Eartha Mae Kitt (January 17, 1927 - December 25, 2008), was an American act… Read Full Bio ↴Eartha Mae Kitt (January 17, 1927 - December 25, 2008), was an American actress, singer, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her 1953 Christmas song Santa Baby. Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world". She took on the role of Catwoman for the fourth season of the 1960s Batman TV series, replacing Julie Newmar who was unavailable for the final series.
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.
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 They Know It's Christmas?
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' by these artists:
Air Supply It's Christmas time, and there's no need to be afraid At…
Band Aid It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid At Christ…
Band Aid (Bono & Adam Clayton) Endlich wieder Weihnachtszeit Die Nerven liegen so schön bl…
Band Aid (Holiday) It's Christmas time, and there's no need to be afraid At…
Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas It's Christmastime There's no need to be afraid At Christmas…
Band Aid 30 It's Christmas time, and there's no need to be afraid At…
Band Aid 30 (Holiday) It's Christmastime There's no need to be afraid At Christm…
Band Aid II It's Christmas time There's no need 2 B afraid At Christma…
Band Aid [1984 Original Version] It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid At Christ…
Bandaid It's Christmas time, and there's no need to be afraid At…
Barenaked Ladies It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christma…
Chino Moreno & Far It's Christmastime, There's no need to be afraid At Christ…
Christmas It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christma…
Christmas Hits & Christmas Songs It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid At Christm…
Christmas Party It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christma…
Christmas Songs It's Christmas time, and there's no need to be afraid At…
Diverse Kunstnere/Band Aid It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christm…
Do They Know It's Christmas It′s Christmas time There's no need to be afraid At Christma…
Family Holiday Singers It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christm…
Far & Deftones It's Christmas time There's no need to be afraid At Christma…
Far & V.A Feat. Chino Moreno It's Christmastime, There's no need to be afraid At Christ…
Far (Featuring Chino Moreno) It's Christmastime, There's no need to be afraid At Christma…
Far feat. Chino Moreno It's Christmastime, There's no need to be afraid At Christ…
gerry scotti It's Christmas time There's no need to be afraid At Christma…
Glee Cast It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid At Christm…
Jul; Band Aid It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christm…
Jul; Band Aid 20 It's Christmas-time There's no need to be afraid At Christ…
Kidz Bop It's Christmas time there's no Need to be afraid at Christma…
KITCHEN - Band Aid It's Christmastime There's no need to be afraid At Christmas…
Midge Ure It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christm…
Nicotine Howie (NICOTINE): It's Christmas time. There's no need to …
Ponas Lyrics: It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid A…
Soft News It's Christmas time, and there's no need to be afraid At…
Studio 99 It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christma…
Temperance (B. Geldof, M. Ure, with alterations by Temperance) It's Ch…
The Christmas Party Singers It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christma…
The Echoing Green It's Christmas time No need to be afraid At Christmas time, …
TV Allstars T's Christmas time There's no need to be afraid At Christmas…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Eartha Kitt:
A Woman Wouldn't Be a Woman (Woman, woman, woman) (Woman, woman, woman) (Woman, woman, w…
African Lullaby Barbra Streisand Streisand Superman Lullaby For Myself Se…
Ain't Misbehavin No one to talk with All by myself No one to walk…
All I Want is All There is and Then Some All I want is all there is and then some All…
All My Life You, you can walk out the door Thinking you won the…
Angelitos Negros Pintor nacido en mi tierra Con el pincel extranjero Pintor…
Annie Doesn't Live Here Any More (Annie, where's Annie, Where, oh where is Annie?) Annie doe…
Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Annie, where's Annie, Where, oh where is Annie?) Annie…
Anything But Love Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
April In Portugal I found my April dream in Portugal with you When we…
Autumn Leaves The falling leaves drift by the window The autumn leaves of…
Avril au Portugal I found my April dream In Portugal with you When we discover…
Beale Street Blues I've seen the lights of gay Broadway, Old Market Street down…
Brother Can You Spare A Dime They used to tell me I was building a dream And…
Brother Can You Spare A Dime? They used to tell me I was building a dream And…
C C'est si bon De partir n'importe où Bras dessus, bras dessou…
C'est Magnifique When love comes in And takes you for a spin, Ooh-la-la-la, c…
C'est Si Bon C'est si bon De partir n'importe où Bras dessus, bras dessou…
C'est si bon (It's So Good) C'est si bon, De partir n'im porte ou, Bras desus…
