A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| "Santa Baby" | ||||
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| Single by Eartha Kitt and Henri René and His Orchestra | ||||
| from the EP Eartha Kitt | ||||
| B-side | "Under the Bridges of Paris" | |||
| Released | 1953 | |||
| Recorded | 1953 | |||
| Genre | Christmas | |||
| Length | 3:22 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Henri René | |||
| Eartha Kitt singles chronology | ||||
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| Henri René and His Orchestra singles chronology | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| "Santa Baby" on YouTube | ||||
"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.
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[update], Kitt's version had sold more than 620,000 copies, having appeared on her 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, Lindsey Stirling and Trisha Yearwood. Other musicians, including Ariana Grande and Gwen Stefani, released covers of the song as 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 600,000 copies. Madonna's cover has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States and was subject to discussion by many music critics, who believed her version revived the popularity of the song. However, Kitt 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. Michael Bublé's version has been named multiple times as one of the worst Christmas songs ever.
Background
In August 1953, songwriters Philip Springer and Joan Javits were commissioned to write a Christmas song for Eartha Kitt for the upcoming holiday season.[1] The writers had first met in 1950 during Springer's trip to Massachusetts where Javits had sought advice about beginning a career as a songwriter, which he advised against.[2] Their professional relationship resumed three years later when Springer was searching for a new writing partner, he recalled:
I was looking for a new lyric writer, so I asked someone who had a lot of contacts and they suggested Joan Javits, the exact person who I suggested stay out of the industry! She said she was too busy. I asked her if she had ever written a hit and she said hadn’t, so I said, ‘l have. Are you going to tell me that you refuse to write songs with a songwriter who’s done more than you in the business?'[2]
In a 2008 interview, Springer told the interviewer that "Philip and Joan (both ASCAP writers) checked into the song title with the publishers from a company called Trinity Music, owned by BMI. At the time, BMI and ASCAP were entrenched in a 'war,' as Philip described it, so in order to get the song published and settle their differences, they had to create a fictional BMI songwriter who they named Tony Springer."[3]
Recording and release
Kitt recorded the single live with René and his orchestra on October 5, 1953, at a recording studio in New York City.[1] The song was released later that month by RCA Victor in the United States and Canada.[4] To promote the single, the record label purchased page advertisements in Billboard as "1953's Big Christmas Record!"[5] It was pressed as a 7-inch single for wide release,[4] while a promotional 10-inch single was created for airplay.[6] The RCA Victor 7-inch release featured Kitt and René's version of "Under the Bridges of Paris" as the B-side.[4] In the United Kingdom and Denmark, "Santa Baby" was released in 1954 under the label His Master's Voice. On this version, the B-side was Kitt's cover of "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)".[7] Kitt also performed the song in the 1954 film New Faces, after which it was used as the closing track of the extended play Eartha Kitt.[8]
The single received numerous reissues, including in Italy in 1957 when RCA Italiana released a 7-inch single that was paired with B-side "Thursday's Child".[9] The same label also distributed a four track promotional extended play titled White Christmas that same year, featuring Kitt's version of "Santa Baby" as the second A-side.[10] In 1987, Collectables Records released a limited edition 7 inch single of Kitt's "C'est si bon" (1953) paired with "Santa Baby" on the flip side.[11]
In 1960, Kitt recorded a new studio version of "Santa Baby" for her Kapp album Revisited with Maurice Levine as musical director.[12] The album featured new versions of songs she had recorded earlier with RCA Victor. The Kapp version is faster and shorter by about a minute, with more emphasis on orchestration and no vocal accompaniment.[13]
Composition and lyrics
According to the official sheet music for the song at Musicnotes.com, "Santa Baby" is set in common time with a moderately slow tempo of 84 beats per minute. The key of the song is in D-flat major with Kitt maintaining a relatively consistent vocal range that spans from A♭3 to A♭4 in scientific pitch notation.[14] The song contains chord progressions that follow a D♭-B♭m-E♭-A♭ pattern in the verses and whenever she sings "Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight".[14]
Upon completing the lyrical component of "Santa Baby", Philip Springer expressed his dissatisfaction with its content. During a meeting with a group of music publishers in 1953, Springer warned them: "Gentlemen, this is not really the kind of music that I like to write. I hope it's OK. It's the best I could do."[1]
Public reception
In a 2019 poll created by Evening Standard, Kitt's version of "Santa Baby" was voted the ninth "most annoying festive song" by British listeners.[15][16] A 2021 YouGov poll in the United States registered it the most annoying Christmas song.[17]
