Baby, It's Cold Outside

About

Baby, It's Cold Outside is a song traditionally performed as a duet between a man and woman in which a man is attempting to convince a woman to stay at his place for the evening, using the bad weather as an excuse, while she insists that she has to leave. The song grew into a Christmas standard but has also generated controversy as some have argued that the song's lyrics suggest sexual taboo, as the man continually insists on the woman staying despite her multiple protestations, and the song perhaps alludes to date rape.

Origin

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" was written by Frank Loesser in 1944. He and his wife would perform the song at the end of glamorous Hollywood parties in the 1940s.^[1] Of note, in the original score, the role of the male is listed as "The Wolf" and the role of the lady "The Mouse." Loesser sold the film to MGM for the 1949 film Neptune's Daughter, where it was performed by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán.

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The song was then widely covered, with popular versions including recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Lady Gaga, and Seth MacFarlane (shown below).

The song has sparked controversy as people have debated about interpretations of the song. Some have argued that the song has sexist and sexually abusive overtones. The Daily Beast^[2] called it "Everyone's Favorite Date-Rape Holiday Classic." Salon^[3] also argued that the song may be about date rape, writing:

It describes what may be a date rape. Let’s examine the situation: A woman has stopped by to visit a man, and he connives to keep her from leaving. “My answer is no,” she states, but he pours on the charm: “It’s up to your knees out there.” His seductions become increasingly smarmy (“What’s the sense of hurting my pride?”) and eventually sinister. At one point she exclaims, “Say, what’s in this drink?” Is he being generous with the alcohol, or has he slipped her something stronger? At this point, the Wolf and Mouse designations are redundant. It’s all too clear that he’s a predator and she’s prey.

The Washington Post^[4] covered both sides of the argument, including in their summary an argument by Persephone Magazine which argued that the woman's protestations were more about avoiding scandal than rejecting a sexual encounter:

At the time (the lyrics) were written, an unmarried woman staying the night at her beau’s was cause for scandal. It’s this fear we see reflected in the lyrics, more than any aversion on the part of the woman to staying the night.
She never expresses any personal distaste at the idea,e rather pointing out that her “sister will be suspicious,” her “maiden aunt’s mind is vicious.” Really, then, we are hearing a battle between his entreaties and her reputation.

Additionally, the critics in defense of the song argued that the "What's in this drink?" line was not a reference to date rape but a common idiom to blaming one's lack of inhibitions on alcohol. In 2018, radio station Cleveland Star 102.1^[5] pulled the song from their rotation, stating:

I do realize that when the song was written in 1944, it was a different time, but now while reading it, it seems very manipulative and wrong. The world we live in is extra sensitive now, and people get easily offended, but in a world where #MeToo has finally given women the voice they deserve, the song has no place.

Facebook user James Fell posted an expanding brain parody of the controversy, arguing ultimately the song isn't very good regardless of its lyrical content, gaining over 1,200 likes and reactions.

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External References