C'est Si Bon! C'est si bon De partir n'importe où Bras dessus, bras dessou…
Careless Love Love, oh love, oh careless love You've fly through my head…
Cest Si Bon C'est si bon De partir n'importe où Bras dessus, bras dessou…
Cha Cha Heels I'm all dressed up and ready to fall in love. Are…
Champagne Taste Do you wanna take me cruising on an ocean liner…
Chantez Les Bas Down in Louisiana, Louisiana Land of Creole Sues, Patois, Ma…
Chantez Les Bas (Sing ‘em Low) Down in Louisiana, Louisiana - Land of Creole Sues Patois, M…
Close Enough For Love You and I, an unmatched pair Took the time to touch,…
C’est si bon C'est si bon De partir n'importe où Bras dessus, bras dessou…
Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup Darling, je vous aime beaucoup Je ne sais pas, what to…
Dinner for One Please James Dinner for one please, James The Madame will not be…
Do it Again You really shouldn't have done it You hadn't any right I rea…
Do You Remember I can hear you sighin' Sayin' you'll stay beside me Why must…
Easy Does It easy does it when you take me in your arms tonight squeeze…
Easy to Love I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time In…
Enough You and I, an unmatched pair Took the time to touch,…
God Bless the Child Them that's got shall have Them that's not shall lose…
God Bless' The Child Them that's got shall have Them that's not shall lose…
Heel The one who has me for his own Is on the…
Hesitating Blues Hello Central, what's the matter with this line? I wanna ta…
Hey Jacque Hey, Jacques-- Have you seen Louis? Is he still in Paris? I …
Home for Christmas I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas Poor little Eartha is sad …
How Could You Believe Me How could you believe me when I said I love…
I I've posed for pictures with Iv'ry Soap I've petted stray do…
I Can If I can't take it with me when I go I…
I Can't Give You Anything but Love Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
I Don't Care I don't care what the gossips may say I don't care…
I Love Men Then came the night I was alone Alone Big empty bed all on…
I Wanna Be Evil I've posed for pictures with Iv'ry Soap, I've petted stray d…
I Wanna Be Evil! I've posed for pictures with Iv'ry Soap I've petted stray do…
I Want to Be Evil (Remastered 2001) I've posed for pictures with Iv'ry Soap, I've petted stray d…
I Want to be Evil! I've posed for pictures with Iv'ry Soap I've petted stray do…
I Wantcha Around Pause at the crossings, wait for the light Go to bed…
I Wish You Love Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
I'd Rather Be Burned As A Witch They say that I′m a witch And that I weave a…
I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm do do-do do do do-do) (do do-do do do do-do) The snow…
I've Got You Under My Skin I've got you under my skin. I've got you deep in…
If I Can If I can't take it with me when I go I…
If I Was a Boy If I was a boy I'd know the things a…
ILoveMen Then came the night I was alone Alone Big empty bed all on…
In the Evening In the evening, in the evening Baby, when the sun goes…
In The Still Of The Night In the still of the night As I gaze out of…
It C'est si bon De partir n'importe où Bras dessus, bras dessou…
Je cherche un homme Je cherche un homme, un homme, un homme Un Pierre, un…
Just an Old Fashioned Gal I'm just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned…
Lazy Afternoon It's a lazy afternoon And the beetle bugs are zoomin' And th…
Le Danseur de Charleston Un gentleman un peu noir A une poule dans un bar Offrait…
Let Birds do it, bees do it Even educated fleas do it Let's…
Let%E2%80%99s Do It You really shouldn't have done it You hadn't any right I rea…
Let's Do It Birds do it, bees do it Even educated fleas do it Let's…
Let's Misbehave We're all alone, No chaperon Can get our number, The world's…
Lets Do It Birds do it, bees do it Even educated fleas do it Let's…
Life Made Me Beautiful At Forty I've been through clouds and stormy skies On different world…
Lilac Wine I lost myself on a cool damp night I gave myself…
Lola Lullaby of Birdland, that's what I Always hear when you…
Lola - Lola Lullaby of Birdland, that's what I Always hear when you sigh…
Lola Lola Lullaby of Birdland, that's what I Always hear when you…
Looking for a Boy I am just a little girl Who's looking for a little…
Love Then came the night I was alone Alone Big empty bed all on…
Love for Sale Love for sale, Appetising young love for sale. Love that's f…
Love Is a Gamble I was a humdrum person Leading a life apart When love flew…
Lullaby of Birdland Lullaby of Birdland, that's what I Always hear when you…
Mack the Knife Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear And it shows…
Mambo De Paree Oui Oui When they do the mambo in Paree Ca c' est quelque…
Mink Shmink A friend of mine called me up not long ago He…
Mirage I have this thing where I get older, but just…
Monotonous Everyone gets into a dull routine If they don’t get a…
Moon River Moon River, wider than a mile: I'm crossin' you in…
Mountain High Valley Low If you need me I will be near by, mountain high,…
Mountain High, Valley Low If you need me I will be near by, mountain high,…
My Discarded Man I don't want to be alone where is my baby? I…
