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.
I Can
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just ain't gonna go
If I can't take it with me when I go
I ain't leavin', I know
I've got minks and sables and diamonds and pearls
The things that men give to sweet little girls
I've kissed a little, and sometimes a lot
If I can't take it with me when I go
I just ain't gonna go
If I can't take it with me when I go
I ain't leavin', I know
Love's a luxury, but it makes men relax
And naturally there's a luxury tax
It don't take billions to get me to care
I've even been nice to a poor millionaire
If I can't take it with me when I go
I just ain't gonna go
If I can't take it with me when I go
I ain't leavin', I know
Pictures of Presidents give me a thrill
Especially on a thousand dollar bill
This legal tender brings me so much bliss
It's nice to be tender when it's legal like this
If I can't take it with me when I go
I just ain't gonna go
If I can't take it with me when I go
I ain't leavin', I know
I just ain't gonna go
I just ain't gonna go
Eartha Kitt's song "If I Can’t Take It With Me When I Go" is a satirical take on materialism by showing how a person's possessions and wealth can dictate their life to the point that they refuse to let go of it even in death. Throughout the song, Kitt lists off her belongings, including minks, sables, diamonds, and pearls, as well as her love for money, luxury, and wealth. She states that if she cannot take these things with her when she dies, she won't go. The song highlights how materialism can consume a person's life to the point where the acquisition of wealth becomes the ultimate goal.
Kitt's lyrics are a commentary on the trappings of wealth and how it can overshadow what's truly important in life, such as genuine love and personal relationships. The line "love's a luxury, but it makes men relax, and naturally, there's a luxury tax" is a nod to how love, despite being something that is supposed to be given freely, can become a commodity. While Kitt's message is a critical commentary on greed and materialism in society, she also delivers it with her signature sultry, seductive tone, which contrasts with the serious nature of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
If I can't take it with me when I go
If I can't bring my possessions with me to the afterlife, I won't go
I just ain't gonna go
I refuse to leave behind my belongings
I've got minks and sables and diamonds and pearls
I have expensive clothing and jewelry given to me by wealthy men
The things that men give to sweet little girls
Wealthy men often give expensive gifts to young women to win their affection
I've kissed a little, and sometimes a lot
I have had many romantic relationships, some more physical than others
It took lots of kissin' to get what I've got
I have acquired my wealth and possessions through relationships with wealthy men
Love's a luxury, but it makes men relax
Love is seen as a luxury, but it can make men feel more at ease
And naturally there's a luxury tax
Love often comes with a price, whether financial or emotional
It don't take billions to get me to care
I don't require extravagant gestures to show affection
I've even been nice to a poor millionaire
I have shown kindness to wealthy individuals regardless of their financial status
Pictures of Presidents give me a thrill
I am excited by the sight of images of US Presidents on currency
Especially on a thousand dollar bill
I am particularly fond of high-value bills
This legal tender brings me so much bliss
The money I possess brings me great happiness
It's nice to be tender when it's legal like this
It feels good to spend money legally and without restrictions
I just ain't gonna go
I am determined not to depart this life without my worldly belongings
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAROLD GRANT, MACK DAVID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mediolanumhibernicus3353
How does she do it?
She is truly phenomenal and mesmerising.
One tries to analyse, but to no avail.
The melody is simple, idem the text.
The vocal range is modest, the video rudimentary,
And yet, and yet…..
This is the power of charisma, the force of personality.
This lady is a force of nature, a sensual tornado.
Nobody, but nobody else could bring off this song.
Wonderful, wonderful Eartha!
@michaelmorningstar2700
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone, where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man?
My list of needs is really quite brief
I need a man who can bring my beliefs
From all the stress and strains of the day
With just a kind stroke to Cartier
I need a man who can take me then taunt me and make me
Buy the things that I so richly desire
A man who knows what I require
The things that I desire
Is there anyone out there who has the nerve?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone - where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man
Where is my baby? He can't be far.
Look for an Ascot, a big cigar
Tell him to find me
Send his car to this address I have to stress I need him now.
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone, where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man?
The kind of man that I adore's the kind of man that gives me more
Of all the better things in life that aren't free.
Such things as summer by the sea
The Hamptons, Malibu, Capri.
The kind of man who comes alive
When he comes near Rodeo Drive
Is the kind of man who wins my heart with style and class.
You know I've tried some other men
The kind with zeros less than ten
But every time I grab the ring it's always brass.
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone, where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone, where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
@melodiesproul4109
She truly was a freak of nature, from her unique voice to her unique artistry. She is missed by many. <3
@AhnkAton
Melodie Sproul: hmm something not quite right - can’t put my finger on it though.Do real women look like that?Amazing songstress though...🎭
@melodiesproul4109
Look at other pics of her, especially in her younger years. She was very beautiful.
@garyjones1688
She I found out I was sad
@kapple654
orson Welles of earth kitt: "she is probably the most exciting woman in the world:"
@howardbianchi9371
Poor video, recording sounds tad slow lacks energy of 12".
@joetye6054
Went to a vinyl market yesterday, picked this track randomly out of nowhere. Such a tuneeeeee. RIP Eartha Kitt you’ll be missed
@talkingtreefrombugaboocree4847
Love that!
@colleenflattery4755
I found it through Grandpa. Someone dropped it in the trash and he found it. So glad I listened to that first in the other record pile
@davipimentel2585
Que mulher!!! Que voz!!! Além de tudo uma artista que faz muita falta nos dias de hoje. Sensual sem nenhuma vulgaridade. Aprenda Annita....