Why “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” Became a Wintertime Christmas Classic
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is a song written in 1944. It was popularized in the 1949 film “Neptune’s Daughter.” The lyrics make no mention of Christmas; it is commonly thought of as a Christmas song because of its winter theme. The song was recorded eight times in 1949, including well-known versions by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan, Hot Lips Page and Pearl Bailey, and Dean Martin and Marilyn Maxwell, and has been covered numerous times since. Is “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” your favorite Christmas song?
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” Explanation
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was written in 1944 and was originally intended to be sung by the songwriter, Frank Loesser, with his wife, Lynn Garland, at their housewarming party in New York City. They sang the song to indicate to guests that it was time to leave. According to Mental Floss, Garland said that after the first performance, “We became instant parlor room stars. We got invited to all the best parties for years based on ‘Baby.'”
In 1948, Loesser sold “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” to MGM for the 1949 romantic comedy “Neptune’s Daughter.” According to an article by Schimmel Center, Garland was furious: “I felt as betrayed as if I’d caught him in bed with another woman.” According to Esther Williams, the producers of “Neptune’s Daughter” had planned to use a different Loesser song, “(I’d Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China,” but studio censors thought it was too suggestive and replaced it with “Baby.” The song won the 1950 Academy Award for Best Original Song.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is a call-and-response duet between two people: a host and a guest, usually performed by male and female singers. Every line in the song features a statement from the guest followed by a response from the host. The lyrics consist of the host trying to convince the guest that she should stay for a romantic evening because he fears her getting too cold outside, despite the fact that she feels she should return home to her concerned family and neighbors.
In the film “Neptune’s Daughter,” the song is first performed by Ricardo Montalbán and Esther Williams conventionally, then with a comic parody twist by Betty Garrett and Red Skelton: this time, the man wants to leave, and the woman wants him to stay.
The song has faced some controversy since its inception. All of the criticisms, which, according to the New York Times, include those from Muslim Brotherhood founder Sayyid Qutb, center around the song being too racy. These critiques reached a crescendo in 2018 when “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was canceled by several radio stations, including Canada’s CBC streaming service, after social media criticism and public pressure regarding the song’s lyrics. This was referred to by some media outlets as part of a wider cancel culture at the time of works liable to offend people.
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, and died on June 15, 1996. She was an American singer, songwriter, and composer. She was sometimes referred to as the “First Lady of Song,” “Queen of Jazz,” and “Lady Ella.” She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, absolute pitch, and a “horn-like” improvisational ability, particularly in her scat, some would say sexy, singing.
Fitzgerald had a tumultuous adolescence. She found stability in musical success with the Chick Webb Orchestra in Harlem. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” helped boost her to national fame. In 1942, Fitzgerald started her solo career. Her manager was Moe Gale until she turned the rest of her career over to Norman Granz, who founded Verve Records. Fitzgerald recorded some of her more widely noted works, particularly her interpretations of the Great American Songbook.
Fitzgerald also appeared in films and as a guest on popular television shows in the second half of the twentieth century. Outside her solo career, she created music with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and The Ink Spots. In 1993, after a career of nearly sixty years, she gave her last public performance. Three years later, she died at 79. Her accolades included 14 Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts, the NAACP’s inaugural President’s Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Conclusion
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is a fun song that is best sung by a man and a woman. It has been performed by many people over time. The song has generated some controversy over time. It was even banned in 2018. Interestingly, the lyrics of the song do not mention Christmas or any other holidays, but it has become associated with the Christmas season due to its winter theme.
