Santa Baby



"Santa Baby" is a 1953 Christmas song written by Joan Javits (the niece of Senator Jacob K. Javits) and Philip Springer, sung originally by Eartha Kitt. 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.

Original recording
"Santa Baby" was originally recorded by Eartha Kitt with Henri René and his orchestra in New York City, in July 1953. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-5502 (in the United States), and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10728. The song was a huge success for Kitt, and she later said that it was one of her favorite songs to record; she reprised it in the 1954 film New Faces. Also in 1954, Kitt recorded a new version of the song with new lyrics titled "This Year's Santa Baby" to no commercial success; writers listed did not change. Kitt then re-recorded the original song for Kapp Records in 1963, using a more uptempo arrangement.

Legacy
The song has been covered by a number of artists, including Madonna in 1987, and Kylie Minogue. Madonna's rendition for the 1987 charity album A Very Special Christmas was based on the later version of Eartha Kitt released in 1963, ten years after the first release version of the original Kitt recording of the song in July 1953. On the Internet, another recording is commonly attributed to Marilyn Monroe who never actually recorded the song. This version of Kitt's song was performed by Cynthia Basinet in 1997.

Covers
The song has since been covered by several artists, including Kylie Minogue and Ariana Grande.

Kylie Minogue version
Kylie Minogue's version was released in 2000 originally as a B-side to her UK number 10 song "Please Stay". Minogue's version of the track eventually peaked at number 38 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming her 50th UK top 40 single and earning a Silver certification denoting sales and streams of 200,000 units.

Ariana Grande version
On November 6, 2013, Grande announced via Twitter she would be releasing new music each week leading up to Christmas. On the fourth and final week she released a cover of the 1953 classic "Santa Baby", which features Grande's former Victorious co-star Elizabeth Gillies.