Radio stations courting yuletide controversy by icing out "Baby, It's Cold Outside"
Aux Features BabyIt’s the holidays, that time of year when our country theatrically longs for a sense of bygone simplicity that never existed. And, as always, our promises to go ice-skating, sip hot cocoa, and roast chestnuts have instead curdled into the same old debates about the myriad ways people are trying to take “Christ” out of Christmas or whatever.
One of the latest controversies to inevitably ignite tension at the family table is the question of what we do with “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” an Oscar-winning 1944 song that’s either deeply uncomfortable or radically feminist, depending on who you ask. As NPR reports, a number of radio stations have decided to stop playing it, citing that, irregardless of the song’s original intent, it just seriously sounds like a date rape waiting to happen. “I’ve got to go away,” the female performer sings. “Hey, what’s in this drink?” Meanwhile, the male performer urges her to stay by repeatedly invading her space and oogling those “delicious” lips. Woof.
Cleveland’s WDOK is one such station. “I do realize that when the song was written in 1944, it was a different time, but now while reading it, it seems very manipulative and wrong,” host Glenn Anderson wrote on the station’s site. “The world we live in is extra sensitive now, and people get easily offended, but in a world where #MeToo has finally given women the voice they deserve, the song has no place.”
San Francisco’s KOIT also banned the song, but reportedly faced a “tornado” of blowback, not from fans of the song, we imagine, so much as the Fox News cabal. “People are unbelievably passionate about their Christmas music, it’s the one thing that you can’t mess with,” KOIT’s Brian Figula said.
KOIT is now leaving the ban up to the listeners, asking them in a poll to decide whether or not the station add it back into their lineup. KOSI in Denver already did a similar experiment, finding that the vast majority of the 15,000 respondents demanded the song’s return.
“While we are sensitive to those who may be upset by some of the lyrics, the majority of our listeners have expressed their interpretation of the song to be non-offensive,” said program director Jim Lawson.
Also, did you hear Rudolph is political now? Happy holidays!
218 Comments
…irregardless of the song’s original intent…Now THAT’s what I find offensive.
Its a logical absurdity!
Oof that is embarrassing and my grammar can be terrible at times, but a nonironic usuage of”irregardless”.
I’ve grown far less anal about grammar and proofreading through years of browsing social media and online content, but “irregardless” on a professionally managed website is a deal breaker.
Yeah, the only time I ever expect to hear that word is from, like, John Smoltz or some other former athlete turned broadcaster trying to use a 10-cent word to sound smarter.
Right? Everyone knows it’s “disunirregardless”.
Correcting the article won’t change what’s being reported, so it’s a moo point.
I think you’ll find it’s mute point.
No, it’s a “moo point”, like a cow’s opinion, it doesn’t matter, it’s moo!
No, it’s a mute point.
Eh, I could care less.
Came here to say exactly this. I had just commented about this group’s editor problems the other day. Hopefully, they’re hiring.
Yeah, that “irregardless” was some nice trolling. Very subtle, but sure to generate an extra gaggle of comments for the article. Well played, Randall!
I mean, it’s a real word, so I don’t know what to tell you.
How is it a real word? Does “irregardless” mean something different than “regardless”?
No, it means the same thing – like a synonym – although typical use is often to reinforce the message.
It’s a real word, see?https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/is-irregardless-a-real-word-heh-heh
The song is creepy and I don’t want to hear it. I also don’t want to hear about how it was cowritten by a husband-wife couple and therefore because a woman was involved it’s totally okay that it’s basically giving the thumbs-up to date rape.
It’s. . . not. . . I mean I agree with you that it’s not a song to sing in 2018, or any time in the 21st Century at the very least. But come on, back in 1944, when it was written, it was not a case of a husband and wife saying “Hey! You know what we should do? Write a song endorsing date rape!”You have to give things context. It’s okay to both understand why the song was written when it was written, and agree that at this point in time the song should never, ever be played again.
I agree, and nothing I said contradicts that approach.
Why take context into consideration when you can bitch about how problematic everything is and annoy the shit out of everyone?
The thing is, though, the “context” of the time was both that a woman couldn’t give open, explicit consent to sexual activity and thus had to couch her interest in playful denials and that a woman offering genuine, unironic refusals to have sex could have those refusals ignored by a man who chose to pretend that they were ironic in order to deny her agency and bodily autonomy. “No means yes” was sometimes true, sure, but it’s a standard we have consciously and deliberately rejected because it gave license to sexual predators. To pretend that this is somehow “factually untrue” or that the people who point it out “don’t understand context” is disingenuous at best.
But you’re wrong. Like, historically, contextually, factually incorrect.
It’s astoudingly humorous to me that someone using the name LockeAndDemosthenes would say something like that without providing any elaboration on what they mean. I can thus only assume that you’re an escapee from a group home for people with severe mental disabilities.
“ astoudingly humorous” You have an “astoundingly” shitty sense of humor then. No one anywhere cares what you think about anything.
