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.
Life Made Me Beautiful At Forty
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On different worlds, all filled with lives
I've traveled through the steams of lovers
And wiped my tears upon their covers
I've lived a life of rogue and queen
And died my hair to fit the scene
I've had my ups, I've had my downs
And sipped champagne with worldly crowns
And ashamed, the shame that knows I should
I've been loved and I've been lied to
And found a few shoulders I could cry to
And all those years I thought life naughty, ah-hah
Should make me beautiful at forty
For life's not been so bad to take
For now I've cut life's golden cake
Into a million tiny squares
And with each piece recall the years
The taste of life has not been so bad
Between the tears and joys I've had
But with some good and a little singing
She always allowed me to get a grin
And all those years I've spent on my youth
Thinking knowledge brought the truth
I know life has her games to play
And puzzles it, crackling play
So, graves are dug and wars are lost
But life goes on at any cost
I do think life has made me wiser
So there is no reason to disguise her
Even tried to rearrange her
She has been fair, I would not change her, hah-hum
She presents me life so simply
In a cup that's almost empty
With a little wine to tease me
But not enough to really please me
And if I drink, and let her take me
She is wise enough to wake me
But only after dreams and visions
Allowing me to see these decisions, ah-hah
All those years I thought life naughty
She made me beautiful at forty
Eartha Kitt's "Life Made Me Beautiful At Forty" is a song about the journey through life and the hardships faced along the way. The lyrics describe a life filled with various experiences, both good and bad. The song highlights the idea that despite the various trials and tribulations that one may face, it is possible to come out on the other side as a stronger and more beautiful person.
Kitt describes her journey through different worlds, and how her experiences have led her to become a different person. She talks about traveling through the steams of lovers and wiping her tears on their covers, as well as living a life of both a rogue and a queen. She acknowledges that she has had her ups and downs and found a few shoulders to cry on along the way. However, she also notes that all those years she thought life was "naughty" have made her beautiful at forty.
The song's chorus talks about how life has not been so bad to take, and how the taste of life has not been so bad between the tears and joys. Kitt acknowledges that life has its games to play and its puzzles to solve, but she also recognizes that life has made her wiser, and there is no reason to disguise or rearrange it.
Overall, "Life Made Me Beautiful At Forty" is a song about the journey through life and the growth that can come from the various experiences and challenges faced along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been through clouds and stormy skies
I have endured many hardships and obstacles in life, like clouds and stormy skies.
On different worlds, all filled with lives
I have experienced life in many different places with diverse people.
I've traveled through the steams of lovers
I have enjoyed and suffered romantic relationships in my life.
And wiped my tears upon their covers
I have cried many times over these relationships and found comfort in the presence of a lover.
I've lived a life of rogue and queen
I have been both rebellious and successful in my life.
And died my hair to fit the scene
I have changed my appearance to fit the environment and culture around me.
I've had my ups, I've had my downs
I have experienced both good times and bad times in life.
And sipped champagne with worldly crowns
I have enjoyed luxuries and riches in my life.
I've been as honest as I could
I have always tried to be truthful and straightforward in my actions and words.
And ashamed, the shame that knows I should
I have felt both shame and regret in my life.
I've been loved and I've been lied to
I have experienced both genuine love and deceit in my relationships with others.
And found a few shoulders I could cry to
I have had supportive people in my life who I could turn to in times of sadness.
And all those years I thought life naughty, ah-hah
I have found life difficult and challenging at times, but it has taught me important lessons.
Should make me beautiful at forty
My experiences in life have shaped me and made me a better person.
For life's not been so bad to take
Overall, life has been good to me.
For now I've cut life's golden cake
I have lived to a mature age and can appreciate the richness of life.
Into a million tiny squares
Life is complex and can be broken down into many small experiences.
And with each piece recall the years
I can reflect on my memories and learn from my past experiences.
The taste of life has not been so bad
The sum of my life experiences has been mostly positive.
Between the tears and joys I've had
My life has had both happy and sad moments.
But with some good and a little singing
I have found joy and hope even in difficult times.
She always allowed me to get a grin
Life has brought me happiness and reasons to smile.
And all those years I've spent on my youth
In my younger years, I believed that knowledge and experience would reveal the truth about life.
Thinking knowledge brought the truth
I used to believe that understanding the world was straightforward and easy.
I know life has her games to play
I now understand that life can be unpredictable and full of challenges.
And puzzles it, crackling play
Life is full of complexities and uncertainties that can be difficult to understand and navigate.
So, graves are dug and wars are lost
Death and conflict are inevitable parts of life.
But life goes on at any cost
Despite the difficulties of life, it continues and we must keep living.
I do think life has made me wiser
Through my experiences, I have gained knowledge and insight into the world.
So there is no reason to disguise her
I have no desire to hide the truth or reality of life.
Even tried to rearrange her
I once tried to change the way I lived my life, but I ultimately learned to accept it.
She has been fair, I would not change her, hah-hum
Life has been just and balanced, and I am content with the way it has turned out.
She presents me life so simply
Life can sometimes seem straightforward and uncomplicated.
In a cup that's almost empty
Life can feel fleeting and transient, like a cup that is almost empty.
With a little wine to tease me
Despite life's challenges, there are moments of pleasure and excitement.
But not enough to really please me
There are times when life's pleasures are not enough to satisfy me.
And if I drink, and let her take me
If I am open to life's experiences and let myself live, I can find happiness and meaning.
She is wise enough to wake me
Life has a way of teaching me important lessons and guiding me towards the truth.
But only after dreams and visions
Sometimes I need to have powerful experiences and insights before I can understand the truth.
Allowing me to see these decisions, ah-hah
Through my experiences, I have learned to make better decisions and live a more fulfilling life.
All those years I thought life naughty
For many years, I struggled to understand the complexities and challenges of life.
She made me beautiful at forty
Through my experiences, I have grown wiser and more understanding, and this has made me a better person.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: EARTHA KITT, JOACHIM KUEHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind