SANTA
BABY
EARTHA
KITT
SONGWRITERS: FRED
EBB; JOAN JAVITS & PHILIP SPRINGER
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: SANTA BABY
LABEL: RCA VICTOR
GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG
YEAR: 1953
Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January
17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer, actress, dancer,
comedienne, activist, author, and songwriter known for her highly distinctive
singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon"
and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby",
both of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard
Hot 100. Orson
Welles once called her the "most
exciting woman in the world".
Kitt began her career in 1942 and appeared in
the 1945 original Broadway theatre production of the musical Carib Song. In the early 1950s, she had six
US Top 30 hits, including "Uska Dara"
and "I Want to Be Evil". Her other notable
recordings include the UK Top 10 hit "Under the Bridges of Paris" (1954),
"Just an Old Fashioned Girl" (1956)
and "Where Is My Man" (1983). She
starred as Catwoman in the third and final season of the television series Batman in 1967.
In 1968, her career in the U.S. deteriorated
after she made anti-Vietnam War statements at a White
House luncheon. Ten years later, she made
a successful return to Broadway in the 1978 original production of the musical Timbuktu!,
for which she received the first of her two Tony Award nominations. Her second was for the 2000 original production of the
musical The Wild Party. Kitt wrote three
autobiographies.
Kitt found a new generation of fans through
her roles in the Disney films The Emperor's New Groove (2000), in
which she voiced the villainous Yzma,
and Holes (2003). She reprised the role as Yzma in the direct-to-video sequel Kronk's
New Groove (2005), as well as the animated
series The Emperor's New School (2006–2008).
Her work on the latter earned her two Daytime Emmy Awards.
She posthumously won a third Emmy in 2010 for her guest performance on Wonder Pets!.
"Santa Baby" is a song performed by
American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits
and Philip Springer,
who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer in an attempt to speed up the song's publishing
process. Lyrically, the song is a tongue-in-cheek look at a Christmas list addressed to Santa Claus by a woman who wants extravagant gifts such as sables,
yachts, and
decorations from Tiffany's.
The lyrical content of "Santa Baby"
proved controversial, resulting in temporary bans of the song in the Southern
United States. Music critics gave mixed reviews to the single,
with some calling it too suggestive for a holiday-themed song. Springer was
initially dissatisfied with "Santa Baby" and called it one of his
weakest works. It has since been included on lists of both the best and worst
Christmas songs ever written.
In the United States, "Santa Baby"
became the best-selling Christmas song of 1953 and found more success,
retrospectively, when it entered various component charts by Billboard in the 2000s and 2010s. Elsewhere, it peaked on the record charts in Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. As
of 2014, Kitt's version has sold more than 620,000 copies, having appeared on
Kitt's self-titled and first extended play in 1954.
"Santa
Baby" has been parodied, referenced, and featured in various films and
television series. It has also been covered by many artists,
such as Madonna,
Kylie Minogue,
Taylor Swift,
Michael Bublé,
and Trisha Yearwood.
Other musicians, including Ariana
Grande and Gwen Stefani,
released covers of the song as commercial singles. Many of the cover versions
experienced major commercial success, with Minogue's version reaching the top
40 of the UK Singles Chart and selling over 400,000 copies. Madonna's cover has sold 270,000
copies in the United States and was subject to discussion by many music
critics, who believed her version revived the popularity of the song. Kitt,
however, disliked Madonna's association with the track. Grande's
cover was released as a duet with Elizabeth
Gillies and managed positions on charts in
several countries such as Australia, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
Santa Baby, just slip
a sable under the tree, for me
I've been an awful good girl
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
Santa Baby, a fifty-four convertible too, light blue
I'll wait up for you dear
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
Think of all the fun I've missed
Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed
Next year I could be just as good
If you'd check off my Christmas list
Santa Baby, I wanna
yacht and really that's
Not a lot
I've been an angel all year
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
Santa honey, one little thing I really need, the deed
To a platinum mine
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
Santa cutie, and fill my stocking with a duplex, and checks
Sign your 'X' on the line
Santa cutie, and hurry
down the chimney tonight
Come and trim my Christmas tree
With some decorations bought at Tiffany's
I really do believe in you
Let's see if you believe in me
Santa Baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring
I don't mean a new phone
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry down the chimney tonight
Hurry down the chimney tonight.
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