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.
Champagne Taste
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
Don't forget to write me when you get there in your row-boat
When you've paddled across the sea without me
Do you see us dining on caviar and pheasant with decedents of royalty?
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
I'll be having pheasant while you're dining with the peasants
You said, "You have ambition to make my dream come true"
Well brother you just keep right on wishing
And all of my dreams will come true, without you
Do you see me in a jaguar with all the accessories
And one of those accessories is you?
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pocket
Take back your jaguar accessories etcetera
And drive back to your dreamland without me
And if I wanted diamonds you'd offer me breakfast at Tiffanie's
And luncheons at Cartier's you'd recommend
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
You will have to work-on something better than a zircon
Because your diamonds of this girl's are worst friend
You said, "You'd promise me anything to make my life a feast"
You didn't give me anything, not even arpege you beast
And it wouldn't surprise me if a lady like Godiva
Had someone like you to give her the stole
For with her champagne taste and your beer bottle pocket
When she couldn't get those dresses
She just let down all her tresses and forgot she was a lady after all
So if you want me to be apart of your permanent employ
Before my champagne fizzles come up with the real McCoy
Show me you can separate the man from the boy
And bring me a constant life of champagne taste
The song "Champagne Taste" by Eartha Kitt is a sarcastic and sassy commentary on the class divide in relationships. The lyrics revolve around the idea of the singer having expensive and luxurious tastes, while her partner has a more modest income. The song opens with the singer asking if her partner wants to take her on a cruise on an ocean liner to see the places she longs to see. However, she quickly reminds him that her champagne taste and his beer bottle pockets may not be a good combination, and tells him to write her when he gets to his destination on his rowboat, having paddled across the sea without her.
The sarcastic nature of the song continues as the singer speaks about dining on caviar and pheasant with the descendants of royalty. She acknowledges that her partner may not be able to afford the lifestyle she craves, and instead will be dining with the peasants while she eats pheasant. She goes on to talk about how her partner promises her everything to make her life a feast, but doesn't come through with the promises. Ultimately, the singer challenges her partner to come up with a way to provide her with a constant life of champagne taste, showing that she is not willing to settle for less.
Overall, "Champagne Taste" is a powerful song that speaks to the desire for luxury and the challenges faced by those who have expensive tastes but limited financial resources. It is done in a playful and sarcastic way that makes the lyrics more relatable and accessible to a wide range of listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you wanna take me cruising on an ocean liner to places I long to see?
Do you want to take me on a luxurious cruise to exotic places I desire?
Well, with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
I have expensive taste, but you can't afford it
Don't forget to write me when you get there in your row-boat
Don't forget to let me know when you reach your destination in your small, cheap boat without me
When you've paddled across the sea without me
Once you've traveled alone without me on your cheap boat
Do you see us dining on caviar and pheasant with decedents of royalty?
Do you envision us dining on expensive dishes with descendants of royalty?
I'll be having pheasant while you're dining with the peasants
I'll be enjoying my luxurious meals while you eat with the poor
Dunking donuts in a diner without me
You'll be eating cheap, unhealthy food in a diner without me
You said, "You have ambition to make my dream come true"
You claimed that you can help me achieve my dreams
Well brother you just keep right on wishing
But in reality, you can just keep dreaming and wishing
And all of my dreams will come true, without you
I will achieve my dreams on my own, without your help
Do you see me in a jaguar with all the accessories
Can you picture me driving a luxurious Jaguar car with all the accessories?
Take back your jaguar accessories etcetera
But you can take back those accessories and return to your fantasy world without me
And drive back to your dreamland without me
Go back to your imaginary world and leave me alone
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
I desire luxury while you have limited funds
You will have to work-on something better than a zircon
You need to do better than giving me a fake diamond (zircon)
Because your diamonds of this girl's are worst friend
The diamonds you give me won't make me happy
You said, "You'd promise me anything to make my life a feast"
You promised to give me anything to make my life luxurious
You didn't give me anything, not even arpege you beast
But you didn't give me anything, not even a perfume like Arpege
And it wouldn't surprise me if a lady like Godiva
It won't shock me if a woman like Lady Godiva,
Had someone like you to give her the stole
Had a man like you to give her the clothing
When she couldn't get those dresses
When she couldn't afford those expensive dresses
She just let down all her tresses and forgot she was a lady after all
She ignored her appearance and gave up acting like a lady
So if you want me to be apart of your permanent employ
If you wish for me to be a part of your life
Before my champagne fizzles come up with the real McCoy
Before my desire for luxury goes away, give me the real, genuine thing
Show me you can separate the man from the boy
Prove that you are a mature and responsible man
And bring me a constant life of champagne taste
And provide me with a life of luxury and high-class living
Contributed by Noah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MsOnederland
Actually, Eartha Kitt was one of the most spiritual, down to earth, not interested in baubles divas out there or at all.
