Santa Baby

In August 1953, songwriters Philip Springer and Joan Javits were commissioned to write a Christmas song for Eartha Kitt for the upcoming holiday season. ==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. It was pressed as a 7-inch single for wide release, 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". 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. 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. ==Composition and lyrics==

, he came up with the music for "Santa Baby" and completed it within ten minutes.|alt=A color photograph of producer Phillip Springer in a recording studio on the piano. 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 D-flat major with Kitt maintaining a relatively consistent vocal range that spans from A♭3 to A♭4 in scientific pitch notation. 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." ==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. A 2021 YouGov poll in the United States registered it the most annoying Christmas song. ==Commercial performance==

According to Billboard, "Santa Baby" was the best-selling Christmas song of 1953, mostly due to the controversy surrounding it. "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. During the week of December 21, 2012, "Santa Baby" peaked at number 11 on Billboards seasonal Holiday Digital Song Sales chart in the United States. In total, the single has spent 101 weeks ranking on the chart. It also reached the similar Holiday Streaming Songs chart where it peaked at number 6. 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. The Billboard-published Ringtones chart later listed Kitt's version of the song peaking at number 6 in December 2010. According to the German database Statista, Kitt's version of "Santa Baby" has sold 620,000 copies in the United States as of 2014. 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." It had previously reached number 30 on the accompanying UK Singles Downloads Chart in 2006. 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. The British Phonographic Industry later awarded "Santa Baby" a gold certification, signifying certified units of 400,000 copies. 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. "Santa Baby" also charted in Germany and Switzerland and positions 73 in 2018 and 94 in 2019, respectively. ==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. 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. In 2019, Kelly O'Sullivan of Country Living ranked "Santa Baby" at number 56 on her list of the "60 Best Christmas Songs". 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. 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). In later years, it appeared on catalog albums such as Eartha Kitt (1979), At Her Very Best (1981), The Best of Eartha Kitt (1982), Mink Shmink (1989), Eartha-Quake (1993), After Dark (1995), That Seductive Eartha (1996), The Ultimate Collection (1996), Purr-Fect: Greatest Hits (1999), Greatest Hits (2000), Legendary (2001), and Heavenly Eartha (2002). ==Track listings and formats==

United States and Canada 7" single • "Santa Baby" – 3:22 • "Under the Bridges of Paris" – 2:40 United States promotional 10" single • "Santa Baby" – 3:22 • "Under the Bridges of Paris" – 2:40 United Kingdom and Denmark 7" single (1954) • "Santa Baby" – 3:22 • "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" – 3:11 Italy 7" single (1957) • "Santa Baby" – 3:22 • "Thursday's Child" – 4:00 United States 7" limited edition single (1987) • "C'est si bon" – 3:01 • "Santa Baby" – 3:22 ==Charts==

Madonna recorded a cover of "Santa Baby" for the 1987 charity album A Very Special Christmas. It was released on November 12, 1987, by A&M Records. Caroline Framke from the A.V. Club argued that Madonna's version increased the popularity of the song, initiating an "explosion of covers and parodies [to] follow". After the release of Madonna's "Santa Baby" in 1987, the song became licensed and was used in various theatrical releases and television series, such as Driving Miss Daisy (1989), The Sopranos (1999), and Elf (2003). According to Framke from the A.V. Club wrote of the song: "There is no Christmas song more polarizing than 'Santa Baby'". She stated that part of the song's commercial appeal stems from its sexual implications and claimed that although Kitt's version contained sensual vocals, Madonna's version is what "cranked the sex appeal up to 11". In his review for Kansas Pitch, David Cantwell said "Madonna's recording of 'Santa Boy' is so lame that it actually succeeds in making the phrase 'merry Christmas' seem like a contradiction in terms". Xavier Piedra from Billboard included Madonna's version in an unranked list of the top ten best covers of "Santa Baby". His review stated: "This cover from the legendary pop singer is guaranteed to be stuck in your head, and on your holiday playlist, for days." Paris Close, also a writer for Billboard, included the cover in her list of "15 Songs For an LGBTQ Holiday Kiki" and claimed its sex appeal would be enough to "spice up any occasion". Chart performance Many years after its initial release, Madonna's version of "Santa Baby" entered various holiday-centric charts in the United States. On the main Holiday 100 chart, it peaked at number 44 in December 2011 during its fourth and final week. On the Holiday Airplay chart compiled by Billboard, it peaked at number 24 during the week ending December 13, 2003, marking Madonna's first entry on that chart. It spent a total of 11 non-consecutive weeks among the Holiday Airplay chart. In the United States, "Santa Baby" did not enter Billboards Digital Songs chart, but rather the Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart. In 2010, the song peaked at number 46; in total, her cover spent three weeks tallied on the chart. Statista reported in 2014 that Madonna's cover of "Santa Baby" has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States. Charts ==Kylie Minogue version==

Background and release Kylie Minogue originally recorded a cover of "Santa Baby" in 2000. It was used as the B-side to her single "Please Stay", from her seventh studio album Light Years (2000), on select physical releases in 2000. A promotional CD single for "Santa Baby" was distributed by Parlophone in the United Kingdom in December 2000, with "Please Stay" as a B-side. She released a different holiday-themed extended play in Europe titled A Christmas Gift, which featured two tracks from her eleventh studio album Aphrodite (2010) and closed with "Santa Baby". On November 13, 2015, Minogue released her thirteenth studio album, and first Christmas album, titled Kylie Christmas. Her cover of "Santa Baby" was included in the project's track listing with Steve Anderson, the album's executive producer, being attributed as an additional producer. The A.V. Clubs Caroline Framke compared Minogue's cover to Madonna's, suggesting that they channel similar "inner pin-up girl[s]". Commercial performance With the inclusion of streaming data in chart tabulations in the late 2010s, Minogue's version of "Santa Baby" attained most of its commercial success nearly two decades after its initial release. It charted in Australia and various European countries. In the former region, Minogue's cover spent one week on the ARIA Singles Chart. After the release of A Kylie Christmas, "Santa Baby" debuted at number 85 for the week of December 27, 2010; her cover of "Let It Snow", the other track on A Kylie Christmas, charted closely to "Santa Baby" at number 89. In Germany, "Santa Baby" reached number 60 on the German Singles Chart. Minogue's cover later reached number 38 during the week of December 29, 2017, becoming Minogue's fiftieth top 40 entry, collectively. It reached a new peak at number 31 on the chart dated January 1, 2021. It went on to receive a Platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry in December 2021, denoting combined sales and shipments figures of 600,000 copies. Track listing Credits and personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of "Santa Baby". • Kylie Minogueperformer • Joan Javitswriter • Philip Springerwriter • Chong Limproducer, arranger • Steve Andersonvocal production • Doug Bradyengineer, mixer Charts Certifications Release history ==Kellie Pickler version==

Background and release In 2007, American singer Kellie Pickler recorded a cover of "Santa Baby" for the country-themed compilation album, Hear Something Country Christmas. The song was released for digital download and streaming in North and South America on September 18, 2007, through 19 Recordings. Pickler's cover of "Santa Baby" was produced by Blake Chancey and mastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio at The Place... For Mastering studios in Nashville. The key of the song is in G major and Pickler's vocal range advances in the chord progression of G–Em–Am–D. Proceeds from the latter album's sales benefitted Special Olympics. In 2010, Pickler was invited to appear as a guest musical act on the inaugural CMA Country Christmas television special. For the appearance, she performed her cover of "Santa Baby" while dressed in a red dress "and matching gloves". Reception Pickler's cover of "Santa Baby" was frequently labeled a standout by critics. Lea Weatherby from Mic included her version in a playlist of the best country Christmas songs. After listing several other covers of the song, she wrote: "Though Pickler had some pretty big boots to fill, this rendition gives the song the wholesome, southern charm it needed." Eric Cornish from WKDQ liked her cover, calling it hot. Drew also liked the song, finding it to be cute and including it on his annual list of "12 Days of Christmas Music". In 2012, Sterling Whitaker from Taste of Country named Pickler's version as one of the "Top 50 Country Christmas Songs" of all time. He called the song sexy, and sultry, and appreciated the classic-style arrangements. Pickler's cover of "Santa Baby" reached two Billboard charts in the US. On December 8, 2007, the song debuted at number 49 on the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the week's second-highest new entry after Taylor Swift's cover of "Last Christmas" (2007), which debuted at number 48. After rising for five weeks, it peaked at number 33 on the issue dated January 5, 2008. The song's performance was replicated exactly on the Country Airplay chart. On both charts, the song spent a total of six weeks appearing. • Kellie Picklerperformer • Joan Javitscomposer, lyricist • Phil Springercomposer, lyricist • Tony Springercomposer, lyricist • Blake Chanceyproducer • Joseph M. Palmacciomastering Charts Release history ==Taylor Swift version==

Taylor Swift recorded a cover of "Santa Baby" for her first extended play, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (2007). Reception Dan MacIntosh from Country Standard Time liked Swift's cover, calling her version "sexy". Charts ==Michael Bublé version==

Michael Bublé recorded a cover of "Santa Baby" for his seventh studio album, Christmas (2011). Bublé's version made extensive changes to the lyrics, including saying "Santa Buddy", "Santa Pally" and "Santa Poppy" instead of "Santa Baby". The cover has been ranked consistently on lists of worst Christmas songs ever made. Richard Evans from Best Life included Bublé's version of "Santa Baby" in his list of "The Most Hated Christmas Songs of All Time", primarily for the changes in lyrics to ensure "everyone knows he is not attracted to Santa". Steve Eighinger listed Bublé's cover as number 6 on his list of the worst Christmas songs ever made. Composition and structure According to Musicnotes.com, Bublé's version has a time signature with a 12/8 feel and has a moderately slow tempo of 96 beats per minute. The key of the song is in F major, with Bublé's vocal range spanning from A2 to C4 in scientific pitch notation. The song progresses in the chord progressions of F–F/A–C in the first verses, followed by F-F/A-G-C. Charts Certifications ==Ariana Grande and Liz Gillies version==

On November 6, 2013, Ariana 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 "Santa Baby", which features Grande's former Victorious co-star Elizabeth Gillies (credited as Liz Gillies). It was distributed to digital retailers such as Amazon Music on December 10, 2013. Critical reception Grande's version of "Santa Baby" received largely positive reviews from music critics. Jocelyn Vena from MTV enjoyed Grande's take on "Santa Baby", comparing it with Kitt's original version. Carolyn Menyes from Music Times ranked it as the best song on Christmas Kisses, awarding particular praise to its production and Grande and Gillies's chemistry. However, Menyes felt the mix of their vocals together could have been improved. Billboards Piedra described the collaboration as a "fun duet" and an "experience like no other". Chart performance Grande's collaboration with Gillies enjoyed commercial success in several countries, reaching number 36 on the Holiday 100 in the United States. Track listing Charts Certifications ==Trisha Yearwood version==

Background Trisha Yearwood recorded a cover of "Santa Baby" for her collaborative album with husband Garth Brooks, Christmas Together (2016). The project was first unveiled in mid-October 2016 and was billed as the couple's first collaborative album, consisting of a combination of duets and solo works from both Yearwood and Brooks. "Santa Baby" does not feature a guest performance from Brooks but Yearwood is joined by Tania Hancheroff, Jon Mark Ivey, Shane McConnell, Lisa Silver, and Kira Small who provide backing vocals. Brooks' long-time collaborator Mark Miller produced the track. Reception Entertainment Tonights Raphael Chestang wrote that "Yearwood shines on 'Santa Baby'", while a staff member at the Associated Press was glad that Yearwood had fun while recording the track. A writer for KNCI provided a positive review of Yearwood's cover, calling it "fun and flirty". MacIntosh from Country Standard Time agreed, lauding her vocals: "Yearwood sounds like a truly sexy hotty". Christopher Bohlsen from Renowned for Sound, on the other hand, panned the track, claiming that "Yearwood makes the mistake of trying to make Christmas sexy". He also compared it unfavorably to her cover of "Hard Candy Christmas" on Christmas Together, calling "Santa Baby" the weaker of the two songs. In the United States, Yearwood's version of "Santa Baby" was released to adult contemporary radio stations. It reached Billboards weekly Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at number 18 on January 6, 2017. It became her third entry on the chart and second-highest-charting effort after her cover of "Broken" peaked at number 17 in 2016. It also charted on Billboards Country Airplay chart at number 60 during that same week. Charts ==Gwen Stefani version==