I bet you’re fun at parties.
Yeah, people who bitch about how problematic everything is are well known for how much people like to be around them. Oh and also I don’t accuse people of being mentally ill because they have a different take on a Christmas Song than I do so that’s another thing that differentiates you and I. Fuck that guy though right? He’s almost certainly a Nazi or at the least alt right because he disagrees with you about something.You’re so sold on your own bullshit that your stereotypes involve people wanting to be around someone at a party who is bitching about “Baby it’s Cold Outside”. Wow….
Yeah, people who bitch about how problematic everything is are well known for how much people like to be around them.Good thing I didn’t bitch about how problematic everything is!Oh and also I don’t accuse people of being mentally ill because they have a different take on a Christmas Song than I doNeither do I. I called you mentally ill because you’re an asshole and I felt like insulting you.
You called someone else mentally ill, not me. And for someone who seems to think that being overly sensitive is a good thing it’s odd that you would choose to throw mentally ill around as a slur for someone who you claim is just “being an asshole” and who actually wasn’t really. All he said was “But you’re wrong. Like, historically, contextually, factually incorrect.” which is true, you are wrong.
Sorry for the confusion. All you assholes look the same to me.
It’s too bad nobody cares what you think about anything.
My mom thinks I’m cool.
Does she though?
I mean, she says she does, and… oh God, my life is a lie! *sobs*OK, I’m over it now.
“basically giving the thumbs-up to date rape”You are a very dumb person.
I found an err regardless of the rest of the article.
I’d like to know exactly who is outraged by this. Is it actually a large number of people, or is it the permanently-outraged denizens of Woke Twitter and Jezebel being a very loud but very tiny minority?A quick read of the lyrics suggests that the female singer is offering up a bunch of socially-dictated reasons why she can’t stay the night, even though she clearly wants to. So in one sense you could argue that she’s rebelling against a misogynist system that has internalized sexual repression. And if you think my take is silly or tangential, is it really that weaker than what the pro-outrage people are arguing?
You could argue anything you wanted to argue, but just taking the lyrics straightforwardly, they’re pretty rapey.
Which lyrics specifically are you referring to? If you take the “Say, what’s in this drink” line out of context it sounds bad, but in the song she asks for a drink a couple of stanzas earlier and is clearly meant to be enjoying it.”
The guy fawning over her lips is weird, but it’s a love song from the 40s and it all seems pretty consensual. I once had a girl tell me she really liked my hip bones so I’m not surprised others are into lips.
If you take the “Say, what’s in this drink” line out of context it
sounds bad, but in the song she asks for a drink a couple of stanzas
earlier and is clearly meant to be enjoying it.”
What context? Asking for a drink then questioning what’s in it isn’t innocent, unless what you’re saying is that some of the ingredients in the drink went bad.
I’m going to be lazy and copy/paste from this a feminist defense of the song, written all the way back in 2010:
So let’s talk about that drink. I’ve discussed solely looking at the
lyrics of the song and its internal universe so far, but I think that
the line “Say, what’s in this drink” needs to be explained in a broader
context to refute the idea that he spiked her drink. “Say, what’s in
this drink” is a well-used phrase that was common in movies of the time
period and isn’t really used in the same manner any longer. The phrase
generally referred to someone saying or doing something they thought
they wouldn’t in normal circumstances; it’s a nod to the idea that
alcohol is “making” them do something unusual. But the joke is almost
always that there is nothing in the drink. The drink is the
excuse. The drink is the shield someone gets to hold up in front of them
to protect from criticism. And it’s not just used in these sort of
romantic situations. I’ve heard it in many investigation type scenes
where the stoolpigeon character is giving up bits of information they’re
supposed to be protecting, in screwball comedies where someone is
making a fool of themselves, and, yes, in romantic movies where someone
is experiencing feelings they are not supposed to have.
You can read the whole thing here:http://persephonemagazine.com/2010/12/listening-while-feminist-in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/
“What’s in this drink” was a way of saying what a great drink this is and how much you’re enjoying it. It’s like saying, “This is so good and I feel so good that it CAN’T be just alcohol in here.”
I think the implication was that it’s a strong drink, not that he roofied her.
I’ve read the implication is that there likely isn’t anything in the drink, and is instead just saying “What’s in this drink” as a flippant way of excusing her (at the time) promiscuous behavior. Because she’s actually DTF.
As noted before, that was a well-known turn of phrase where the person tries to blame the drink on something they want to do anyway. My parents used to say it, and I don’t think they were date-raping each other.
Thank you. I think it took a third person explaining this to me for it to finally sink in.
you’re a fucking moron.
Isn’t context part of a straight forward reading?
I don’t really think it’s even all that interesting a conversation. This is that song:“Stay here, let’s fuck.”
“No, I don’t want to.”“Stay here, let’s fuck.”“No, I don’t want to.”“Stay here, let’s fuck.”“No, I don’t want to.”“Stay here, let’s fuck.”
