A little trivia I learned about the song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside"

Around this time of year, we trot out our favorite holiday music chestnuts.  One song that seems to have fallen out of favor is Frank Loesser's 1944 "hit", "Baby, It's Cold Outside".  The song is a call and response duet between a man and a woman.

The woman looks at the time and decides it's time to go.  The man tells her she should stay with him, since it's so cold outside.  The woman continues to protest as the man pressures her to stay put.  Originally, this song was between "wolf" (the man) and "mouse" (the woman).  Obviously, there is a big difference in size and strength between a wolf and a mouse.  It sounds predatory and, in fact, in nature it would be predatory.

A lot of people think "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a song about date rape and a man not respecting a woman's right to say "no".  At the very least, it sounds kind of creepy, at least to people listening in 2017.

Creepy?

I will admit that it's probably not my favorite holiday tune...  but was it really meant to be as creepy as it sounds to those of us living in 2017?  Well... I think it helps to consider the era when the song was written.  In 1944, it wasn't socially acceptable for a woman to stay the night with a man.  People were much more concerned about their reputations in terms of propriety.  Socially speaking, it would have been appropriate for the woman to protest and try not to stay the night.  And the man was being appropriate by being concerned about the woman's health, although we all know what they really wanted to do was shag each other.  Indeed, in the 40s, this song was even considered "empowering" to women.

Loesser wrote "Baby, It's Cold Outside" as a duet for himself and his wife.  Were he alive today, he'd probably be pretty mortified that some people think it's an anthem about date rape.  In 1944, date rape wasn't really a "thing".  Women did get date raped, but it wasn't something that people really talked about much.  However, if an unmarried couple spent the night together, that would be considered scandalous.  So it makes sense that a horny couple would have a conversation like this one.  She wants to stay the night.  He wants her to stay the night.  But in order for that to be "proper", she must make some sort of a protest so that it looks like she stayed out of necessity.

    

Yeah... I don't know that Louis Armstrong was putting roofies in anyone's cocktails...

Just to keep the theme of this blog relevant to crap from the 70s and 80s, here are Dukes of Hazzard stars Tom Wopat and John Schneider with their version...  Love them Duke boys...

This song, despite our modern political correctness and cultural sensitivity, is supposed to be flirtatious, tongue-in-cheek, sexy, and fun.  But as our attitudes about sex have changed, so has the interpretation of this classic song, which has been covered by many, many artists and continues to be recorded today.  While I am not one to encourage sexual abuse or date rape, I do think some people need to take a chill pill about "Baby, It's Cold Outside".  

On the other hand, if it gets people talking about why sexual assault is wrong, maybe that's not a bad thing.  And hey, it's even inspired creativity in others.  A couple even rewrote the lyrics to emphasize the importance of consent.  I am all for things that inspire creativity, even as I recognize that history is also important.  And frankly, I'd rather listen to any incarnation of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" than Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime".