<p id=”par-1_46″>Christmas <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>music</a> can be beyond ridiculous when it wants to be. For example, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/taylor-swifts-santa-baby-fails-so-hard.html/?swcfpc=1″>the writer of “Santa Baby”</a> felt the song could embarrass Eartha Kitt. You might think that was because of the song’s suggestive lyrics. However, the songwriter’s concerns had nothing to do with that.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-eartha-kitt-s-santa-baby-was-designed-to-serve-her-limited-range”>Eartha Kitt’s ‘Santa Baby’ was designed to serve her limited range</h2>
<p id=”par-2_59″>Kitt had an unusual and incredible career. She was a jazz singer who performed serious songs. Kitt also played Catwoman on the television show <em>Batman </em>starring Adam West. Her career received new life when she played Yzma in Disney’s cult classic <em>The Emperor’s New Groove</em>. In addition, she was also an activist for the civil rights of Black Americans.</p>
<p id=”par-3_39″>However, she is most known today for her <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-beatles-best-christmas-songs-band-former-members.html/”>Christmas novelty hit</a> “Santa Baby.” People usually don’t associate Christmas — much less Christmas music — with sex appeal. However, Kitt’s signature song filled a need for a sultry Yuletide classic.</p>
<p id=”par-4_98″>The tune was co-written by Philip Springer. During a 2023 interview with <a href=”https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/santa-baby-philip-springer” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Songwriter</a>, he discussed how he penned “Santa Baby.” “All I knew was that [Kitt] really didn’t have much of a range of notes,” he opined. “So I had to watch ‘Santa Baby’ very carefully, so that I didn’t embarrass her by writing notes that she couldn’t really sing. So that was the importance of the commission that I wrote the song for. And that made it so simple. It’s been easy for anybody to record it with or without the music. It’s so simple, ‘Santa Baby.’”</p>
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<iframe title=”Eartha Kitt – Santa Baby (Official Music Video)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/HTCFi4l3nkY?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-writer-of-santa-baby-sold-a-major-momento-for-15″>The writer of ‘Santa Baby’ sold a major momento for $15</h2>
<p id=”par-5_59″>Springer said “Santa Baby” started with its title. “We wrote the song at 222 East 61st Street, New York City, just two songwriters in my beautiful East Side apartment,” he said. “We had the title. That’s all. We sat down with the title and I composed a quick tune to fit the title, and that’s how it got started. </p>
<p id=”par-6_61″>“The music was written in less than ten minutes,” he added. “I had a broken down upright piano in my apartment, and that’s where it was written. I sold it for $15 about a year after we wrote ‘Santa Baby.’” If Springer had kept that piano, he might have been able to sell it years later as a lucrative collector’s item. </p>
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<iframe title=”Santa Baby” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/6tCfIfoPf7Q?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/best-christmas-song-written-murderer.html/”>
The Best Christmas Song Was Written by a Murderer </a>
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</div>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-legacy-of-eartha-kitt-s-song”>The legacy of Eartha Kitt’s song</h2>
<p id=”par-7_45″>Madonna covered the track in 1987. Her version played up the campy tone of the original to the nth degree. Since then, “Santa Baby” has become a standard for female pop singers with sexy public images, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/writer-ariana-grandes-santa-tell-me-said-1-best-christmas-songs-ever.html/”>such as Ariana Grande</a>, Gwen Stefani, and Kylie Minogue.</p>
<p id=”par-8_76″>“Santa Baby” is Kitt’s only song that ever hit the <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/eartha-kitt/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a>. So far, the tune has peaked at No. 20 and remained on the chart for 10 weeks. Two of Kitt’s records reached the Billboard 200 and both featured “Santa Baby.” The first was <em>The Essential Eartha Kitt</em>, which climbed to No. 72 and charted for eight weeks. The other was <em>Platinum & Gold Collection</em>, which reached No. 127 and charted for two weeks.</p>
<p id=”par-9_25″>Kitt was never a juggernaut on the Billboard Hot 100, but “Santa Baby” ensures she will be played on radio stations for decades to come.</p>