“No, I don’t want to.”“Stay here, let’s fuck.”“No, I don’t want to.”“Stay here, let’s fuck.”“No, I don’t want to.”“Stay here, let’s fuck.”
“No, I don’t want to.”“Stay here, let’s fuck.”“No, I don’t want to.”“Stay here, let’s fuck.”“No, I don’t want to.” “Stay here, let’s fuck.” And then I don’t remember if she relents at the end or not, because I’ve never cared enough about the song to whip up any sort of feminist interpretation about how it’s actually subverting norms or whatever.
Short answer: she does. It’s why she showed up at his house in the first place.
Nah. She showed up at his house unannounced, has been drinking and smoking with him into the evening, and is making a halfhearted rebuff of his advances while never actually getting up and walking out the door (which he never prohibits her from doing). Her finally harmonizing “baby it’s cold outside” with him in the final line of the song means she’s put on the required show and is ready to get down to business.
You see what you want to see. It’s a flirtatious song. If you find more than that, then you went looking for more.
It’s flirtatious within the “women who resist you actually just want you to break their will until they give in” mindset. Like Harrison Ford movies:
Even as a child I thought the song was messed up, I don’t know. It just sounds like a dude blocking a woman from exiting his home. Admittedly as a kid I didn’t understand how weird adults could be about flirting, but my feelings about this song didn’t really change as I got older. Now I have a daughter and it’s fucked up for a whole new set of reasons!
Summary:“Even as a child I didn’t understand the song”.
I mean, rapey-ness and #MeToo elements aside. I don’t really need a Christmas song about fucking being sung by my kids.Winter Wonderland knocks on that door with “conspiring by the fire to face unafraid the plans that we made” (clearly a reference to fireside boning and a possible discussion of the impact of unprotected winter intercourse).I can barely tolerate the songs that talk the AFTER effects of a virgin “visited” by “God” I don’t need to listen to the deal go down with some roofie-slipping Dean Martin wannabe searching for any angle of validation to go all Kavanaugh on some girl who already has to live with her aunt. No thanks.And don’t even get me started on “Sleigh Ride.” If we only had a frank discussion on the gaslighting and employee abuse that went into preparing picture prints by Currier and Ives, we’d be sickened!
I respect your equal opportunity hatred of nearly all Christmas songs.
Objectively they’re all pretty terrible.
I heard this first as a joke on some sitcom I don’t even remember, but it was pointed out that “Let It Snow” is written with selfishness and with one’s own fortunate and comfortable situation despite foul weather rendering the singer insensitive to the plight of the homeless, those just trying to get home to their families from work or from far away, those with no reliable form of transportation. That’s still the first thing that comes to mind when I hear that song.
That’s a good one.
“I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” but does she (or he) really WANT to be there?There are a lot of pervy, classist and surveillance-state-advocating Christmas songs.
I blame winter and capitalism.
see also “The War Prayer” by Mark Twain
Still not as annoying as all the times “I’ll be Home for Christmas” is used in a context where the person really will be home for Christmas – not off to war and only dreaming about it.
i still like the song tho:
Speaking of Winter Wonderland, I never understood this verse either: “In the meadow we can build a snowman
Then pretend that he is Parson Brown
He’ll say, Are you married?
We’ll say, No man
But you can do the job
When you’re in town”Is he telling kids to get married?
I always took it to mean that they were making the pretend snowman parson was ask if they were married because the young couple were flirting with the idea. Then later on it goes, “Later in, we’ll conspireAs we dream by the fireTo face unafraid the plans that we madeWalking in a winter wonderland”So they’re going to talk further about matrimony while sitting all cozy in front of a fireplace. It’s sweet.
Huh, I always just imagined it was young kids signing the song. Maybe just because we always sang it in elementary school. I supposed it’s not that bad if it’s adults singing it.
I always saw them as being high school sweethearts just out of high school, young enough for the parents to give them shit for wanting to get married, saying they’re too young, but old enough to legally do it. If they’re in their mid-40s, both divorced, and they hooked up on eHarmony, it sort of loses its charm.
It’s a reference to traveling ministers of the time, the colloquialism “Parson Brown” was a generic name intended to reference any traveling priest or pastor. The whole lyric in context is about young lovers on a walk, fantasizing that a snowman has come to life and might be a pastor who could marry them.
Maybe it was just normal for the time the song was written, but I just cannot imagine writing lyrics and involving some kind of magic snow clergy in key lyrical parts.
You act like they didn’t have drugs back then.
Marriage laws were VERY lax during the Baby Boom.
ETA: They are no longer ordaining snow golems.
And society’s gone to hell because of it!
Is *who* “telling kids to get married”? The songwriter? Parson Brown?Kids aren’t building the snowman—it’s a couple who are seriously dating.
I don’t think this has ever been a song for kids.
Or…about kids?
That’s gross.
Most of those WWII-era songs weren’t for kids. But Holiday Song Canon = Kids singing them (unless their school bans it).
