Baby, It's Cold Outside
From Clumsy Media
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a pop standard with words and music by Frank Loesser.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> Originally, it was intended to be a Christmas song. In its early years it was played only during Christmas time. In recent years, however, it has been recorded by numerous adult contemporary artists and played year round.
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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.<ref name="Loesser">Template:Cite book</ref>
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. Though the song does not specifically reference any holiday, it is often regarded as a Christmas song due to the lyrics' depiction of a snowy backdrop, as well as the cozy interior setting that is described by the "wolf" character.
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".<ref>http://bitchmagazine.org/post/b-sides-she-him-baby-its-cold-outside-date-rape-feminist-music</ref>
The song is frequently heard on adult contemporary radio stations around Christmas time.
Tempo
In at least one published version the tempo of the song is given as "Loesserando," a humorous reference to the composer's name.<ref name="Fresh Air Celebrates Frank Loesser's 100th Birthday">[1], Comment made by Michael Feinstein during Fresh Air Celebrates Frank Loesser's 100th Birthday interview</ref>
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.<ref name="Loesser"/> 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.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">Template:Cite book</ref>
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.<ref name=Whitburn>
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- 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.<ref name=Whitburn/>
- 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.<ref name=Whitburn/>
- 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.<ref name=Whitburn/>
- A parody recording was made by Homer and Jethro with June Carter; it went to #9 on the country charts and #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.
