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 Wanna Be Evil
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've petted stray dogs, and shied clear of dope
(I've petted stray dogs, and I never mope)*
My smile is brilliant, my glance is tender
But I'm noted most for my unspoiled gender
I've been made Miss Reingold, though I never touch beer,
(I've been named Miss Perseverance year after year,)*
And I'm the person to whom they say, "Your sweet, My Dear."
And the closest I've been to a bar, is at ballet class.
Prim and proper, the girl who's never been cased,
I'm tired of being pure and not chased.
Like something that seeks it's level
I wanna go to the devil.
I wanna be evil, I wanna spit tacks
I wanna be evil, and cheat at jacks
I wanna be wicked, I wanna tell lies
I wanna be mean, and throw mud pies
I want to wake up in the morning
with that dark brown taste
I want to see some dissipation in my face
I wanna be evil, I wanna be mad
But more that that I wanna be bad
I wanna be evil, and trump an ace,
Just to see my partner's face.
I wanna be nasty, I wanna be cruel
I wanna be daring, I wanna shoot pool
And in the theatre
I want to change my seat
Just so I can step on
Everybody's feet
I wanna be evil, I wanna hurt flies
I wanna sing songs like the guy who cries
I wanna be horrid, I wanna drink booze
(I want to be horrid, I want to make news)*
And whatever I've got I'm eager to lose
I wanna be evil, little evil me
Just as mean and evil as I can be
Eartha Kitt's song "I Wanna Be Evil" portrays the image of a woman who has lived a virtuous and conservative life but is now yearning for an exciting and scandalous existence. In the beginning of the song, she boasts about her seemingly innocent past that includes posing for photos, petting stray dogs, and avoiding drugs. However, she clarifies that her most distinctive feature is her gender, which has not been corrupted or spoiled. She has never touched beer and has etchings only behind glass with no proximity to bars. Despite her prim and proper persona, she discloses that she is sick of being pure and not chased and desires to become a devil.
Her desire to lose her innocence is expressed in the subsequent stanzas wherein she craves to be evil and wicked, lie and throw mud pies, drink booze and wake up with a dark brown taste, and be cruel to hurt flies. She longs for dissipation in her face and wants to change her seat in the theatre, so she can step on everybody’s feet. The singer has a burning urge to be bad, trumpet an ace, and shoot pool. Her aspiration is to sing songs like the guy who cries, be horrid, and make news.
Overall, the lyrics of the song depict the character's dissatisfaction with her conservative life and her imaginative transformation into an evil and naughty woman. She wants to become the representation of an evil woman, which is continuously stigmatized by society.
Line by Line Meaning
I've posed for pictures with Iv'ry Soap,
I've taken pictures with pristine products to project an air of cleanliness.
I've petted stray dogs, and shied clear of dope
I've shown compassion to the less fortunate, and avoided any temptations of bad habits.
My smile is brilliant, my glance is tender
I have a warm and welcoming personality which attracts others towards me.
But I'm noted most for my unspoiled gender
I am known for my chaste, pure and virtuous character.
I've been made Miss Reingold, though I never touch beer,
I’ve been rewarded for my hard work and perseverance without consuming or needing any alcoholic beverages.
And I'm the person to whom they say, "Your sweet, My Dear."
People often compliment me on my kind and gentle nature.
The only etchings I've seen have been behind glass,
Art that is deemed as explicit or vulgar is something I have only viewed from a distance and not personally experienced.
And the closest I've been to a bar, is at ballet class.
The most bar-like setting I have attended is for the purpose of dancing ballet.
Prim and proper, the girl who's never been cased,
I am seen as a respectable and decent young woman, who has never been pursued in a romantic or intimate way.
I'm tired of being pure and not chased.
I am bored of always behaving well and not experiencing the excitement and passion of being pursued.
Like something that seeks it's level,
Just like water seeks its level, I am searching for a state of being that suits me better.
I wanna go to the devil.
I want to experience a wicked and immoral lifestyle.
I wanna be evil, I wanna spit tacks
I wish to be intentionally spiteful and aggressive towards others.
I wanna be evil, and cheat at jacks
I aspire to be deceitful and dishonest towards people for my benefit.
I wanna be wicked, I wanna tell lies
I want to be immoral and provide people with false information and claims.
I wanna be mean, and throw mud pies
I want to have a cruel nature and engage in petty conflicts by throwing dirt and insults.
I want to wake up in the morning with that dark brown taste
I want to experience the taste of alcohol and its remnants in my mouth early in the morning.
I want to see some dissipation in my face
I want to experience the wear and tear of a wild and livid lifestyle on my face and body.
I wanna be evil, I wanna be mad
I want to engage in reckless and insane behavior that will shock and displease others.
But more that that I wanna be bad
More than anything else, I want to be viewed and perceived as someone who is immoral and corrupt.
I wanna be evil, and trump an ace,
I want to play games unfairly and win by employing dishonest methods.
Just to see my partner's face.
I want to relish the moment of joy when I can see the disappointment on the face of the person I have cheated.
I wanna be nasty, I wanna be cruel
I want to have a vindictive and ruthless nature and engage in causing harm to others.
I wanna be daring, I wanna shoot pool
I want to engage in activities that I would have avoided in the past for fear of judgment.
And in the theatre, I want to change my seat
I want to act out and show disregard towards the comfort of others in public settings.
Just so I can step on everybody's feet
I want to be intentionally uncomfortable and cause physical pain to others as a form of power.
I wanna be evil, I wanna hurt flies
I want to engage in petty, insignificant abuse and violence towards vulnerable creatures.
I wanna sing songs like the guy who cries
I want to express my pain and sorrow through music just like men do.
I wanna be horrid, I wanna drink booze
I want to engage in unacceptable behavior, in this case, heavy drinking and as a result, appear unpleasant to people.
And whatever I've got I'm eager to lose
Anything that I currently own or possess is available to be lost as a consequence of behaving recklessly.
I wanna be evil, little evil me
I want to embrace a lifestyle of corruption and immorality, even if it is contrary to my character.
Just as mean and evil as I can be
I want to act in the most wicked and immoral way possible.
Writer(s): Raymond Taylor, Lester Judson
Contributed by Ellie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.