You, sir or madame, are a Christmas treasure.
Yes, my solution is also to avoid all Christmas songs.
Even if she wanted to have sex but she felt she had to leave due to social standards, then she should be allowed to leave. She is the one who will have to pay the social and physical consequences for having sex, so let her leave if she wants to. Just let her go.
Show me specifically in the lyrics where he’s blocking her from leaving. Trying to convince her to stay, especially when she’s admitted to the guy that she wants to (“I ought to say ‘no no no sir’” / “At least I’m gonna say that I tried”), is pretty harmless.A woman I dated recently kept trying to convince me to stay in bed with her and call in sick for work; does that mean I was being harassed or held against my will?
She doesn’t want to leave, she just doesn’t want to deal with gossip.
Sounds like the same reason I don’t fart in public (well, not loudly at least). Not wanting to deal with fallout from your actions is a perfectly reasonable reason to not take them.
You don’t fart in public? Shame.
I have no idea what you just said Bart. My take away on this whole matter is that this could have been avoided if radio stations WOULD JUST NOT PLAY FUCKING CHRISTMAS MUSIC UNTIL *AFTER* THANKSGIVING, LIKE THEY USED TO.Now, how the fuck do I get Wonderful Christmastime BANNED FOREVER???
“Now, how the fuck do I get Wonderful Christmastime BANNED FOREVER???”You wish. We are not long from a future where Wonderful Christmastime is the ONLY song deemed inoffensive enough for public consumption….all year round.
I agree. On their face, the lyrics do sound like classic date rapey stuff. But that’s because times and morals have changed. It was pointed out to me a while ago that the female singer clearly wants to stay, especially as you hear it sung. This song could be sung to make it sound terrifying, but the way it is sung, it’s clear she’s acting the demure and chaste for show and he’s providing excuses for her to stay the night.
I did a little digging this morning, and your take seems to not be fringe, it’s kind of mainstream. I dug up a lengthy Jen Kirkman (tweet? insta? I don’t know what the kids use these days and I don’t care) that basically made the same point that you did. I was leaning slightly toward the pro-outrage side, but after reading her argument, I am right back to just not caring very much either way.
Annoying “woke” people trying to find something to bitch about.
The original sheet music labels the woman part as “mouse” and the male part as “wolf”But ok
You know what’s dumber than being offended by an old Christmas song? Being outraged that some radio channels aren’t playing it. Clearly, life is pretty good if this is enough to bother you.
That’s the thing that gets me. There’s all sorts of interpretations of the song and some of them might be innocent, but who cares if a radio station isn’t going to play it? It’s not like they’re gonna run out of other songs to play. Nobody is suggesting is should be censored out of existence.
What part of the implication that he drugged her drink is her rebelling against a misogynist system?
I’ve already addressed this. From a feminist blog that defended the song, circa 2010:
So let’s talk about that drink. I’ve discussed solely looking at the
lyrics of the song and its internal universe so far, but I think that
the line “Say, what’s in this drink” needs to be explained in a broader
context to refute the idea that he spiked her drink. “Say, what’s in
this drink” is a well-used phrase that was common in movies of the time
period and isn’t really used in the same manner any longer. The phrase
generally referred to someone saying or doing something they thought
they wouldn’t in normal circumstances; it’s a nod to the idea that
alcohol is “making” them do something unusual. But the joke is almost
always that there is nothing in the drink. The drink is the
excuse. The drink is the shield someone gets to hold up in front of them
to protect from criticism. And it’s not just used in these sort of
romantic situations. I’ve heard it in many investigation type scenes
where the stoolpigeon character is giving up bits of information they’re
supposed to be protecting, in screwball comedies where someone is
making a fool of themselves, and, yes, in romantic movies where someone
is experiencing feelings they are not supposed to have.
Source:
http://persephonemagazine.com/2010/12/listening-while-feminist-in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/
I’m not particularly outraged by it, but it is a bit problematic. At worst, it’s date rape-y. At best, it has subtle shades of “when a woman means no, she really means yes.” The original written lyrics refer to the woman as the Mouse and the man as the Wolf so there was some sense of a predatory relationship there. Maybe it’s just an outdated song that means something different in 2018 than it did 1949. Cos a woman saying “what in this drink?” in 2018 doesn’t conjure up an excuse to stay as opposed to date rape. Lot’s of songs that were once popular are now outdated. Maybe we can just be done with this particular one.
Yes, context is everything. Back in the 1940’s, the fact that the woman was at the man’s house, without a chaperone, was both a progressive and personal statement.In 2018, where women are allowed to go to parties by themselves and hang out wherever the hell they want, all that subtext is lost and people see a woman (like themselves) who just wanted to hang out and is now being pressured into sex.Either you’re on the other side of that generation gap, or just have such nostalgia for this song, that you just read it differently.
