Radio station stops playing "Baby It's Cold Outside" after listeners voice concerns about lyrics

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Radio station stops playing "Baby It's Cold Outside" after listeners voice concerns about lyrics in #MeToo era

By Caitlin O'Kane CBS News November 30, 2018, 6:08 PM

A Cleveland radio station has stopped playing a popular Christmas song that's been around since the 1940s, CBS Cleveland affiliate WOIO-TV reports. Star 102 Cleveland listeners raised concerns about the lyrics of the song "Baby It's Cold Outside," with some saying the words send the wrong message in the era of the #MeToo movement.

Radio host Glenn Anderson wrote about the station's decision to stop playing the song. "We used to play the song 'Baby It's Cold Outside,' but you're the Christmas Executive Officer at Star 102 and you told us it's no longer appropriate," Anderson wrote Tuesday. "I gotta be honest, I didn't understand why the lyrics were so bad ... Until I read them."

The song is a duet between a man and a woman. The woman makes it clear she is worried about being with the man late into the night, while he adamantly tells her to say with him because, "Baby, it's cold outside."

snip...

The song was written by popular Broadway composer Frank Loesser, who originally performed it as a humorous number with his wife. But the lyrics, in today's context, have taken on somewhat more sinister connotations. After the "Me Too" movement gained momentum in 2017, more women have been speaking out about sexual harassment and assault, and society has become more aware than ever of how widespread the problem really is. The suggestive lines in the song now drum up images of men like Harvey Weinstein, who's been accused of preventing women from leaving hotel rooms, and Bill Cosby, who was convicted of drugging and sexual assaulting a woman.

snip...


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cleveland-radio-station-stops-playing-baby-its-cold-outside-after-listeners-voiced-concerns-about-predatory-undertones/

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It's a catchy tune, but I've always thought it had a rapey vibe to it and, really, there's nothing Christmasy about it except cold weather. I'm not upset it's being sent out to pasture.

[RainCaster]

1. It became part of Christmas when it was in the movie Elf

It was a great duet with a semi-creepy locale.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. .

[cynatnite]

3. Well, it was written in 1944...

Still, it's a creepy song.

[sfwriter]

4. My son heard this on the radio and said it was too "rapey."

Last edited Sat Dec 1, 2018, 11:54 PM - Edit history (1)

Especially the line:

The neighbors might think (Baby it's bad out there)
Say what's in this drink? (No cabs to be had out there)

[unblock]

5. When will they ban the police's "I'll be watching you"?

There are plenty of otherwise great songs with really offensive lyrics....

[Mariana]

13. Does Star 102 play that particular song?

If they do, and you're a listener, why don't you call or write and tell them about your concern?

[BumRushDaShow]

6. You may have missed this huge thread on the OP topic

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211496724

[Sneederbunk]

7. I'll just listen to "Santa Baby."

[BannonsLiver]

8. Someone was making the case Santa Baby was sexist and dripping with materialism in another thread

On this song which had about 100 responses. It seems no Christmas song is safe.

[whistler162]

10. Next we ban "Weird" Al

"Santa Baby" is a 1953 Christmas song written by Joan Javits (the niece of Senator Jacob K. Javits) and Philip Springer, sung originally by Eartha Kitt. The song is a tongue-in-cheek look at a Christmas list addressed to Santa Claus by a woman who wants extravagant gifts such as sables, yachts, and decorations from Tiffany's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Baby

[BannonsLiver]

11. I'm not disagreeing

A couple years ago I went out and bought up a bunch of movies from the 80s that o love because they likely won’t be “allowed” on broadcast TV in the future. I’m not talking snuff films, I’m talking Sixteen Candles and the like.

[allgood33]

9. I bet they want "Happy Holidays" banned too.

[oberliner]

12. Any thoughts on Mo Bamba?

[uppityperson]

14. I see it as times have changed, rather like how we don't use the n word that was common

or the b word.

Rather like Eenie meenie minie moe got changed to "catch a tiger by the toe".

Times and meanings change and it's fine with me to not play this.