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.
Mountain High Valley Low
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
mountain high, valley low.
My love follows you until the last,
lightening fast, turtle slow.
Journey to the north star,
south winds blow my thoughts to you.
If you need me i will be near by,
mountain high, valley low.
lantern gay, willow sad.
Spring will stroll out meadow everyday,
winter gray, summer glad.
When your hair turns snow white,
you will find me by your side.
I'll be with you though I'll fortune sway,
lantern gay, willow sad.
If you need me I will be nearby,
mountain high, valley low.
My love follows you until the last,
lightening fast, turtle slow.
Go in search of new moons,
dreams will bridge the skies to you.
If you need me I will be nearby,
lantern gay, willow sad, valley low, MOUNTAIN HIIIIIIIGH!
Eartha Kitt’s Mountain High Valley Low, released in 1965, is a song about undying, unconditional love that remains constant over time and distance. The hook of the song, “If you need me I will be near by, mountain high, valley low,” reinforces the idea that the singer will be there for their loved one no matter what.
The lyrics reference the seasons, indicating that the love portrayed in this song is everlasting, as love continues to flourish through all the changes of Life. The mention of lanterns and willows highlights contrasting emotions, like happiness and sadness, indicating that the love spoken of in the song is for all moments of happiness and joy as well as the sad, lonely moments in life.
The song also references the idea of distance and separation, indicating that although the singer’s love will always be there, they may not be close geographically. Nevertheless, through dreams and thoughts, the singer’s love will bridge the distance between them.
Overall, Mountain High Valley Low is a love song that captures the essence of a love that transcends time and space, conveying the message that true love endures, no matter what happens.
Line by Line Meaning
If you need me I will be near by,
I am always ready to be here for you when you need me, no matter the circumstances.
mountain high, valley low.
No matter where you go, I will always be there for you, through the highs and the lows.
My love follows you until the last,
My love for you is unwavering, and it will be with you until the very end.
lightening fast, turtle slow.
My love will always be with you, regardless of the speed of life's changes or challenges.
Journey to the north star,
Even if you undertake a great journey, I will still be there to support you.
south winds blow my thoughts to you.
Even when we are not together physically, my love for you will still reach you through the wind.
I'll be with you though I'll fortune sway,
Even if our fortunes change, my love for you will remain steady and strong.
lantern gay, willow sad.
Regardless of our moods, whether happy or sad, my love for you will remain constant.
Spring will stroll out meadow everyday,
Every day will be a new beginning with opportunities for growth and joy.
winter gray, summer glad.
Even during the dark times, there will still be moments of happiness and hope.
When your hair turns snow white,
Even when we grow old, my love for you will not fade.
you will find me by your side.
I will always be there for you.
Go in search of new moons,
Even when you embark on new adventures, my love for you will continue to shine.
dreams will bridge the skies to you.
No matter where your dreams take you, my love for you will still reach you.
If you need me I will be nearby,
Once again, I will always be here for you when you need me.
lantern gay, willow sad, valley low, MOUNTAIN HIIIIIIIGH!
No matter the circumstances, my love for you will remain steady and strong, from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs.
Writer(s): Edward Hanighan, Raymond Scott Copyright: Consolidated Music Publishers A Div Of Music Sales Corp., Michael H Goldsen Inc.
Contributed by Samuel S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.