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.
Do It Again
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You hadn't any right
I really shouldn't have let you
Kiss me.
And although it was wrong
I never was strong.
So as long as you've begun it
And you know you shouldn't have done it.
Oh.
Do it again.
I may say no. no. no. no. no.
But do it again.
My lips just ache
To have you take the kiss
That's waiting for you
You know if you do
You won't regret it
Come and get it.
Oh.
No one is near
I may cry oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh.
But no one can hear.
Mamma may scold me
'Cause she told me
It was naughty but then
Please,
Do it again.
Yes do it again. And again and again and again and again and again
Turn out the light.
And hold me close
In your arms
All through the night.
I know tomorrow morning
You will say
Goodbye and Amen.
But until then
Please do it again.
Eartha Kitt's song "Do it Again" is a beautiful ballad that talks about the conflict between the heart and the head. The song starts by stating the apparent facts: "You really shouldn't have done it. You hadn't any right. I really shouldn't have let you kiss me." The singer already knows that this is wrong, but despite that, there is a powerful yearning within her that can't be ignored. This signifies a struggle within oneself, of wanting something while knowing it's not the right thing to do.
The lyrics go on to say, "And although it was wrong, I never was strong." This portrays the singer's vulnerability, acknowledging that even though she knows it's wrong, she can't help but give in to what her heart desires. She is aware of the consequences of her actions, but she can't resist the temptation of love. The chorus of "Do it Again" exemplifies this conflict beautifully, where she pleads to "do it again" despite knowing that she shouldn't.
The song ends with a sense of hopelessness and resignation, where the singer knows that the night's passion was temporary and that the morning will signify the end of it. Despite that, there is an unwavering desire to experience it once again. The lyrics of the song capture the complexities of human emotions well, depicting the eternal conflict between the head and heart.
Line by Line Meaning
You really shouldn't have done it
You acted irresponsibly and crossed the line of what's acceptable.
You hadn't any right
You didn't have the authority or permission to engage in that behavior.
I really shouldn't have let you
I also made a mistake by allowing you to take advantage of the situation.
Kiss me.
You initiated physical contact with me that wasn't warranted.
And although it was wrong
Both of us recognize that what we did was inappropriate.
I never was strong.
I didn't have the willpower to resist your advances.
So as long as you've begun it
Now that you've started down this path.
And you know you shouldn't have done it.
You realize that it was a mistake to begin with.
Oh.
Exclamation to denote intense emotions.
Do it again.
Even though we both understand the error of our ways, we're both tempted to repeat the same actions.
I may say no. no. no. no. no.
I may verbally indicate that I'm against the idea, but my heart is still drawn to you.
But do it again.
In spite of my protests, please engage in the same behavior again.
My lips just ache
My desire for you is so strong that I physically ache for you to kiss me again.
To have you take the kiss
I want you to initiate the kissing action.
That's waiting for you
I'm ready and willing for you to kiss me whenever you want.
You know if you do
You're aware of the effect that you have on me.
You won't regret it
You'll enjoy the experience as well and won't feel any guilt or remorse.
Come and get it.
You have permission to kiss me again.
No one is near
There's no one around to witness our behavior.
I may cry oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh.
I may become emotional at the intensity of the situation.
But no one can hear.
Fortunately, we're alone so no one can hear me cry out.
Mamma may scold me
If my mother found out what we're doing, she would disapprove and reprimand me for it.
'Cause she told me
My mother gave me guidance on what's appropriate behavior and what isn't.
It was naughty but then
We both recognize that our actions are not considered appropriate or moral, but we're still giving in to our desires.
Please,
I'm pleading with you to continue to engage with me in this activity.
Do it again.
I crave the physical contact, even if it's not the right thing to do.
Yes do it again. And again and again and again and again and again
I want to keep repeating this behavior and can't seem to stop myself from giving in to our mutual desires.
Turn out the light.
To add to the intimacy of the situation, let's turn off the light.
And hold me close
I want to feel your arms around me during our intimate moment.
In your arms.
I want to feel safe and protected in your embrace.
All through the night.
I want to spend the entire night in your embrace, continuing our physical interaction.
I know tomorrow morning
I'm aware that our time together is finite and will come to an end soon.
You will say
You'll have to leave once our tryst is over.
Goodbye and Amen.
Our time together will be over and there will be no more physical interaction between us.
But until then
For now, we can continue our intimate moment together.
Please do it again.
I'm begging you to continue our physical interaction, even though we both know it's wrong.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ruby Raff, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind