The True Story of 'Santa Baby': How Joan Javits Created the World’s Most Playful Christmas Classic
That woman is Joan Javits, a witty young lyricist from New York’s Brill Building scene. One winter evening in 1953, Joan was sitting in a Broadway theater with her agent when she overheard a record executive in the next seat. He was desperate for a “sexy Christmas song” for Eartha Kitt — by morning.
Joan leaned over and said, “What about Santa Baby?” The executive’s eyes lit up. “Go write it now!” he told her. Joan left the theater immediately, took a cab to her songwriting partner Phil Springer’s apartment, and wrote through the night. By dawn, the song was finished.
When Eartha Kitt recorded Santa Baby later that year, it caused a sensation. The lyrics — openly asking Santa for diamonds, yachts, and Tiffany decorations — were considered daring and risqué for the time. When Kitt performed it at the White House before visiting European royalty, the scandal only boosted sales. What began as a quick commission became a cultural icon.
“People know the song, but they don’t know the woman who dreamed it up,” says her daughter, Eloise. “My mother overheard that conversation, spoke up with confidence, and created an anthem of sly innuendo and wit that has lived on for seventy years.”
The song’s cultural journey is remarkable: from a rushed B-side commission to a holiday standard, covered by generations of stars and appearing on merchandise every Christmas season. Today, Santa Baby remains Eartha Kitt’s signature recording — and Joan Javits’s most enduring creation.
Beyond Santa Baby, Joan Javits wrote Lovin’ Spree, Crazy Mixed-Up Song, was lyricist for the Broadway production Young Abe Lincoln, collaborated with Marty Robbins, and developed the Broadway-bound Solomon and She, featured in The New York Times with Metropolitan Opera star George London.
At 97, Joan Javits is finally receiving recognition for her cheeky, clever voice — the true creator of Santa Baby, and a trailblazer who brought wit and daring into American pop culture.
About Joan Javits
Joan Javits is a lyricist, playwright, and songwriter best known as the creator of the lyrics to Santa Baby. Born in New York City, she was one of the earliest women to break into the Brill Building songwriting scene. Her works include Santa Baby, Lovin’ Spree, Crazy Mixed-Up Song, Young Abe Lincoln, and the Broadway-bound Solomon and She. She is the niece of U.S. Senator Jacob K. Javits and remains a celebrated voice in American popular music.
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