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 Wish You Love
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from
simply rotten to something worse
Who knows, some day I will win too.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
Now though I see what our end is,
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
You have a lifetime before you.
I'll adore you, come what may.
Please don't be blue for the present,
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
The song "I Wish You Love" by Eartha Kitt is a hopeful and optimistic message of love from an individual who finds themselves struggling financially. The lyrics describe the difficulties of being broke and the feeling of being cursed by bad luck. The singer states that their luck is changing, but it is changing for the worse. Despite this, the singer holds on to hope that they will someday be successful and able to provide everything their loved one desires. In the meantime, all they have to offer is their love.
The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer acknowledges the tough reality of being broke, but does so in a way that conveys their determination to overcome their financial struggles. The mention of being cursed adds to the idea of hopelessness, but the use of "kid" as an affectionate term makes the statement feel more lighthearted. The chorus, "I can't give you anything but love, baby. That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby," is repeated throughout the song and serves as a reminder that love is the most important thing one can offer in a relationship.
The lyrics also contain a message of patience and perseverance. The singer seems to be reassuring their partner that they will not forget them and will wait for the day when they are able to provide the finer things in life. The line "Rome wasn't built in a day, kid" reinforces the idea that success takes time and effort. The song ends on a note of optimism with the phrase "Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby. I can't give you anything but love," emphasizing the idea that love is enough for now and that better things are to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid.
Being financially down and out is challenging, my dear.
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
It's not a laughing matter, dear, it's a misfortune.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from simply rotten to something worse
My fortune is transforming into something that is not only bad but increasingly worse.
Who knows, some day I will win too.
Perhaps someday, I will also triumph.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
I'll start to reach the peak of my abilities and success.
Now though I see what our end is,
However, now I realize what our future looks like.
All I can spend is just my time.
All I can offer right now is my time.
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
Darling, the only thing I can offer you is my affection.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
That's the only thing I have in abundance, my love.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
Let's dream and plan together for a while.
We're sure to find
I'm positive that we'll discover.
Happiness and I guess
Joy and, I'd say,
All those things you've always pined for.
All those desires you've forever longed for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
I'd love to see you dazzling, my sweet.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Woolworth doesn't have diamond bracelets, my love.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
Until that fortunate moment, you're well aware, dear.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
Remember, dear, that Rome wasn't constructed in one day.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
You have to invest to receive, dear.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
However, I am prepared to be patient, love.
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
I will not forget, dearest, that you're my companion.
You have a lifetime before you.
Dearest, you have your entire existence ahead of you.
I'll adore you, come what may.
I will love you, no matter what happens.
Please don't be blue for the present,
Please don't be sorrowful at the moment,
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
When it's so lovely to hear you speak
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
Darling, the only thing I can offer you is my affection.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
That's the only thing I have in abundance, my love.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
Let's dream and plan together for a while.
We're sure to find
I'm positive that we'll discover.
Happiness and I guess
Joy and, I'd say,
All those things you've always pined for.
All those desires you've forever longed for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
I'd love to see you dazzling, my sweet.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Woolworth doesn't have diamond bracelets, my love.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
Until that fortunate moment, you're well aware, dear.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind