The song continues with similar lines of the man's, including, "Baby, don't hold out," "What's the sense of hurting my pride," and "Gosh, your lips are delicious." While today we think of the protagonist as a woman trapped in an unsafe situation, at the time, she was viewed as a modern woman acting on her newfound free will, Riis said. The song was released in eight recordings in 1949 and has been covered numerous times since. California residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. In the years after songwriter Frank Loesser wrote "Baby, It's Cold Outside" in 1944, he would perform it only with his wife at their home as a cute party trick. Supporters of the ban say the song is a story of date rape, as the man begs the woman to stay the night, persisting as she consistently says no and tries to leave. There is one group, and one group only, that should be crusading against the performance of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” in public: vicious maiden aunts. Looks like we are having a problem on the server. From “Baby It’s Cold Outside” to “Shallow”: Thoughts on Sexism and Feminism in Popular Music dntownsend Feminism , Music History , Rock Music March 3, 2019 March 6, 2019 40 Minutes This past holiday season there was a minor uproar over an old standard winter-themed song, “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” What happens after that last bar is up to the listener. And forgetting that is to forget an important part of feminism and women's history. Back then, it didn't mean you drugged me," Loesser told NBC. ", only with his wife at their home as a cute party trick, banned "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from airing, The 14 most popular songs that will get you in the holiday spirit, Here's what 8 of your favorite Christmas songs are about — and some are pretty depressing, The fascinating history behind 11 common Christmas traditions, How Christmas is celebrated in 21 places around the world, The evolution of the US Capitol Christmas tree. And this is where they leave us, with a, “Baby, it’s cold outside” sung in harmonious unison. In other words, it was scandalous for an unmarried woman to be alone with a man. Account active "People might say, 'Oh, enough with that #MeToo,' but if you really put that aside and read the lyrics, it's not something that I would want my daughter to be in that kind of a situation," a radio host at WDOK said. In the years after songwriter Frank Loesser wrote "Baby, It's Cold Outside" in 1944, he would perform it only with his wife at their home as a cute party trick. Take a look at the second verse, in which the woman gives excuses as to why she wants to leave, which the man ignores: "My mother will start to worry (beautiful, what's your hurry? The man in the song is offering viable excuses she could use to avoid that judgement. Since its conception, countless musicians — including Lady Gaga, … since, “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention”. I’ve noticed over the last several years that some feminists have a strong dislike for the Frank Loesser song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Hattie wrote about one interpretation of the song last week , but with all due respect to my fellow Persephonine, I must heartily disagree with her view of it. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. There is one group, and one group only, that should be crusading against the performance of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” in public: vicious maiden aunts. "Even the simple fact of a woman remaining in a man's apartment unchaperoned or living alone was scandalous in real life, so already, we are looking at a couple who is challenging middle-class values a bit," Riis, a professor at the University of Colorado, told INSIDER. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” has certainly been the talk of the town in 2018. There's been an uptick in conversation about the song's language, which some say is predatory, amid the #MeToo movement. "The tune might be catchy, but let's maybe not promote that sort of an idea.". Now that the holidays are upon us, the feminist wrath will fall, as it always does, on that titan of Christmas songs "Baby It's Cold Outside." Obsessed with travel? I don’t want to ignite a firestorm of comments about the secularization of Christmas. In Riis' opinion, it isn't that the woman doesn't want to stay, but that she's worried about how she will be judged for it. It’s 1944, after all, and it’s scandalous for an unmarried woman to spend the night with a man. TL;DR: Within the context of the era in which it was written, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is actually about a woman trying to exercise sexual agency. Get it now on Libro.fm using the button below. Miley Cyrus Turned “Santa Baby” Into a Feminist Anthem, and Now It’s My Favorite Holiday Bop. Read more: Here's what 8 of your favorite Christmas songs are about — and some are pretty depressing. It's that time of the year, when we talk about how problematic 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' is because it's literally… https://t.co/QDaPHNPgxo. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Please try again later. Baby, it’s cold outside. Elf - Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrel Glee - Darren Criss and Chris Colfer "Baby It's Cold Outside," written in 1944 by Frank Loesser, has developed a creepy vibe over the years. Riis said that in the end, the woman gets to do what she wants and not what is expected of her. While the lyrics make no mention of a holiday, it is popularly regarded as a Christmas song owing to its winter theme. It’s not a religious song, I know, but I love the call and response cadence and clever word play.If you think this makes me a … While some consider "Baby, It's Cold Outside" a Christmas classic, some radio stations are now banning the song. Miley Cyrus updates 'Santa Baby' with a feminist spin for 2018 ... “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” isn’t the only holiday song getting re-examined through a more modern lens. "The connotations of single, individual words in the 21st century may be quite a bit different from what they were as few as 20 years ago.". That’s right, she wants to stay. The patriarchal society she lives in expects her to refuse any sexual advances, whether she wants them or not, so the argument here is that she actually wants to stay, but is concerned about how she will be judged by others if she does. https://t.co/dfwtudy3dY. Baby it’s Cold Outside is my favorite Christmas song about getting roofied during a blizzard. Written in 1944, this previously-beloved classic came from a time and place that looks nothing like our society today. At one point, the woman even sings, "No, no, no," and, "Say, what's in this drink," leading some listeners to believe the song is implying that the man may have drugged her. In the 1940s unmarried “good girls”, did not spend the night at a man’s house. The woman in the song lists off reasons her family would want her to leave: her “mother will start to worry”, her “father will be pacing the floor”, her “sister will be suspicious” and so on. Subscriber "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a popular song written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and introduced to the public in the 1949 film Neptune's Daughter. The song was later performed in the 1949 movie "Neptune's Daughter" and went on to earn an Academy Award, eventually becoming one of the most famous Christmas songs in the US. INSIDER spoke to a music historian who said the song is about female empowerment. About: We were assigned for a class project to take a problematic artifact of pop culture and give it a 'feminist makeover.' Others — including the songwriter's daughter, Susan Loesser — have said the line, "What's in this drink?" ", Read more: The 14 most popular songs that will get you in the holiday spirit. Something went wrong. I’ll call these two different interpretations the “romantic” reading and the “rapey” reading. Whatever, I'm still skipping it on Spotify. Oops. I know the reason for the season, but one of my favorite Christmas songs, Baby It’s Cold Outside, is being attacked by a bunch of misguided whining feminist harpies and I feel the need to defend it. OK, this may have made sense at the time, but it's 2017 and this song should be retired. Riis thinks the ban on the song is a good idea given the debate. The song centres on a woman making excuses to leave as a man tries to persuade her to stay. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. You remember the one. Have you ever really listened to the lyrics of "Baby, It's Cold Outside"? John Legend Defends His Feminist ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ Remake Singer John Legend is still reeling from the backlash to his PCying of the Christmas classic, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, but he defended his version of the song saying it was the right tone for our #MeToo era. It appeared in the 1949 film, Neptune's Daughter, and even won an Oscar for best original song. In recent weeks, many radio stations — like WDOK in Cleveland — have banned "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from airing, saying the lyrics, which tell the story of a man begging a woman to stay over while she persistently rejects him, are predatory. )My father will be pacing the floor (listen to the fireplace roar)So, really, I'd better scurry (beautiful, please don't hurry). So, do you buy this explanation for the song? — Lurkin’ Mom (@LurkAtHomeMom) December 7, 2016 I knew America was a scam when ppl tried to tell me “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is a jolly Christmas carol and not a fuckboy anthem. Funny or Die even went so far as to turn the song into a very, very dark sketch with Casey Wilson and Scott Aukerman. But since it’s obvious to her date that she really does want to stay, he feels … On the surface, the song is objectively skeevy. But according to a music historian, the song is a flirtatious anthem for female empowerment. It's a duet between a man and a woman, where the woman sings about how she "really can't stay" and asks, "what's in this drink?" "People used to say 'what's in this drink' as a joke. Reporting on what you care about. Dara Laine and John Weselcouch perform a new and feminist approved version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! The song was later performed in the 1949 movie "Neptune's Daughter" and went on to earn an Academy Award, eventually becoming one of the most famous Christmas songs in the US. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. Bookmark the permalink . Baby it’s Cold Outside, with claims that it promotes date rape. "If someone doesn't want to do anything with you then you should respect that decision." Written by acclaimed songwriter Frank Loesser in 1944, it's a call and response duet in which a horny man tries to get the object of his affections to spend the night with him. Despite its use in one of the best Christmas movies ever, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is one of the most divisive Christmas songs ever written. At the time of its release, Riis said, the song was revolutionary and had a completely different meaning. "Just make it go away. While some consider it a classic, others find the dynamic in the song to be...problematic. In the song, Riis said, she's toying with the idea of staying and flirting with him in the process. I’ve pasted the lyricsbelow, with some annotations to help explain why it’s possible to hear the song in two very different — and perhaps equally valid — ways. However, a 2016 Tumblr post is making the rounds again ('tis the season), offering a feminist defense of the song. was a common joke in the '40s and '50s. "Too much trouble over a 3-minute tune," he said. To cap it all off, here are a few of my favorite performances of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" for your enjoyment. But today, the tune is the subject of a heated culture clash. This was very empowering for a woman in the '40s, he said. Although Riis doesn't believe the song was written to be manipulative, he said he understands how the interpretations of songs can shift over time. Finding common ground on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" has been anything but simple. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! Earlier in December, I was thinking about trying to somehow merge my love of Christmas music with my attempts to blog feministly (“in a feminist manner” just sounded too formal). 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' should be a feminist anthem By Dimitri Vassilaros "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a lovely duet written in 1944 about passion tantalizing the prim and proper. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was written in 1944 by songwriter Frank Loesser. "The places where songs are sung and their meanings heard and their contexts understood can change equally fast," Riis said. Man, it's creepy. Nah, this song always has been and always will be hella creepy. If you know the song "Baby It's Cold Outside" you'll know it's a long-time Christmas anthem with creepy undertones. However, a 2016 Tumblr post is making the rounds again ('tis the season), offering a feminist defense of the song. In the “romantic” reading, the woman really does want to stay but feels socially pressured to leave. Let me repeat: She. For those unfamiliar, the song is a duet traditionally sung by a man and a woman, wherein the woman appears to be saying that she needs to go home, while the man attempts to persuade her to stay. You know, 'This drink is going straight to my head, so what's in this drink?' Lyrics like "Well, maybe just half a drink more" and, "Maybe just a cigarette more" could be proof of her entertaining the idea of staying. “Baby it’s Cold Outside” was written in 1944. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is a song ahead of its time — released a full 20 years before the sexual revolution for women — and it celebrates a feminist taking control of her own sexual choices. Since its conception, countless musicians — including Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton, and Idina Menzel — have performed covers. She’s staying because she wants to have sex. Their contexts understood can change equally fast, '' Riis said, she 's toying with the idea staying... 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