Some Christmas songs are more controversial than others
I bet you thought this was going to be about "Baby, It's Cold Outside," but no. Not tonight. Tonight we're spotlighting "Santa Baby," written by Philip Springer and Joan Javits, which was controversial enough when it came out in 1953 to be banned by some stations, because--*gasp!*--it was too sexy. (One wonders what those stations would have made of, oh, say, "WAP"...ah, well, autre temps and all that.)
Here's a cover by Kelly Clarkson singing "Santa Baby," full dressed and doing nothing untoward to her mike:
Video posted by The Kelly Clarkson Vault
"Santa Baby" was another of the Christmas classics written to order--in this case, it was a record company wanting a Christmas number for Eartha Kitt, who surprised absolutely no one when she later titled her memoir Confessions of a Sex Kitten. Philip Springer, who had written a few hits by then, and Joan Javits, a Brill Building staff writer, came up with a list for Santa from "an awful good girl," which ends up with the flourish of "one little thing / a ring / I don't mean on the phone."
While the song is on record as being written by Tony Springer, Philip Springer, and Joan Javits, Tony Springer was Philip's brother, and Discogs somewhat Delphically says that "[i]n order to circumvent the rules of...BMI and get their...song published, Philip Springer and Joan Javits (who were both ASCAP members) credited Tony (who was associated with BMI) as co-writer for the song." In any case, both Tony and the actual composer, Philip are Jewish. Joan Javits is harder to pin down, but what sources I could find agree that she, too is Jewish.
And because I can't resist...
Video posted by TOTP AGY
Here's a cover by Kelly Clarkson singing "Santa Baby," full dressed and doing nothing untoward to her mike:
"Santa Baby" was another of the Christmas classics written to order--in this case, it was a record company wanting a Christmas number for Eartha Kitt, who surprised absolutely no one when she later titled her memoir Confessions of a Sex Kitten. Philip Springer, who had written a few hits by then, and Joan Javits, a Brill Building staff writer, came up with a list for Santa from "an awful good girl," which ends up with the flourish of "one little thing / a ring / I don't mean on the phone."
While the song is on record as being written by Tony Springer, Philip Springer, and Joan Javits, Tony Springer was Philip's brother, and Discogs somewhat Delphically says that "[i]n order to circumvent the rules of...BMI and get their...song published, Philip Springer and Joan Javits (who were both ASCAP members) credited Tony (who was associated with BMI) as co-writer for the song." In any case, both Tony and the actual composer, Philip are Jewish. Joan Javits is harder to pin down, but what sources I could find agree that she, too is Jewish.
And because I can't resist...
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