You know what though, what’s absolutely worse are the people who are outraged because the song is not being played on some radio stations. Personally I could give a shit (I mean, who the fuck listens to the radio?) but certainly the highlight of my holiday season is hearing conservatives where I work whining about this song not being on the radio.
Honestly, I think the interpretation changes a great deal depending on how it is sung. Some female singers interpret it in a saucy, flirty way that makes it clear that they want to nail that dude, but feel compelled to offer all of the social excuses about why she should leave so she doesn’t seem easy, other singers make it super creepy by doing in this innocent girlish way that turns the song into a young woman being preyed on by a rapey dude.
Can we talk about why the Peanuts theme song is considered a Christmas song?
Because it’s from a Christmas special. Next?
Why are they called Peanuts if there are no peanuts?
It’s an anagram for ‘Anus Pet’, referring to Snoopy, for obvious reasons.
Right. Because Snoopy is an asshole. That Sparky was a clever guy.
According to Wikipedia, Charles Schulz didn’t name it and he hates the name. And from the same source, the name is based on the “peanut gallery” on the Howdy Doody show – which is where all the kids sat.
Thanks, Wiki! Guess Charles Schulz was a real pushover or thirsty for his strip to be syndicated.The name Li’l Folks was very close to the names of two other comics of the time: Al Capp’s Li’l Abner and a strip titled Little Folks, so to avoid confusion, the syndicate settled on the name Peanuts, after the peanut gallery featured in the Howdy Doody TV show.[11]The title Peanuts was chosen by the syndication editor. In a 1987 interview, Schulz said: “It’s totally ridiculous, has no meaning, is simply confusing, and has no dignity—and I think my humor has dignity.”[12]
Prettymuch this. The first iteration was born out of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, so it makes it in by the two sweetest words in the English language – de-fault.
Granted, there are hundreds of other animated cartoon shows with Christmas specials that don’t have theme songs that rate in the Holiday Canon. So I agree that it shouldn’t qualify.However, that Vince Guaraldi soundtrack is my #2 holiday album of all time behind “Ella Wishes You A Swingin’ Christmas.”
Because it’s a kick-ass, funky, interesting song?And because bouncing up and down while moving your head all the way from one shoulder to the other is awesome?
I know it’s a meme and all, but it pretty much sums up my feelings toward the song:
This x1000
No make one for every Christmas song, as every Christmas song (other than “Holly Jolly Christmas” the BURL IVES VERSION ONLY, FUCKERS!) is a crappy song.
One for every Christmas song? That sounds like…a….Difficult responsibilityTo check Christmas lyrics for vulgarity…
I meant one where every song ends in “It’s just kind of a crappy song.” Because, as stated, all Christmas songs, with the exception of “The One True and Good Holiday Song” (TM), are kind of crappy.
Man, “Holly Jolly Christmas” sucks. The lyrics are ridiculous. “Say hello to friends you know and everyone you meet.” If you’re already saying hello to everyone you meet, you don’t need to single out the friends you know. Just say hello to everyone and call it a day.“Have a holly jolly Christmas, and in case you somehow just missed the thing I’ve been saying over and over for the past two minutes, well oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year! Did you hear it that time, Grandpa? Huh?”
That’s why it is rad. Be nice to people. And hey, dummy, I know you’re not paying attention so “IN CASE YOU DIDN’T HEAR!”Also Burl Ives cuts a mad folksy banjo solo in the brige.But I just realized it also advocates sexual assault with “Kiss her once for me.”Our heroes are dead.
Only if she doesn’t consent. You have to get consent for kisses by proxy, even if you already have consent for local requested kisses.
This is true. It’s a great sentiment. I still contend it sucks, but that’s the beauty of the holidays – agree to disagree!
That doesn’t sound like any holiday in America…
“Have a holly jolly Christmas, and in case you somehow just missed the thing I’ve been saying over and over for the past two minutes, well oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year!”
Leonard Shelby: “Huh…Burl Ives. *reads* Don’t believe his festiveness. He is the one. Kill him.”
Honestly, if they had all just agreed to stop playing the song without making a whole big announcement about it, I 100% guarantee nobody would ever have noticed or cared. I guess maybe there’s some value in making your reasoning behind something like this clear, but also there’s nothing wrong with just tossing something in the garbage when its time is done and moving on with your day.
That was my thinking. Just stop playing it without any kind of grand announcement and who would have even noticed? Unless you’re listening to it 24/7, and keeping track of every damn song playing, then it’s probably going to slip by you that you haven’t heard the Date Rape Song in X hours. If you turn on the radio for an hour for the car ride home, or lunch, or whatever, then maybe you just missed that particular song. Even if you listen for a bit longer in the evening while puttering around the house, you’re probably preoccupied enough with something else that you’d probably think you just weren’t paying attention when it played.
Hey, my friend Patrick made this meme!
I would have given credit out for it, but sadly googling “exploding brain meme baby its cold outside” didn’t give me any information 🙁
It’s the nature of memes, no worries!
You know Patrick!?!?!?!?
THE Patrick!
OMG Patrick!!
Ooh! Ooh! Do one for the 12 days of Christmas! Where giving away people as gifts for Christmas is covered… That is, if you choose to take the song literally and without context.
Finally! Someone gets it!
That sounds as if you’re saying, “Because ignorance is rampant, it is easier to ban this song than educate people.”
But I thought that Trump already won the War on Christmas? It’s another ‘Mission Accomplished’ fiasco!
Поздравляю
We need more songs celebrating Alvis
I dunno, even before current events, like 10 years ago, I didn’t know anyone who thought this song was anything but creepy AF. I can even remember my mom asking my dad to skip the track when it played in our house growing up. This song has been fucked up for some time!
I’m in the bah humbug category who often wishes radio stations would ban ALL Christmas music. But it seems to me that this is another media-driven faux controversy designed to get us all worked up and divided, while simultaneously distracting us from real problems we should be talking about.For example, in KOIT’s home state of California there’s presently a housing affordability and homelessness crisis. Recent destructive wildfires have only compounded the problem. And it really IS cold outside this winter, evern in California.
Whenever I hear the problematic lyrics cited, it’s always the “what’s in this drink” passage. They never mention how the guy says things like “what’s the sense in hurtin’ my pride,” “oh baby don’t hold out,” “how can you do this thing to me?” and “get over that old out.”
And I *like* the song. But dude … ew.
But we’re still okay with Madonna and/or Eartha Kitt prostituting themselves to Santa for material goods? Because that is FAR worse, if we’re judging old songs on the message they send.
The station in Denver asked its audience what they think. They overwhelmingly voted to keep the song in the lineup. What a perfect illustration that Twitter and clickbait bloggers with digital space to fill don’t represent reality or the majority. They’re just really loud.
Or the power of weed on loosening sexual morals. Why can’t we find one conservative trope and stick with it?!
No, this is loud:
Herb Tarlek always gets a star in my book.
I wonder how Dr. Johnny Fever feels about playing “Baby It’s Cold Outside” or not?
The Doctor would never play such tripe. Johnny Sunshine, on the other hand…
Online polls: The Gold Standard in accurate opinion gathering.
Next, I hope they’ll go after “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
Yeah. We know what they REALLY mean when they say “Feed the world.” Sick fucks!
Feed your head! Slick, fucks!
It. Is. ALL> CONNECTED!!!@1!11!!!!
Wasn’t the original lyric “Do Those People Know It’s Christmas?”?
“The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life.” Yes, because life isn’t like the best gift anyone could ask for. “I really wanted a DVD player, but instead I’m just still alive now. FUCK THAT SHIT I’D RATHER BE DEAD.”
“And there woooooon’t be snoooooow in Africa this Christmastime.”No, there….there really won’t. It’s…it’s a tropical climate, so….no, there will never be snow there. Thanks for….pointing it out?
That patronizing, lightly racist song? Even The Federalist (about as far as you can get from the PC police) can see problems with it –
http://thefederalist.com/2014/12/03/do-they-know-its-christmas-is-the-worst-christmas-song-ever/
Every year, Bob Geldorf secretly prays for it, that he may be spared his creation shambling the earth once more.
Every year, his prayers go unanswered.
“And tonight thank God it’s them instead of you!”
“Irregardless” come on NPR🤦🏻♀️
Since the intricacies of flirting change over the years, it just needs to be updated with swiping left or right based on someone’s appearance.
“Say, what’s in this drink” is a well-used phrase that was common in movies of the time period and isn’t really used in the same manner any longer. The phrase generally referred to someone saying or doing something they thought they wouldn’t in normal circumstances; it’s a nod to the idea that alcohol is “making” them do something unusual. But the joke is almost always that there is nothing in the drink. The drink is the excuse. The drink is the shield someone gets to hold up in front of them to protect from criticism.SourceBut hey, why try to understand context when it’s more fun to get up on your smug presentist high horse and declare that everyone in The Past (let’s say, pre-2015) was a slavering sexual harasser?
I actually remember my parents using that phrase, in a Nick and Nora sort of way. I’m pretty sure neither intended to date rape the other.
I’m afraid we have to let Woke Twitter be the judge of that, Hasselt.
There was a brand of oysters called “(N-word) Head Oysters” in the early 50s. Why don’t we bring that shit back, since we’ve shot our smug presentist high horse and all? 🙄
False equivalence, but nice try champ.
Hey, what’s in this drink? I’m asking because it is delicious and I am curious about the recipe. I am in no way overcome by alcohol, or anything else, except my palette is delirious with joy!
If I never hear another Christmas song ever again, it will be too soon.The lyrics of Baby, It’s Cold Outside bring into starker relief the thing about Christmas music that I hate the most, which is that it is grossly nostalgic. The defining feature of the “Christmas music” genre is not that it promotes the love of family, or the joy of giving – it’s that it sounds old. Some people associate specific Christmas songs with happy childhood memories, and I understand that. I feel the same way about the music of the Eurythmics (which was so distinctly of its time). But I don’t blast that music over my headphones everyday for two months of every year. And I have especially little time to immerse myself in the dulcet tones of the early 1900s, which were alternately depressing (the “great” one), horrifying (the war), or grossly misogynistic (the men).
Also, Rudolf has always been horrible. I’m 51, and even as a child I recognized the awfulness of Rudolf. The only thing that justifies the existence of Rudolf are the MadTV spoofs “A-Pack-of-Gifts Now” and “Raging Rudolf”.
Wow, so you were a joyless scold even as a child? That’s a shame.Seriously, anybody who doesn’t like Rudolf can eat shit forever.
How dare you question a marketing campaign for Montgomery Ward to sell coloring books!
I didn’t question it, he did! Bring me all the heart-warming, corporate-backed nostalgia!
At least the backlash kept the sequel, “Adolph, the Alt-Right Neckbeard” from being greenlit.
really? there is so much christmas music they could have just not said anything and never played it again and NOBODY would have noticed. do you remember hearing this one song last year during the holiday season?
Yes. Almost always followed immediately by “you know that song’s about rape? meeeeehhhhhh”
“you know that song’s about rape?” When “Santa Baby” comes on I like to say “you know that song’s about raping Santa Claus?”
In what context? She’s listing off a bunch of junk she wants. The song’s about greed, even when sung seductively.
Let’s be real: the song’s about trading sexual favours for gifts. “Santa Baby” is going to be well compensated.
She’s a tease at best.
i feel like it was used during an ad campaign fairly recently, maybe old navy or something. i wouldn’t miss the song personally but this controversy is overblown and just plays into the whole “progressives are humorless scolds” narrative, as do the complaints about Rudolph.
There’s other songs where this could work.
Unfortunately, this is not one of them, because seemingly like clockwork, every year or two, some other duet decides the world needs YET ANOTHER BLOODY COVER OF IT.
…seriously, these past few years, I’m already half sick of the song even before the debate gets started.
I look forward to reading their home page manifesto for each and every song ever written that they’ve elected not to include in their playlist.That’s going to keep them busy.
Well, one problem is that it is prominently featured in the movie Elf, so it’s heard countless times every christmas season. And regarding that, I for one am fine never having this song played again, EXCEPT for the scene in Elf, that somehow takes place in a shower and is still less rapey than this song on its own. You just never imagine Buddy the Elf doing anything untoward…
I am ok with never seeing ELF again. I know that is not a popular opinion.
I mean, I’m not gonna sit down and watch the whole movie on purpose, but if it’s on the TV I’ll probably watch it until the end…
Those of us who live in the Cleveland area think this is nothing but a publicity stunt by WDOK. They regularly get their clock cleaned in the ratings in December by WMJI, who also plays Christmas music 24/7. This has the sense of “we’re doing this for publicity so people remember we play Christmas music, too.”And the song isn’t even a Christmas song! Nowhere is Christmas, or even winter, mentioned. It’s like now all of a sudden Leonard Cohen’s “Alleluia” is now a Christmas song. Sorry Pentatonix, just because you put it on one of your Christmas albums doesn’t make it a Christmas song.
The song triggers people who have been assaulted or abused. Therefore none of us should be allowed to listen to it….ever!
Yawn. This again? Can’t we go back to smugly explaining to everyone within earshot that Jesus was probably born in July or that Christmas used to be a pagan holiday?
This has definitely become the laziest go-to for annual holiday outrage.
it’s not a christmas song, for fuck’s sake!!!!!
Is our society really this embarrassingly sensitive?
Great, now can we get Extreme’s “More Than Words” banned from weddings/proms?
We can replace it with The One I Love.
Here’s a good test. Take away the music and just imagine, I don’t know, James Franco or Louis CK speaking the lines as dialogue. If you don’t think it sounds a little rapey, play the song to your heart’s content.
I typically fall on the side of anti-political correctness and anti-censorship, and I usually think of the song as charming because of the shower scene in Elf, but I just read the lyrics to the song and dang if some parts aren’t creepy as hell, especially post-Cosby (“What’s in this drink?”—yikes). It’s not a fucking Christmas song anyway, so let’s just lose this one and keep all those other (non-rapey-seeming) not-actually-Christmas songs that we know and cherish, like “Winter Wonderland,” “Jingle Bells,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Let it Snow,” etc.
The only solution to avoid this controversy is to just stop airing holiday music all together and continue with the regular programming.
One side: This song has lost its original context, in which it was a taboo breaking song about subverting the patriarchal rules of society to enjoy a night of fun between 2 consenting adults who have alcohol that is nowhere near as alcoholic as they want it to be
One side: This song has lots its original context so hard that it now sounds like a tribute to date rape
My side: Oh my god I don’t care what it’s about I just want to stop hearing it. I’ve heard it approximately 3 million times. It’s basically a form of water boarding against retail workers in Winter. Seriously I will take literally anything else for any reason whatsoever
Well here’s the scene from the movie the song originated from (a movie that has zero to do with Christmas, it’s actually about two swimming athletes falling in love or something) and yeah it’s pretty creepy. And yes I am aware that later on in the movie the genders are flipped for who is singing the song, still creepy regardless…And yes that is Khan himself, Ricardo Montalban.
