suit, a fancy vest, and polka-dot tie.
Annie gave a specific set of details to look for in the person she was waiting for, which included the color of their eyes and specific clothing items.
You answer to that description, so I guess that you're the guy.
Since you match the description that Annie gave, it's likely that you are the person that she was waiting for.
It's too bad you didn't call before. (Where's Annie?)
Unfortunately, you didn't contact Annie before you arrived, which has resulted in her not being here to greet you.
She just bought a gown that ties with ribbons above, Brand new shoes, a pretty hat, and latest style glove. She really looked so alluring, and just waiting for your love, But Annie doesn't live here anymore.
Annie had recently purchased new clothing items and was looking attractive while waiting for the person she was expecting, but since that person did not arrive, she has since moved out.
It was spring. There was romance in the air, And ev'rything seemed for loving hearts to share, And there was she, just as lonely and as blue As she could be. That's the reason—
During the season of spring, a time of budding romance, Annie was feeling lonely and sad because the person she was hoping to see did not show up.
Might have been your picture that she tore. She was oh so faithful. What a pitiful sight! Waited for the letter that you promised to write.
Annie may have torn up a photo of you out of frustration since she had been faithful as she waited for a letter that you had promised to send, but never did.
A gentleman with a top hat called around the other night, And Annie doesn't live here anymore.(Annie, where's Annie?)
Someone else came to the house looking for Annie recently, but because she had moved out since then, she was not present to receive them. This is why they are also wondering where she is now.
Annie doesn't live here anymore. (Annie, where's Annie?)
This is a repeating chorus emphasizing that Annie is no longer living at this location and her whereabouts are currently unknown.
Contributed by Brody C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.