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.
Where Is My Man
Eartha Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want to be alone where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone where is my man?
My list of needs is really quite brief
I need a man who can bring my relief
From all the stress and strains of the day
I need a man who can take me then taunt me and make me
Buy the things I so richly deserve
A man who knows what I require
Is the thing that I desire
Is there anyone out there who has the nerve?
I don't want to be alone where is my baby?
I don't want to be alone where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone where is my man?
Where is my baby? He cant be far
Look for an ascot, a big cigar
Tell him to find me just send his car
To this address I have to stress, I need him now
Where is my baby when will he start?
To use his Visa right to my heart
Ill give him Carte Blanche baby be smart
Drop your amount in my account
But do it now
I don't want to be alone where is my baby?
I don't want to be alone where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone where is my man?
The kind of man that I adore
Is the kind of man that gives me more
Of all the better things in life that aren't free
Such things as summer by the sea
The Hamptons, Malibu, Capri
The kind of man who comes alive when he comes near Rodeo Drive
Is the kind of man who wins my heart with style and class
You know I've tried some other men
The kind with zeros, less than ten
But every time I grab the ring its always brass
I don't want to be alone where is my baby?
I don't want to be alone where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone where is my man?
In Eartha Kitt's song "Where Is My Man," the lyrics express the singer's desire for a man who can provide her with the finer things in life. The song starts with the refrain "I don't want to be alone, where is my baby?" The singer then proceeds to describe her list of needs, which include a man who can afford to take her to Cartier and lavish her with gifts. She expresses her frustration with waiting by the phone, and her anxiety manifests in her habit of chewing her fingers to the bone. She then lists some specific qualities that she wants her man to possess, such as sophistication and an affinity for Rodeo Drive. The song ends with a final refrain of "I spend hours by the phone, where is my baby?"
Interpreting this song, it bears a superficial resemblance to a lament about loneliness, but it's important to pay attention to the lyrics that follow the refrain. The singer is not necessarily longing for companionship or love; rather, she is looking for a specific type of affluent man who can shower her with gifts and material luxuries. The singer's criteria for the perfect man reveal her values and worldview, which place a high priority on wealth and status. Essentially, she is looking for a man who can sublimate her anxieties about material insecurity and ennui.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to be alone where is my baby?
I am longing for the company of my man, where could he be?
I spend hours by the phone where is my baby?
I wait by the telephone hoping to hear from my man, but he doesn't call.
I chew my fingers to the bone where is my man?
I am anxious and worried about my man's whereabouts.
My list of needs is really quite brief
I don't have many requirements in a man.
I need a man who can bring my relief
I am looking for a man who can make me feel comfort and ease.
From all the stress and strains of the day
I want my man to take away the burden and pressure of my day-to-day life.
With just a tiny stroll thru Cartier
With a small visit to the store Cartier, he can make me happy.
I need a man who can take me then taunt me and make me
I am seeking a man who can tease me and stimulate me emotionally and intellectually.
Buy the things I so richly deserve
Purchase things for me that I believe I deserve due to my class and status.
A man who knows what I require
I expect my man to know what makes me happy and fulfilled.
Is the thing that I desire
I crave a man who understands me completely.
Is there anyone out there who has the nerve?
Is there somebody daring enough to be my man and satisfy my needs?
Where is my baby? He cant be far
My man is somewhere nearby, and he is reachable.
Look for an ascot, a big cigar
He can be recognized by his ascot and the cigar he smokes.
Tell him to find me just send his car
Ask him to come to me immediately in his luxurious car.
To this address I have to stress, I need him now
My address must be conveyed so that he knows where to find me, and I need him to come to me immediately.
Where is my baby when will he start?
I wonder where my man is, and when he will come to me.
To use his Visa right to my heart
He can capture my heart by splurging his money on me using his Visa credit card.
Ill give him Carte Blanche baby be smart
I will let him have control and freedom over my life if he is smart enough to satisfy my needs.
Drop your amount in my account, but do it now
He must deposit money into my account immediately if he wants to be with me.
The kind of man that I adore
The man I love and admire.
Is the kind of man that gives me more
The man who offers me more in life.
Of all the better things in life that aren't free
Happiness such as vacations in luxurious places is not free.
Such things as summer by the sea
For instance, the comforts of summer near the sea.
The Hamptons, Malibu, Capri
High-end and expensive places I want to visit with my man.
The kind of man who comes alive when he comes near Rodeo Drive
I want a man who becomes vibrant and energized when he's near Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills.
Is the kind of man who wins my heart with style and class
A man with elegance and class wins my heart.
You know I've tried some other men
I have been with other men in the past.
The kind with zeros, less than ten
I've been with men who didn't have much money.
But every time I grab the ring its always brass
Every time I expect to receive something precious or valuable, I always end up getting something useless or worthless.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JACQUES MORALI, BRUCE VILANCH, FREDERICK ZARR, FREDERICK I ZARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mediolanumhibernicus3353
How does she do it?
She is truly phenomenal and mesmerising.
One tries to analyse, but to no avail.
The melody is simple, idem the text.
The vocal range is modest, the video rudimentary,
And yet, and yet…..
This is the power of charisma, the force of personality.
This lady is a force of nature, a sensual tornado.
Nobody, but nobody else could bring off this song.
Wonderful, wonderful Eartha!
@michaelmorningstar2700
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone, where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man?
My list of needs is really quite brief
I need a man who can bring my beliefs
From all the stress and strains of the day
With just a kind stroke to Cartier
I need a man who can take me then taunt me and make me
Buy the things that I so richly desire
A man who knows what I require
The things that I desire
Is there anyone out there who has the nerve?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone - where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man
Where is my baby? He can't be far.
Look for an Ascot, a big cigar
Tell him to find me
Send his car to this address I have to stress I need him now.
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone, where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man?
The kind of man that I adore's the kind of man that gives me more
Of all the better things in life that aren't free.
Such things as summer by the sea
The Hamptons, Malibu, Capri.
The kind of man who comes alive
When he comes near Rodeo Drive
Is the kind of man who wins my heart with style and class.
You know I've tried some other men
The kind with zeros less than ten
But every time I grab the ring it's always brass.
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone, where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
I spend hours by the phone, where is my baby?
I chew my fingers to the bone, where is my man?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my baby?
I don't wanna be alone, where is my man?
@melodiesproul4109
She truly was a freak of nature, from her unique voice to her unique artistry. She is missed by many. <3
@AhnkAton
Melodie Sproul: hmm something not quite right - can’t put my finger on it though.Do real women look like that?Amazing songstress though...🎭
@melodiesproul4109
Look at other pics of her, especially in her younger years. She was very beautiful.
@garyjones1688
She I found out I was sad
@kapple654
orson Welles of earth kitt: "she is probably the most exciting woman in the world:"
@howardbianchi9371
Poor video, recording sounds tad slow lacks energy of 12".
@joetye6054
Went to a vinyl market yesterday, picked this track randomly out of nowhere. Such a tuneeeeee. RIP Eartha Kitt you’ll be missed
@talkingtreefrombugaboocree4847
Love that!
@colleenflattery4755
I found it through Grandpa. Someone dropped it in the trash and he found it. So glad I listened to that first in the other record pile
@davipimentel2585
Que mulher!!! Que voz!!! Além de tudo uma artista que faz muita falta nos dias de hoje. Sensual sem nenhuma vulgaridade. Aprenda Annita....