Considering all of the songs that get played that discuss how two people spend their evening together, I am really surprised this is one being singled out as offensive.
If you are contacting a radio station because you are offended by a song, is that really what you want to be doing?
Nevermind the song was written by a husband and wife for them to sing together at parties signaling it was time for everyone to leave.
How do we have entire stations dedicated to Top 40 “hits” that are all about wild sex and rape, yet this literally innocent song is getting pulled off the air?
I hope everyone that had a hand in this gets a very large piece of coal shoved straight up their ass.
“irregardless”? Really?
Hey fellas, every time you feel the urge to say some dumbass thing like “the hippity hop is just as bad” or “women are overreacting” switch to ranting about how not everyone agrees with you that “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie.
The same with Lethal Weapon.
“Long Kiss Goodnight” damnit.
Who would be dumb enough to express the opinion that Die Hard ISN’T a Christmas movie.
This is the problem with many people getting offended by anything. They don’t know fuck all about context and nuance.
I’ve called this the Christmas Rape song since, well, since I heard it and was old enough to understand what rape is. Good riddance. This song is unendingly uncomfortable if nothing else.
Setting aside the annual “debate” about whether the song is rapey (it isn’t, and this gets more tedious every year): People need to stop calling Baby It’s Cold Outside a CHRISTMAS song. It just takes place in the winter, that’s it.As dumb as the whole “durr hurr Die Hard is actually a Christmas movie durr hurr” thing is, at least that movie actually takes place ON Christmas, not merely in the same month.
But, I mean, Christmas is when we all celebrate the most glorious rape baby – Jesus. It’s not even true consent when a boss comes on to his secretary, you think an ancient, omniscient, all powerful being knocking up an (almost certainly) illiterate teenage girl is fair play? Pffft. That whole scenario is infinitely more rapey than anything Baby, It’s Cold Outside is on about.
But what is The Magnificat but Mary giving consent? Zeus, now THERE’S a sexual predator/deity. What myth of his is NOT himself forcing himself on some human woman while disguised as a bull or a swan or a golden shower?
The correct course is to not play this song, or any other Christmas music, because they are shit.
I don’t particularly like this song, but people who are upset by this need to understand the history of the song. It’s pretty much the OPPOSITE of “rape-y”. Please read this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/19/baby-its-cold-outside-was-once-an-anthem-for-progressive-women-what-happened/?utm_term=.6dd0e839f043
I would love to hear a version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” with female lyrics sung by late-’80s era Bobcat Goldthwait and the male lyrics sung by “Rocky Horror Picture Show” era Tim Curry.
I don’t know why they felt the need to advertise this new policy besides some good ol’ virtue signaling. Just don’t play the song. 98% of terrestrial radio listeners won’t even notice it’s missing. 1 in 100 will think to themselves “huh, been a while since I heard that one song, weird.” and another 1 in 100 will have noticed and developed an elaborate conspiracy theory about why it’s not getting played, but they will be regarded as crazy.This is the same as Spotify announcing they weren’t promoting R. Kelly playlists anymore and his numbers blew up from the backlash.
The Tom Wopat/John Schneider version is the most beautifully gay thing I‘ve ever heard, and is just the spin this song deserves.
Galaxy Brain: All Christmas music is objectively terrible, and should be banned.
You know what’s a really creepy song? ‘You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby’, aka, ‘I Can Extrapolate From How Much I Want to Bone Your Now Just How Attractive You Were As an Infant’.http://www.metrolyrics.com/you-must-have-been-a-beautiful-baby-lyrics-bing-crosby.htmlJust knowing this song exists puts you on three separate government watch lists.
I like Holiday music and this is a Christmastime song like all the other non-religious/non-santa songs. A lot of Jews wrote those songs, so they wrote about snow and wintertime. Some started out as songs for other seasonal Holidays like Jingle Bells (Thanksgiving). Having said that, I think dropping this song because the lyrics sound bad is stupid. However, I also don’t have any particular affection for this song as I never heard this song much growing up (It wasn’t on any of the Christmas albums our family had) and don’t care that much about it musically, so if it disappeared, it wouldn’t bother me.
Tragically, listeners of these stations will be stuck listening to only the other 946,247,610,992,437,214 Christmas songs in existence.
I am pretty sure Silent Night is about killing and eating a baby, so maybe we can stop playing that. The night is so calm because the baby is dead and not making noise, I know it is dead because it is sleeping in heavenly peace. Also how else do they know the baby is tender and mild if they didn’t eat it? Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
‘Round yon virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
“…irregardless…”*regardless
Baby, it’s 451 Fahrenheit outside…