Seducing the, 'Baby It's Cold Outside' Song

By: Bryanna Perez
Pridetime Senior Editor

Michael Macari '19

Mrs. O

Juliette Ochoa '19

While it's snowing outside and family members gather around the firepit taking in the smell of their Christmas tree, people have been talking about something that ruins the overall feel of what Christmas really is.  

The famous, “Baby, it's cold outside,” song sang by the one and only Frank Loesser, has been targeted with notes that his hit single may, in fact, be considered a culture war over sexual assault, consent, and political correctness.

According to Rolling Stone, Loesser created this song as a “playful call-and-response duet for him and his wife to perform at their housewarming party while their guests were preparing to bid them goodnight.”

On Tuesday, December 11, CBC and two other large commercial radio operators, Bell Media and Rogers, announced they would be pulling the “controversial” song from their rotation.

However, this subject matter was actually seen first in 2004 when it was first published by Canada's National Post. 

Garry Clement, a reporter for Canada's National Post mentions quotes from his audience that explain, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside has a lovely melody but it’s an ode to statutory rape.  In sum, the man gets the girl drunk amid her protestations so he can take advantage of her.”

The teachers and students at Brien McMahon High School have been presented with the issue and have been asked to voice their opinion on the controversy.    

Michael Macari (‘19), gives his thoughts and opinions as he says, “I think the situation is soft because, for one, this generation wasn't even born when it came out in 1944.  There is no need to make a big deal out of it 74 years later.”  

The new librarian for the senators also had some things to say as she felt neutral about the situation.

Mrs. O, explains, "I think that if there is something valid in there and if people are upset about it then I can understand where they are coming from." 

Furthermore, there has been a connection between parties and the song that most people would use to debate the culture of sexual assault. 

One student at Brien McMahon agrees with the controversy as she explains her feelings towards the lyrics themselves. 

Juliette Ochoa ('19), says, "I think the song has a lot of subtle meaning to it indicating some creepy moments and foul words that he indicates to women.  For example, he explains how the girl wants to go and leave but the whole time the guy insists that she stays.  The most important part that leaves people up to debate is the part where she says, 'what's in this drink?'  This can be an indication that the male roofies the woman since that's what happens a lot at parties."  

​John Loesser, son of Frank Loesser, publicly announced that his father wrote, ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside,’ as a special material for his mother to present at parties since she was a nightclub singer around the 1930s where the two met.

In Loesser's head, it was an innocent duet that he and his wife had always sung in private parties.  It was a call and response song that became a legend.  Audiences have claimed the song as rape/seductive method song that supposed to be for the holidays.  

However, the Loesser’s never meant it as a holiday song, just a song to enliven a party.