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.
Nothin' for Christmas
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Poor little Eartha is sad
I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas
'Cause I didn't wanna be bad
Jim promised me a sable coat
Just for a little kiss
A diamond ring and motorboat
He said "I'll buy out the stores
Everything I have is yours
I will be your Santa Claus
Just for a little kiss"
I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas
My little Jimmy is mad
I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas
'Cause I didn't wanna be bad
Jack promised me a ruby clip
Just for a tiny squeeze
A wardrobe plus a Paris trip
Just for a tiny squeeze
He said, "Dear be nice to me
And on Christmas Day you'll see
Presents 'round your Christmas tree
Just for a tiny squeeze"
But I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas
My little Jackie is mad
I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas
'Cause I didn't wanna be bad
I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas
'Cause I didn't wanna be bad
So take my advice
I think you should
It's good to be good
But not too good
Or you'll get
Nothin' for Christmas
Eartha Kitt's song "Nothin' for Christmas" is a humorous and satirical take on materialism and the commercialization of Christmas. The song tells the story of a young girl named Eartha who is disappointed because she is not receiving any gifts for Christmas. The reason why she is getting nothing is that she refused to give in to the advances of two men who offered her expensive gifts in exchange for her affection.
The two men, Jim and Jack, promised Eartha lavish presents, such as a sable coat, diamond ring, motorboat, ruby clip, wardrobe, and Paris trip, all in exchange for just a kiss or a squeeze. Eartha refused to comply, knowing that true love cannot be bought. However, Jim and Jack were angry that Eartha did not give them what they wanted, so they decided to withhold the promised gifts.
Eartha ends the song by giving advice to her listeners, warning them not to be too good or they will end up like her, with "nothin' for Christmas". It is a clever critique of the materialistic attitudes that often prevail during the holiday season, encouraging listeners to prioritize relationships and love over material possessions.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas
Eartha is extremely sad and disappointed that she is not getting any Christmas presents.
Poor little Eartha is sad
Eartha is feeling unhappy, despondent and pitiful.
'Cause I didn't wanna be bad
She did not intend to behave indecently or rudely, causing her to receive no gifts.
Jim promised me a sable coat
Just for a little kiss
Jim offered to give Eartha many expensive items in exchange for a single kiss.
A diamond ring and motorboat
Just for a little kiss
In addition to the sable coat, Jim also offered Eartha a diamond ring and a motorboat in return for a single kiss.
He said "I'll buy out the stores
Everything I have is yours
I will be your Santa Claus
Just for a little kiss"
Jim assured Eartha that if she kissed him, he would fulfill all her wishes, buy her everything she wanted, and act as her personal Santa Claus.
My little Jimmy is mad
Eartha's dear friend Jimmy is upset and displeased with her because she did not give him the kiss he wanted in exchange for the promised gifts.
Jack promised me a ruby clip
Just for a tiny squeeze
Jack offered to give Eartha a ruby clip in exchange for a simple squeeze.
A wardrobe plus a Paris trip
Just for a tiny squeeze
Jack also promised to give Eartha a full wardrobe and a trip to Paris if she squeezed him.
He said, "Dear be nice to me
And on Christmas Day you'll see
Presents 'round your Christmas tree
Just for a tiny squeeze"
Jack encouraged Eartha to be gentle with him, promising that if she did, he would reward her by placing many presents under her Christmas tree.
My little Jackie is mad
Eartha's close companion Jackie is angry and dissatisfied with her because she did not squeeze him as he desired.
"But I'm gettin' nothin' for Christmas
'Cause I didn't wanna be bad
Eartha did not meet the expectations of Jim and Jack, leading her to receive nothing for Christmas, despite the fact that she remained well-behaved throughout the year.
So take my advice
I think you should
It's good to be good
But not too good
Or you'll get
Nothin' for Christmas
Eartha suggests that it is good to be good, but not too good, or one may end up receiving nothing for Christmas.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: Roy C. Bennett, Sid Tepper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind