Baby, It's Cold Outside
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a Christmas song with words and music by Frank Loesser.[1]
Background
Loesser wrote the duet in 1944 and premiered the song with his wife, Lynn Garland, at their Navarro Hotel housewarming party, and performed it toward the end of the evening, signifying to guests that it was nearly time to end the party. Lynn considered it "their song" and was furious when Loesser sold the song to MGM.[2]
Lyrics
The lyrics in this duet are designed to be heard as a conversation between two people, marked as "mouse" and "wolf" on the printed score. Every line in the song features a statement from the "mouse" followed by a response from the "wolf". Usually the "wolf" part is sung by a male and the "mouse" by a female.
Criticisms of the song stem from a reading of the lyrics not as the "mouse" wanting to stay and only putting up a token protest for the sake of appearance as supported by lyrics such as "The neighbors might think...", "My father will be pacing the floor", but instead as the "mouse" genuinely wanting to leave but being stopped by the "wolf" being coercive in his pleading with the mouse. Examples of questionable lyrics in this regard include, "I simply must go", "The answer is no", "I've got to go home".[3] There is also the line "Hey, what's in this drink", which could be taken to sound suspiciously like the "mouse" has been drugged.[4][5][6]
The song is heard on stations around Christmas time. It is a popular duet as the lyrics as conversation with interjections by the "wolf" cause some interaction between the vocalists.[4]
Tempo
In at least one published version the tempo of the song is given as "Loesserando," a humorous reference to the composer's name.[7]
Neptune's Daughter
In 1948, after years of informally performing the song at various parties, Loesser sold its rights to MGM, which inserted the song into its 1949 motion picture, Neptune's Daughter.[2] The film featured two performances of the song: one by Ricardo Montalbán and Esther Williams and the other by Red Skelton and Betty Garrett, the second of which has the roles of wolf and mouse reversed. These performances earned Loesser an Academy Award for Best Original Song.[1]
The song "debuted," with slightly different lyrics, at the Oscar ceremony via a performance by Mae West and Rock Hudson.
1949 recordings
The following versions were recorded in 1949:
- The recording by Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark was recorded on March 17 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 38463. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on May 6, 1949, and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at number four.[8]
- The recording by Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer was recorded on March 18 and released by Capitol Records as catalog number 567. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on May 6, 1949, and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at number four.[8]
- The recording by Don Cornell and Laura Leslie with the Sammy Kaye orchestra was recorded on April 12 and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3448. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on June 24, 1949, and lasted 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 13.[8]
- The recording by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan was recorded on April 28 and released by Decca Records as catalog number 24644. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 17, 1949 and lasted seven weeks on the chart, peaking at number 17.[8]
- A parody recording was made by Homer and Jethro with June Carter; it went to number 9 on the country charts and number 22 on the pop charts.
- Non-charting recordings were made:
- By Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban on April 7, 1949 released by MGM Records as catalog number 30197.
- By Pearl Bailey and Hot Lips Page on June 23, 1949 released by Harmony Records as catalog number 1049.
- By Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton.
Other recordings
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" has been recorded by numerous other artists over the years. At least five different versions of the song have made at least one singles chart in the United States.
Sammy Davis, Jr. and Carmen McRae recorded the duet in 1957 as part of their collaborative album, Boy Meets Girl.
Dean Martin recorded the song for his 1959 album A Winter Romance. On this version the part of the "mouse" is sung by a female chorus.
The 1961 Ray Charles/Betty Carter version is the first of two versions to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (1958 to present) and the only one for over forty-eight years; it peaked at number 91 in March 1962. This version was used in the 1990s on the program A Different World, in which a husband and wife lip sync to the recording as a means of flirtation.
In 1979 Blossom Dearie recorded it with Bob Dorough (Needlepoint Magic - Daffodil Records)
Ray Charles also sang this duet with Dionne Warwick at the 1987 Grammy Awards.
Sigourney Weaver and Buster Poindexter performed a duet of the song on the first episode of the 12th season of Saturday Night Live in 1986.
In 1990, Barry Manilow recorded the song in a duet with K.T. Oslin for Manilow's album Because It's Christmas; his version of the song in particular has become a popular version amongst radio stations whose format changes to Christmas music during the Holiday Season.
Bette Midler and James Caan sang the duet in the 1991 film For the Boys, which was also included on the film's soundtrack.
Mayim Bialik and Ted Wass perform this song in an episode of Blossom.
The song is also on Robert Palmer's 1992 album Ridin' High. He performs it with Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips.
On an episode of his radio show broadcast December 14, 1949, Bing Crosby sang the song in a comedic duet with actor James Stewart.
The song was introduced to a new generation of listeners with the soulful interpretation of Grammy Award nominated singer/actress Vanessa Williams and rhythm and blues/jazz pioneer Bobby Caldwell. It was featured on Williams' first holiday album, the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Star Bright.
In 1999, Cerys Matthews and Tom Jones collaborated to record a version for Jones' album Reload. The single release peaked at #17 in the UK Singles Chart.[1]
Actress/singer Zooey Deschanel, who appeared in the 2003 film Elf, recorded the song with Leon Redbone for the film's soundtrack. In the movie itself, Zooey Deschanel sings part of the song with Will Ferrell while she is showering and he is sitting on the bathroom counter. As part of the duo She & Him, Deschanel recorded the song with M. Ward in 2011 for their festive album A Very She and Him Christmas, this time as the "wolf."
Rudolf Nureyev and Miss Piggy performed the song in a steam bath on The Muppet Show, with Nureyev doing the "mouse" parts and Miss Piggy doing the "wolf" parts.
Two versions have also made the Hot Country Songs charts: Martina McBride in an overdubbed duet with Dean Martin, peaked at number 36, and a duet between Willie Nelson and Norah Jones reached number 55 in January 2010. However, perhaps the most famous country version is performed by Dolly Parton with Rod Stewart, which in 2004 also made it to number two on the US Adult Contemporary chart.
In 2006, James Taylor released a version featuring Natalie Cole on his James Taylor at Christmas album.
A version released by country music group Lady Antebellum in 2008 reached number 1 the Bubbling Under Hot 100. The band performed the song live on NBC's Today Show the morning of Christmas Eve 2008. Lady Antebellum's original studio recording of the song was included the following year on the "NOW That's What I Call A Country Christmas" compilation two-disc CD set, released October 6, 2009.
Ryan Kelly of Celtic Thunder and Charley Bird perform the song on the group's Christmas album (2010).
Arizona rock band The Asphalt recorded a version of the song and released it to radio and for sale on the internet on November 1, 2010.
Other odd couples who have recorded the song are Al Hirt and Ann-Margret (on The Most Fabulous Christmas Album Ever and Beauty and the Beard[9]) and Rod McKuen and Petula Clark (on the A 1940s Christmas album). McKuen also performed the song with Dusty Springfield on his "Christmas in New England" special in 1978, using identical instrumentals to the Clark performance.
In 2002, Lee Ann Womack recorded the song for her album The Season for Romance with Harry Connick, Jr.
Other recordings include then-spouses Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey for her 2004 Christmas album and Brian Littrell and his wife Leighanne in 2010.
In 2008, Filipino singers Sitti and Christian Bautista covered their version from Sitti's 1st Christmas Album, Ngayong Pasko.
In 2010, Chris Colfer and Darren Criss performed the song on the TV show Glee as Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson respectively in the episode "A Very Glee Christmas". It had been released the month before on the album Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album, and although the song was not separately released as a single, it nevertheless charted at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 after the show aired.[10] The song was later performed by Cameron Mitchell and Lindsay Pearce on The Glee Project's fifth episode, "Pairability".
Mindy White of Lydia and Anthony Green of Circa Survive performed the song as a duet in 2010, which was released as a free digital download.
Season 10 American Idol finalists Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams released a cover of the song for digital download on November 21, 2011.
In 2012, Rita Coolidge and Lynn Coulter covered the song for the 2012 holiday album "A Rita Coolidge Christmas"
Astrid and John from the Belgian TV-series Astrid in Wonderland.[11]
Ben Folds and Sara Bareilles performed the song on a special Christmas episode of The Sing-Off.
Kate Voegele and Will Anderson covered this song and allowed their fans to download it free on 12/21/2011.
Donald Faison and Zach Braff, who play main characters in the television series Scrubs, released a video on Christmas Eve 2011 performing the song on YouTube.[12]
Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera covered the song for the 2012 holiday album Cee Lo's Magic Moment.
Lyle Lovett and Kat Edmonson covered the song on the 2012 "Release Me" album.
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John recorded it with Travolta as the "mouse" and Newton-John as the "wolf" on their 2012 album "This Christmas".
Mac Miller, under the surname Larry Lovestein, and Ariana Grande recorded and covered this song. It was released for free download on December 24, 2012
Dianne Reeves and Lou Rawls cover this on the 1995 Blue Note Records release "Jazz to the World," a shoot-off of the Very Special Christmas series.
In 2013, Kelly Clarkson covered the song with Ronnie Dunn for her sixth studio album Wrapped in Red.[13]
In 2013 Ryan Kelly of Celtic Thunder reprised the song on Natalie Toro's Christmas Album "Just in Time For Christmas". In 2013, Leigh Nash recorded this song with Gabe Dixon for a holiday compilation album called Do You Hear What I Hear?
Reference in the writings of Sayyid Qutb
The book The America I Have Seen (1951) by Egyptian Islamist Sayyid Qutb describes a scene at a church dance Qutb attended in Greeley, Colorado: "The dance hall convulsed to the tunes on the gramophone and was full of bounding feet and seductive legs ... Arms circled waists, lips met lips, chests met chests, and the atmosphere was full of passion....And the Father chose. He chose a famous American song called 'Baby, It's Cold Outside,' which is composed of a dialog between a boy and a girl returning from an evening date."[14] Qutb was a leading thinker of the Muslim Brotherhood and his book had a major impact on Islamist views concerning America.[15][16]
References
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 134. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b Loesser, Susan (1993). A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life; A Portrait by His Daughter. Hal Leonard. pp. 79–81. ISBN 1-55611-364-1.
- ^ Wallace, Kelsey (Dec. 6, 2011). Is She and Him Gender-Swapped "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Any Less Rape-y Than the Original? Bitch Media.
- ^ a b Deusner, Stephen (Dec. 10, 2012). "Is "Baby, It's Cold Outside" a date-rape anthem?". Salon.com. Retrieved Dec. 17, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Anita Sarkeesian (21 December 2011). "Top 5 Creepy and/or Sexist Christmas Songs".
- ^ Christmas songs that illustrate the worst in humanity by George Ouzounian
- ^ [1], Comment made by Michael Feinstein during Fresh Air Celebrates Frank Loesser's 100th Birthday interview
- ^ a b c d Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940–1955. Record Research.
- ^ Al Hirt, Beauty and the Beard Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ^ "Hot 100: Week of December 25, 2010 (Biggest Jump)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Baby It's Cold Outside, Astrid and John, youtube.com
- ^ Baby Its Cold Outside, Zach Braff and Donald Faison Holiday Video, youtube.com.
- ^ McDonnell, Brandy (October 1, 2013). "Kelly Clarkson collaborates with Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Ronnie Dunn on Christmas album". Tulsa World. BH Media. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ Sayyid Qutb ash- Shaheed, The America I Have Seen
- ^ Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 22–23, 32–37. ISBN 978-0-375-41486-2.
- ^ Steyn, Mark, "Baby, He's Gold Inside", Wall Street Journal, Feb. 2, 2008.