"Baby, it's cold outside" was written in 1944 by Frank Loesser, a New Yorker who wrote songs for Broadway plays. It was featured in the movie Neptune's Daughter and became a bit more popular, leading to Dean Martin covering it. After that it was a Christmas staple.
It, of course, reflected the views of the 1940's towards women and their place in society. It created a bit of controversy from the way it portrayed the two characters, labeled "mouse" and "wolf" on the original lyrics.
In 2015 Casey Wilson of SNL made a "Funny or Die" video set to that song where a serial killer captures his next victim while they sing the song. And it fit so eerily well that it restarted the controversy over it. The actors who made the video remarked that they were suprised it was so "rapey" (their words") when they sat down to work out the video.
I first noticed it around 2019 when John Legend made an updated version that changed the words to avoid the issue entirely. And listening to the two of them makes the differences pretty stark. The theme, if you've never heard it, is a woman eager to leave a man's home while the man tries to talk her into staying. Some of the more glaring lines:
Her: But maybe just a half a drink more
Him: I'll put some records on while I pour
Her: Say, what's in this drink?
Him: No cabs to be had out there
Her: I ought to say, "No, no, no sir"
Him: Mind if I move in closer?
Her: I simply must go
Him: Baby, it's cold outside
Her: The answer is NO
Him: But, baby, it's cold outside
One thing that stood out to me when I first heard it is that, although she is being pretty clear about what she wants (i.e. to leave) the man never really says what HE wants. Instead he's gaslighting her by telling her she could die if she leaves, she's being unreasonable: she might "catch pneumonia and die" "what's the use of hurting my pride?" "Get over that holdout" "How can you do this thing to me?"
Another thing that is very much a sign of the times is all the people the woman calls out who will disapprove - her brother, her sister, her maiden aunt, her mother, her father, the neigbors - which was during a time when there was a lot more value placed on women's 'purity' than there is today.
Like I mentioned, the contrast between that and the John Legend song is pretty dramatic:
Her: I really can't stay
Him: Baby, it's cold outside
Her: I've got to go away
Him: I can call you a ride
Her: This welcome has been so nice and warm
Him: But you better go before it storms
Her: I ought to say, "No, no, no"
Him: Then you really ought to go, go, go
Her: You've really been grand - don't you see?
Him: I want you to stay, it's not up to me
I saw it as a concrete example of the changes in societal mores from these two songs almost 80 years apart.
Of course there are no issues today that can't be outrage-ified, so some radio stations have been threatning to ban the older song, which is foolish IMO. Like any other old song it's not going to be similar to today's songs - but that is part of what gives it value. It gives us the opportunity to see what's changed.
It, of course, reflected the views of the 1940's towards women and their place in society. It created a bit of controversy from the way it portrayed the two characters, labeled "mouse" and "wolf" on the original lyrics.
In 2015 Casey Wilson of SNL made a "Funny or Die" video set to that song where a serial killer captures his next victim while they sing the song. And it fit so eerily well that it restarted the controversy over it. The actors who made the video remarked that they were suprised it was so "rapey" (their words") when they sat down to work out the video.
I first noticed it around 2019 when John Legend made an updated version that changed the words to avoid the issue entirely. And listening to the two of them makes the differences pretty stark. The theme, if you've never heard it, is a woman eager to leave a man's home while the man tries to talk her into staying. Some of the more glaring lines:
Her: But maybe just a half a drink more
Him: I'll put some records on while I pour
Her: Say, what's in this drink?
Him: No cabs to be had out there
Her: I ought to say, "No, no, no sir"
Him: Mind if I move in closer?
Her: I simply must go
Him: Baby, it's cold outside
Her: The answer is NO
Him: But, baby, it's cold outside
One thing that stood out to me when I first heard it is that, although she is being pretty clear about what she wants (i.e. to leave) the man never really says what HE wants. Instead he's gaslighting her by telling her she could die if she leaves, she's being unreasonable: she might "catch pneumonia and die" "what's the use of hurting my pride?" "Get over that holdout" "How can you do this thing to me?"
Another thing that is very much a sign of the times is all the people the woman calls out who will disapprove - her brother, her sister, her maiden aunt, her mother, her father, the neigbors - which was during a time when there was a lot more value placed on women's 'purity' than there is today.
Like I mentioned, the contrast between that and the John Legend song is pretty dramatic:
Her: I really can't stay
Him: Baby, it's cold outside
Her: I've got to go away
Him: I can call you a ride
Her: This welcome has been so nice and warm
Him: But you better go before it storms
Her: I ought to say, "No, no, no"
Him: Then you really ought to go, go, go
Her: You've really been grand - don't you see?
Him: I want you to stay, it's not up to me
I saw it as a concrete example of the changes in societal mores from these two songs almost 80 years apart.
Of course there are no issues today that can't be outrage-ified, so some radio stations have been threatning to ban the older song, which is foolish IMO. Like any other old song it's not going to be similar to today's songs - but that is part of what gives it value. It gives us the opportunity to see what's changed.