My Discarded Men I'd like to tell a little story that's been told time…
My Funny Valentine My funny valentine, sweet comic valentine You make me smile…
My Heart Belongs to Daddy While tearing off a game of golf I may make a…
My Heart’s Delight Why the first thing I want in the morning And the…
My Man I don't want to be alone where is my baby? I…
Never On A Sunday Oh, you can kiss me on a Monday A Monday, a…
Night & Day Like the beat, beat, beat, Of the tom-tom; When the jungle s…
Nobody Taught Me When I was a baby so I've been told I was…
Nothin' for Christmas I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas Poor little Eartha is sad …
Old Fashioned Girl I'm just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned…
Please Do It Again You really shouldn't have done it You hadn't any right I rea…
Santa Baby Santa baby, just slip a sable under the tree for…
Santa Baby (Re-Recorded Version) Santa baby, just slip a sable under the tree, For me. Been…
Santa Baby (Remastered) Eartha Kitt Miscellaneous Santa Baby Santa baby, slip a sabl…
September Song When I was a young man courting the girls I played…
Sho-Jo-Ji Sho sho sho-jo-ji, Sho-jo-ji is a raccoon. He is always hung…
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes They asked me how I knew My true love was true Oh,…
Snuff Out The Light When a woman acquires a certain age And the men who…
Solitude In my solitude You haunt me With dreadful ease Of days gone …
Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell Somebody bad stole de wedding bell Somebody bad stole de we…
Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell (Who’s Got De Ding Dong Somebody bad stole de wedding bell Somebody bad stole de wed…
Somebody Bad Stole The Wedding Bell Somebody bad stole de wedding bell Somebody bad stole de we…
Something May Go Wrong Something may go wrong If you come too close to me Something…
Sous Les Ponts De Paris Sous les ponts de Paris, lorsque descend la nuit, Tout's so…
Speak Low Speak low when you speak, love, Our summer day withers away …
St. Louis Blues I hate to see that evening sun go down I hate…
Strangers in the Starlight We were strangers in the starlight Two hearts passing in the…
Take My Love Take My Love do do-do do do do-do) (do do-do do do do-do) The snow…
The Blues I hate to see that evening sun go down I hate…
The Girl From Ipanema Tall and tan and young and lovely The girl from Ipanema…
The Heel The one who has me for his own Is on the…
The Nearness Of You Its not the pale moon that excites me That thrills and…
There Is No Cure for L'amour There is no cure, For l'amour, Because l'amour Is toujur. Th…
This Is My Life You, you can walk out the door Thinking you won the…
This Year's Santa Baby Santa Baby, I must admit that you were a dear…
Thursday Monday's child is fair of face And Tuesday's child is full…
Too Close For Comfort Be wise, be fair, be sure, be there, behave, beware Be…
Two Lovers I saw two lovers last night Down where the ships put…
Under the Bridges of Paris Sous les ponts de Paris, lorsque descend la nuit Tout's sort…
Uska Dara Üsküdar'a gider iken aldi da bir yagmur 2x Kâtibimin setresi…
Uska Dara (A Turkish Tale) Üsküdar'a gider iken aldi da bir yagmur Üsküdar'a gider iken…
Uska Dara - Üsküdar'a gider iken aldi da bir yagmur 2x Kâtibimin setresi…
Uska Dara - a Turkish Tale Üsküdar'a gider iken aldi da bir yagmur Üsküdar'a gider iken…
Want To Be Evil Prim and proper, the girl who's never been kissed, Well I'm…
What is This Thing Called Love I was a humdrum person Leading a life apart When love flew…
Where Is My Man I don't want to be alone where is my baby? I…
Where Is My Man (Joe T Vannelli Attack mix) I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby? I don't…
Why Can't I Feeling the way I do, I'd like to say "I…
Woman Wouldn (Woman, woman, woman) (Woman, woman, woman) (Woman, woman, w…
Yellow Bird Yellow bird, up high in banana tree Yellow bird, you sit…
You You'll never know just how much I miss you You'll never…
You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To You'd be so nice to come home to You'd be so…
You'll Never Know You'll never know just how much I miss you You'll never…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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ulrich petzinna
One of my favorite Christmas songs. Unforgettable Eartha.
Sunroof King of Houston
Absolutely
Alana F.
Omg she is hilarious! Her little expressions and delivery of the verses were genius. Sure, others have rocked it too, but Eartha Kitt OWNS the shit out of this song!
CAMXMAYA
"Then Madonna sang it"
Omg Yzma vibes. I love her
LandondeeL
There's a reason why Eartha's version gets heavier airplay during the Christmas season than Madonna's. At least Eartha knew the melody!!!!!
Nia the Gulf Gypsy
Adore Eartha!! Truly a one of a kind woman --- She had the perfect mix of pure class combined with wonderfully wicked delivery.
RIP, sweet Eartha! Thank you for the joy your created!
Anthony Natividad
The effortless shade towards Madonna was EVERYTHING!!!! Lol
Twila Davidson
That ending was everything ! Truly talented and limitless
ghiberti
What a great character! A true diva!:) we don't get genuine talent like this anymore.
Mariccus Thomas
LOVE HER ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL ENERGY !!!!