She said she loved to dig in the earth and grow her own food (reason her nails were kept short), as the land & the ability to grow food retain the intrinsic value that jewels will forever lack.
She spent her time (while not touring) and hard earned money (earned by touring) listening to, talking with, teaching-learning-working side by side with, having structures built for, while using her popular voice to speak up for - helping - youth who were existing in impossible circumstances.
A whole LOT of the money she made acting & singing these songs, she used to this end, while that voice, she used to speak out fearlessly at the White House about the youth being sent off to fight & die in the so-called "war" in Vietnam - on national television.
She was vilified in the media, blacklisted so no one would hire her to work in the US entertainment industry.
She seemed to disappeared from tvs here & had to find work in other countries basically a pauper, though she did find that she was warmly welcomed generally treated far better there, even just as a person, than she ever was here.
She missed home alot. Still, this person folks see as some sex kitten/gold digger living the high life, just continued to work side by side with little to no money - help - youth the SAME as ever, wherever she went.
She was not what many would call a philanthropist. Actually making it happen was what came naturally & what she, one who connected spiritually with others, was driven to do with her time alive. She was a do-it-yourselfer whom even death could not shut down, as this is her legacy.
She was NOT reserving a hand to sip, swish & swallow champaign & get high off of high life & bubbles.
Wrong Diva.
Folks don't know this because she never went public, stating that she was not in it for notariety. It was the mystery of Eartha Kitt - that "thing" folks could never quite put their finger on.
Arhuably, among the exceedingly beautiful parts of Eartha Kitt, her diamond-like brilliance, big heart & spirit of a lioness to rise & take action on those - to do the right thing - are it.
Please, look her up, not to like her, but maybe for a glimpse of some the unpopular samples "the good life".
OH! And there are others. They are ALL Awesome Examples. Please, look them up, as well.
We all have a job to do & some may need motivation. It's all over the place there alongside the issue at hand. If you're not already active, please, do what YOU can do so as to not watch our world implode.
I will, too. 🙄K?!!
@ThyGeekGoddessMuze
To women who were gaslit into hitching her wagon a Beer-Bottle jackass...
(I was born on Father's Day, not LAST Father's Day)
"Champagne Taste"
Do you wanna take me cruising on an ocean liner to places I long to see?
Well, with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
Don't forget to write me when you get there in your row-boat
When you've paddled across the sea without me
Do you see us dining on caviar and pheasant with decedents of royalty?
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
I'll be having pheasant while you're dining with the peasants
Dunking donuts in a diner without me
You said, "You have ambition to make my dream come true"
Well brother you just keep right on wishing
And all of my dreams will come true, without you
Do you see me in a jaguar with all the accessories
And one of those accessories is you?
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pocket
Take back your jaguar accessories etcetera
And drive back to your dreamland without me
And if I wanted diamonds you'd offer me breakfast at Tiffanie's
And luncheons at Cartier's you'd recommend
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
You will have to work-on something better than a zircon
Because your diamonds of this girl's are worst friend
You said, "You'd promise me anything to make my life a feast"
You didn't give me anything, not even arpege you beast
And it wouldn't surprise me if a lady like Godiva
Had someone like you to give her the stole
For with her champagne taste and your beer bottle pocket
When she couldn't get those dresses
She just let down all her tresses and forgot she was a lady after all
So if you want me to be apart of your permanent employ
Before my champagne fizzles come up with the real McCoy
Show me you can separate the man from the boy
And bring me a constant life of champagne taste
@Wolfhoundersful
Do you wanna take me cruising on an ocean liner to places I long to see?
Well, with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
Don't forget to write me when you get there in your row-boat
When you've paddled across the sea without me
Do you see us dining on caviar and pheasant with descedents of royalty?
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
I'll be having pheasant while you're dining with the peasants
Dunking donuts in a diner without me
You said you have ambition to make my dream come true
Well brother you just keep right on wishing
And all of my dreams will come true, without you
Do you see me in a jaguar with all the accessories
And one of those accessories is you?
