J Paul Johnson
Even well into his nineties, Philip Springer can command attention. In fact, just a few years ago he went viral: a short clip of the nonagenarian composer playing “Moonlight Sonata” with calm, grace, and poise provided a soothing balm in those uncertain days of the coronavirus pandemic. Back then, live performance was rare and sorely missed, and his daughter, filmmaker Tamar Springer, captured a brief moment—he played the song for her for her birthday—that resonated with hundreds of thousands of appreciative viewers on social media.
That brief moment in the spotlight reminded many that Springer was, famously, the co-composer of the beloved Christmas hit “Santa Baby” back in 1953, a song covered and re-recorded every year since and a perennial favorite. It was one highlight from a long career that featured many, and now, in the short documentary film More Than Santa Baby, Springer’s daughter filmmaker Tamar charts the life, career and music of her father, guiding viewers through his inspiring story of more than eight decades years in music history.
One thing More Than Santa Baby makes clear is that, as the title says, there is more to Philip Springer than just his biggest hit. Educated at Columbia College (where he wrote for school “Varsity Shows”), New York University (studying baroque counterpoint), and much later UCLA (where he earned his PhD), Springer had a long, if uneven, career in music. His compositions, even aside from “Santa Baby,” were recorded by nearly every great of the 1950s and ’60s, among them Frank Sinatra (“How Little it Matters) How Little We Know”) , Judy Garland (“Heartbroken”), Cliff Richard “(The Next Time”), Frankie Laine (“Moonlight Gambler”), Dusty Springfield (“All Cried Out”), Elvis Presly (“Never Ending”), Aretha Franklin (“Her Little Heart Went to Loveland”), and more.
With a mix of intimate interviews, archival footage, and rare recordings, Tamar Springer’s film More Than Santa Baby charts the elder Springer’s journey through what we know now to be a “Golden Age” of American songwriting, first the vibrant Tin Pan Alley of the 1940s, where Springer first honed his craft, to the prolific and professional New York studio scene of the 1950s and 1960s. There were disruptive forces along the way, the emergence of rock and roll not the least of them—but Springer’s career withstood these challenges and went from there to 1970s Hollywood and later, electronic music.
At the center of his career, and at of the film itself, of course, stands “Santa Baby,” first composed for Eartha Kitt but now timeless. (Like with many of Springer’s, it was a collaboration, this one with lyricist Joan Javits.) Its risqué lyrics listing a sugar baby’s Christmas wants from a slightly-naughty Santa perfectly contrasted with the sincerity and schmaltz of most holiday fare and made for a big hit for Kitt. Springer was nonplussed, calling it at one time one of his weakest efforts, but it was the biggest holiday hit of 1953 and has never left the public imagination, being featured in films and television shows every generation since.
In fact, Tamar Springer begins More Than Santa Baby with a nifty montage mashing up a number of the song’s famous (and some less-famous) cover versions, from Kitt and then Cher and, more recently, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood, RuPaul, Christina Milian, Taylor Swift, even Michael Bublé and then Snoop Dogg and Nicole Scherzinger all getting in on the fun. Missing from this hit parade, perhaps because of rights, is the 1987 Madonna version from the Very Special Christmas compilation, one that famously connected with her “Material Girl” persona and significantly influenced the song’s renewed popularity.
Tamar Springer herself narrates her father’s journey from there back to his childhood, education, and long career, imbuing the film with a deeply felt sense of appreciation. More Than Santa Baby is, having premiered at the Dances With Films Festival in Los Angeles (where it won the documentary short audience award), currently continuing its festival run. More than just a home-movie tribute and more than just a dissection of a single hit song, Tamar Springer’s film illuminates the long life and career of a composer who not only co-created one of America’s most enduring holiday songs but held fast though several seismic shifts in the industry and culture to continue composing and performing, captivating audiences, even well into his nineties. As he says, it’s never too late to follow your dreams, and certainly, Philip Springer always did.
For more information, see the film’s website: www.morethansantababyfilm.com.