Commercial performance
According to Billboard, "Santa Baby" was the best-selling Christmas song of 1953, mostly due to the controversy surrounding it.[2] RCA Victor, Kitt's label at the time, referred to the single as "far more than a seasonal success but a further tribute to Eartha's art – for, as each of us desires, she can make every day of the year seem like Christmas".[8] On the US Billboard Best Selling Singles chart, "Santa Baby" debuted at number 16 before rising to number ten the following week, ultimately peaking at number 4.[5] On November 21, 1953, Billboard reported that the single had sold 200,000 copies, which the magazine called surprising: "Unlike many other Christmas tunes it has broken the deejays' 'We won't play Christmas records in November' sound barrier, and has been getting loads of airtime."[18]
"Santa Baby" entered several of the Billboard charts in the twenty-first century. In 2005, the song had its best week on the Digital Songs chart, reaching number 28 in the month of December. It returned to the chart in December 2007, when it re-entered at number 59.[19] During the week of December 21, 2012, "Santa Baby" peaked at number 11 on Billboard's seasonal Holiday Digital Song Sales chart in the United States. In total, the single has spent 101 weeks ranking on the chart.[20] It also reached the similar Holiday Streaming Songs chart where it peaked at number 6.[21] On December 9, 2008, the mastertone recording of "Santa Baby" received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting shipments of 500,000 copies or more.[22] Sony BMG reported that "Santa Baby" is one of the holiday season's most popular ringtones, and that it in addition to six other holiday songs have sold an accumulated 2.3 million units in one year later.[23] The Billboard-published Ringtones chart later listed Kitt's version of the song peaking at number 6 in December 2010.[24] According to the German database Statista, Kitt's version of "Santa Baby" has sold 620,000 copies in the United States as of 2014.[25]
In later years, the track found more success and entered the record charts in several countries other than the United States. According to Springer, the retrospective success of "Santa Baby" was completely unexpected. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said: "I ask myself, ‘How come?' I've written so many songs that, to me, musically are much better than 'Santa Baby', and they're not popular. The answer has to be that 'Santa Baby' has a magic that goes beyond a composer's plans."[1] In Canada, the single reached number 42 on the Canadian Hot 100 in 2023.[26][27] In the United Kingdom, Kitt's version of "Santa Baby" debuted on the UK Singles Chart in 2007, when it hit number 85.[28] It had previously reached number 30 on the accompanying UK Singles Downloads Chart in 2006.[28] The single had its best-performing period on the UK Singles Chart during the 2023 holiday season, when it charted for three weeks and reached its highest peak position to date of number 44.[29] The British Phonographic Industry later awarded "Santa Baby" a gold certification, signifying certified units of 400,000 copies.[30] In France, the single debuted with a peak of number 92 on December 28, 2013; it dropped to 113 the following week but rose to 96 the week after that, marking its last appearance overall.[31] "Santa Baby" also charted in Germany and Switzerland and positions 73 in 2018 and 94 in 2019, respectively.[32][33]
Impact and legacy
Following the mixed reception that music critics gave to "Santa Baby" in 1953, Springer and Javits reworked the song completely for the upcoming year. In 1954, Kitt recorded a new holiday song titled "This Year's Santa Baby", featuring new lyrics but identical songwriter credits.[34] The publishing company who handled the song's legal matters promoted the new release by distributing "Santa Baby"-themed apparel, in addition to releasing country pop and children-specific versions of the song.[1]
Rob LeDonne from Billboard called "Santa Baby" one of the "most recognizable non-traditional yuletide recordings" in a piece commemorating its 65th anniversary.[2] In 2019, Kelly O'Sullivan of Country Living ranked "Santa Baby" at number 56 on her list of the "60 Best Christmas Songs".[35]
On August 4, 1989, Billboard released Christmas Greatest Hits 1935–1954, a collection of 10 popular Christmas tracks in the United States, in which "Santa Baby" was included in the track listing.[36] Kitt has since featured "Santa Baby" on several of her compilation albums in her discography. She also reprised the tune for her seventh studio album, Revisited (1960), and her first live album, Eartha Kitt at Tivoli (1962).[37][38] In later years, it appeared on catalog albums such as Eartha Kitt (1979),[39] At Her Very Best (1981),[40] The Best of Eartha Kitt (1982),[41] Mink Shmink (1989),[42] Eartha-Quake (1993),[43] After Dark (1995),[44] That Seductive Eartha (1996),[45] The Ultimate Collection (1996),[46] Purr-Fect: Greatest Hits (1999),[47] Greatest Hits (2000),[48] Legendary (2001),[49] and Heavenly Eartha (2002).[50]
Track listings and formats
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United States and Canada 7" single[4]
United States promotional 10" single[6]
United Kingdom and Denmark 7" single (1954)[7]
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Italy 7" single (1957)[9]
United States 7" limited edition single (1987)[11]
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