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.
Mink Shmink
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He knew me since I was knee high to a grasshopper
But I evidently didn't give him the right answer because he said to me
Mink, schmink, money, schmoney
Think your hot now don't ya honey
What have you got if you haven't got love?
Silk, schmilk, satin, schmatin
A penthouse high in old Manhattan
Happiness is not a thing that you can buy
It takes loving, lotsa loving from the right guy
Pearls, schmearls, ermine, shmermen
From Jim or Jack or Joe or Herman
That's not enough if you haven't got love
Ring, schming, jewelry, schmellery
Don't you know that's just Tom Foolery?
What have you got if you haven't got love?
Cars, schmars and princes, schminces
With caviar and chicken blintzes
Don't mean a thing if you haven't got love
Love is just a simple thing that you can't buy
You can't get it wholesale, darlin', why try?
Tips, schmips, angle, schmangle
Play around and get entangled
What have you got if you haven't got, haven't got love?
I'll take the Jaguar on the right
In Eartha Kitt's song Mink Shmink, the lyrics highlight the importance of true love over material possessions. The song begins with a phone call from an old friend, who questions the singer's priorities, saying "Mink, schmink, money, schmoney, Think your hot now don't ya honey - What have you got if you haven't got love?" The lyrics quickly dismiss the value of luxurious items, including silk, satin, pearls, and even cars and princes, arguing that these items are meaningless without love. The song ultimately emphasizes that love is the most essential element of happiness, and that material possessions alone cannot fill the void that a lack of love creates.
The song can be interpreted as a social commentary on the wealthy and their misguided priorities, and the potential emptiness and lack of fulfillment that materialism can bring. The lyrics encourage listeners to remember that true love is something money cannot buy, and that in the absence of love, all other worldly goods are ultimately meaningless. Eartha Kitt's performance of the song, with her sultry voice and playful delivery, underscores the lighthearted nature of the message, illustrating that true happiness can be found in the simple things, and that material possessions are ultimately unimportant in comparison.
Line by Line Meaning
A friend of mine called me up not long ago
Not long ago, a friend called me whom I know since my childhood days.
He knew me since I was knee high to a grasshopper
The friend knew me since I was a young girl.
But I evidently didn't give him the right answer because he said to me
I couldn't give a satisfactory answer to my friend's question, and he expressed his disappointment.
Mink, schmink, money, schmoney
The things like mink, money, etc. are of no importance.
Think your hot now don't ya honey
Just because you have these possessions, you think you are superior to others.
What have you got if you haven't got love?
The materialistic things are futile if you don't have love in your life.
Silk, schmilk, satin, schmatin
The things like silk and satin are trivial.
A penthouse high in old Manhattan
Even owning a penthouse in the high-end area of Manhattan doesn't guarantee happiness.
That's not enough if you haven't got love
You need to have love to feel content and happy.
Happiness is not a thing that you can buy
Money can buy comfort and luxury, not happiness.
It takes loving, lotsa loving from the right guy
Love and affection from a genuine person are essential for happiness.
Pearls, schmearls, ermine, shmermen
Things like pearls and ermine fur are insignificant.
From Jim or Jack or Joe or Herman
It doesn't matter who gifted you those things.
That's not enough if you haven't got love
Materialistic things are not enough if you lack love.
Ring, schming, jewelry, schmellery
Jewelry is mere nonsense.
Don't you know that's just Tom Foolery?
It's foolish to prioritize materialistic things over love.
Cars, schmars and princes, schminces
Having cars or even princes is not important.
With caviar and chicken blintzes
Even having fancy food like caviar is of no use if you lack love.
Don't mean a thing if you haven't got love
Materialistic things like cars or luxurious food are are insignificant if you lack love.
Love is just a simple thing that you can't buy
Love is a precious feeling that money can't purchase.
You can't get it wholesale, darlin', why try?
You can't expect to get genuine love easily, so don't bother.
Tips, schmips, angle, schmangle
Material benefits like tips and tricks have no meaning.
Play around and get entangled
It's best to avoid getting involved in a superficial life.
What have you got if you haven't got, haven't got love?
What is the use of having everything without the presence of true love?
I'll take the Jaguar on the right
The singer is not valuing a Jaguar car or any other material possessions; rather, it's just a casual remark.
Contributed by Adrian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
n00se
A friend of mine called me up not long ago
He knew me since I was knee high to a grasshopper
But I evidently didn't give him the right answer
Because he said to me:
Mink schmink, money schmoney
Think your hot now don't ya honey.
What have you got if you haven't got love
Silk schmilk, satin schmatin
A penthouse high in old Manhattan
That's not enough if you haven't got love
Happiness is not a thing that you can buy
It takes loving, lotsa loving from the right guy
Pearls schmearls, ermine shmermen
From Jim or Jack or Joe or Herman
That's not enough if you haven't got love
Ring schming, jewellery schmellery
Don't you know that's just Tom Foolery
What have you got if you haven't got love
Cars schmars and princes schminces
With caviar and chicken blintzes
Don't mean a thing if you haven't got love
Love is just a simple thing that you can't buy
You can't get it wholesale darlin', why try?
Tips schmips, angle schmangle
Play around and get entangled
What have you got if you haven't got, haven't got love?
I'll take the jaguar on the right
Amy Lambert
As a 1st grader in the sixties I watched my teenage sisters dance to 45 rpm records in the dimly lit living room when they were supposed to be "babysitting" me. Peggy Lee's Fever sent them snapping fingers and doing a dance but this Mink Schmink song was my favorite. When they grew up and moved on from it - I filed that 45 rpm into my keepsakes. Still have it. Love you Eartha Kitt.
Potterfanz
I just discovered this artist today. I was familiar with a remix done by a band called kid kasino that I found on an electroSwing album, but I had no idea that it was just an older song with some electronic stuff tossed on it
Amy Lambert
@Potterfanz I think the Black album cover with her in the leopard skin dress called The Greatest Hits is a fantastic album for you to check out and own. I was told it was recorded on film and that is why it is such outstanding audio quality. Ck it out.
Tracy Wragg
Thanks, schmanks for your beautiful and true message Eartha. RIP Miao
n00se
A friend of mine called me up not long ago
He knew me since I was knee high to a grasshopper
But I evidently didn't give him the right answer
Because he said to me:
Mink schmink, money schmoney
Think your hot now don't ya honey.
What have you got if you haven't got love
Silk schmilk, satin schmatin
A penthouse high in old Manhattan
That's not enough if you haven't got love
Happiness is not a thing that you can buy
It takes loving, lotsa loving from the right guy
Pearls schmearls, ermine shmermen
From Jim or Jack or Joe or Herman
That's not enough if you haven't got love
Ring schming, jewellery schmellery
Don't you know that's just Tom Foolery
What have you got if you haven't got love
Cars schmars and princes schminces
With caviar and chicken blintzes
Don't mean a thing if you haven't got love
Love is just a simple thing that you can't buy
You can't get it wholesale darlin', why try?
Tips schmips, angle schmangle
Play around and get entangled
What have you got if you haven't got, haven't got love?
I'll take the jaguar on the right
Carmen Peters
I've loved this song since I was 12....when someone tried to buy me.
Olga Marsh
Fantastic song
Gilbert-Ian Rueda
Love.
oralkongen38
atter en kveld full og alene :)
sorry Charlie
Jewelry schmoolry...😍😂