Development and release Following the release of her third studio album This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), Gwen Stefani announced in July 2017 that she had plans to release new music by the end of the year. She did not provide further details, but several publications speculated in August 2017 that Stefani's new material would be Christmas-related due to song titles such as "Christmas Eve", "Under the Christmas Lights", and "You Make It Feel Like Christmas" becoming registered on the two music databases, BMI and GEMA. On September 18, 2017, she took to her social media accounts and claimed that she "had something big planned for the holidays", and that more information would follow. The next day, Stefani announced her next studio album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, as well as the track listing, which revealed a cover of "Santa Baby" as the album's ninth track. One week prior to the release of You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Stefani's cover of "Santa Baby" was released as a promotional single. In the United States, Interscope Records released it for digital download and streaming on September 29, 2017. Her cover was engineered by Valentine, mixed by Dave Clauss, and Jonathan Sterling served as assistant engineer. Laura Mace, Monet Owens, and Dolly Sparks provided background vocals for the track with arrangements from Grace Potter. Regarding her decision to cover "Santa Baby" for You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Stefani explained: "I haven't done many covers in my career, but this song feels like a perfect fit. What an extraordinary talent Phil Springer is. Eartha Kitt is so full of personality. This song must have been unbelievably edgy when it came out, and it still is." For the appearance, she wore a sleeveless white gown adorned by a dangly feather boa and sparkly jewelry. The same day, the taping of her mini concert was posted to Stefani's official YouTube channel and her separate Vevo account. The second time Stefani sang "Christmas Eve", she performed it on her Christmas television special ''Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas, which was broadcast to NBC on December 12, 2017. She performed the song ahead of "Christmas Eve" and wore a sparkly Santa Claus-inspired outfit. Stefani was later joined by a Claus lookalike at the end of the performance. Emily Krauser from Entertainment Tonight'' enjoyed the outfit, saying that she "absolutely slay-belled the fashion game" during the special. Reception Piedra from Billboard lauded Stefani's cover, stating that it "works perfectly with her incredibly unique voice". He also placed it within an unranked list of the ten best covers of "Santa Baby". Roberts from the Los Angeles Times also approved of this version, calling it a "thoroughly modern take" and containing elements of both Kitt's version and Madonna's cover. Following its promotional release in the United States, "Santa Baby" entered the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart in the US. On the edition for the week ending October 20, 2017, the song debuted and peaked at number 7, becoming the second-highest new entry from Stefani on that particular chart. Overall, it was her third highest-peaking song and one of sixteen consecutive top 40 hits on the chart. In Canada, Stefani's cover was sent to holiday radio playlists, allowing it to enter the country's Adult Contemporary chart in January 2018. It peaked at number 38, the same week that three other Stefani songs ("You Make It Feel Like Christmas" and her covers of "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas") were ranked on the chart. Track listing Charts Release history ==Kim Kardashian version==

Background and release Kim Kardashian recorded a cover of "Santa Baby" during a season 3 episode of Hulu's The Kardashians show. She released it on December 23, 2024. Her rendition was produced by her brother-in-law Travis Barker, the husband of her sister Kourtney Kardashian. The release marked Kardashian's first new music release since her 2011 debut single "Jam (Turn It Up)". The song was released through Barker's DTA Records and Kardashian's Kimsaprincess, Inc. with distribution by Columbia Records as she performs the song in a "husky whisper". Eddie Fu of Consequence called the cover "awful" and "entirely unremarkable if not for the bizarre and disturbing music video". Music video The short film accompanying the song was released the same day. It was directed by Nadia Lee Cohen and Charlie Denis. The video, conceptualized as eerie house party footage with a glitchy, VHS-tape-like crackling quality, A lit-up nativity is also seen in the background. She smolders in a blue top, beige leggings exposing her underwear and heels on her way to Santa Claus. When she reaches him and runs her fingers up his leg, the seated man moves the video camera away from his face to reveal the Home Alone (1990) star Macaulay Culkin, who stares at Kardashian with a blank expression before the video ends. Brancolini thought that the video "seems to be a clear parody of the excesses of the holiday season. Using a glorified Skims commercial to make their point was probably intentional, though reasonable people can differ on whether making something meta is the same as thing as making it incisive. Unless the point was that just like Skims, consumerism is seductive, and in that sense Kardashian's curves are the perfect narrative vehicle." She also compared it to Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist (1970). Writing for The Cut, Cat Zhang described the video as "sexy housewife of drug lord drops too much valium into her eggnog and crawls dizzily around the house", and wondered about the purpose of the project: "Is this all just an elaborate Skims advertisement or is Kim just a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick? (She nods to The Shining in the film.) Did North watch Home Alone for the first time?" Riley Cardoza of Page Six dubbed the video "bizarre" and compared it with American Horror Story. ==References==