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pocket
Take back your jaguar accessories et cetera
And drive back to your dreamland without me
And if I wanted diamonds you'd offer me breakfast at Tiffanie's
And luncheons at Cartier's you'd recommend
Well with my champagne taste and your beer bottle pockets
You will have to work-on something better than a zircon
Because your diamonds of this girl's are worst friend
You said you'd promise me anything to make my life a feast
You didn't give me anything, not even arpege you beast
And it wouldn't surprise me if a lady like Godiva
Had someone like you to give her the stole
For with her champagne taste and your beer bottle pocket
When she couldn't get those dresses
She just let down all her tresses and forgot she was a lady after all
So if you want me to be apart of your permanent employ
Before my champagne fizzles come up with the real McCoy
Show me you can separate the man from the boy
And bring me a constant life of champagne taste
@maybelsweet5326
This woman still blows my mind. Is there anything she wasn't capable of doing perfect? She was like a human feline super hybrid. That voice, her versatility, she was gorgeous and hilarious not to mention brilliant!
@sarahjanecleary1801
human feline super hybrid is spot on
@billmccoleman6746
Feline? She played a great Catwoman on the Batman series.
@claudiameier8882
si
@MsOnederland
Actually, Eartha Kitt was one of the most spiritual, down to earth, not interested in baubles divas out there or at all.
She said she loved to dig in the earth and grow her own food (reason her nails were kept short), as the land & the ability to grow food retain the intrinsic value that jewels will forever lack.
She spent her time (while not touring) and hard earned money (earned by touring) listening to, talking with, teaching-learning-working side by side with, having structures built for, while using her popular voice to speak up for - helping - youth who were existing in impossible circumstances.
A whole LOT of the money she made acting & singing these songs, she used to this end, while that voice, she used to speak out fearlessly at the White House about the youth being sent off to fight & die in the so-called "war" in Vietnam - on national television.
She was vilified in the media, blacklisted so no one would hire her to work in the US entertainment industry.
She seemed to disappeared from tvs here & had to find work in other countries basically a pauper, though she did find that she was warmly welcomed generally treated far better there, even just as a person, than she ever was here.
She missed home alot. Still, this person folks see as some sex kitten/gold digger living the high life, just continued to work side by side with little to no money - help - youth the SAME as ever, wherever she went.
She was not what many would call a philanthropist. Actually making it happen was what came naturally & what she, one who connected spiritually with others, was driven to do with her time alive. She was a do-it-yourselfer whom even death could not shut down, as this is her legacy.
She was NOT reserving a hand to sip, swish & swallow champaign & get high off of high life & bubbles.
Wrong Diva.
Folks don't know this because she never went public, stating that she was not in it for notariety. It was the mystery of Eartha Kitt - that "thing" folks could never quite put their finger on.
Arhuably, among the exceedingly beautiful parts of Eartha Kitt, her diamond-like brilliance, big heart & spirit of a lioness to rise & take action on those - to do the right thing - are it.
Please, look her up, not to like her, but maybe for a glimpse of some the unpopular samples "the good life".
OH! And there are others. They are ALL Awesome Examples. Please, look them up, as well.
We all have a job to do & some may need motivation. It's all over the place there alongside the issue at hand. If you're not already active, please, do what YOU can do so as to not watch our world implode.
I will, too. 🙄K?!!
@Crosshill
hearing that she made the first lady cry is the kind of thing that takes guts, I've found and fallen in love with her just yesterday, so i wouldnt believe these songs were genuine in the literal sense. plus, her voice and personality are too bright for such shallow motivations
@ThyGeekGoddessMuze
My generation heard Eartha Kitt Essentials when our parents were going through moronic power struggles and isolated in various Great Neutralizers of that South African social experiment called Levittown
You can tell who was influenced by her. Prince and Morris Day, John Blackwell Jr, played drums as if he'd seen me dance at the club, but we've never met. synesthesia runs in the Blackwell family. Color Blindness on my mother's side. She looked just like Eartha Kitt had she been a farmgirl, raised on Angus .
@kezkezooie8595
That's one of the things I loved about her - her tongue in cheek take on songs like this and hat lovely. purring voice, of course :)
@kittykane2058
Kimberley Myles:
I love that you took the time to share all of this pertinent, intriguing information about Eartha Kitt. As you so perfectly stated, she was a terrific human being. As well as, an incomparable performer. She was truly one of a kind and no one will ever come close to her in any way. On top of everything else, I am always touched by the incredible bond she formed with her daughter. She was an amazing mother. Women can learn a lot from the lady, Eartha Kitt. Thank you again, Dahling! ( Hee hee hee.) 😽💖🎶
@AB-qr2fm
she was multifaceted, she can still love rich men and have a heart