Listen now | An annual holiday staple, "Baby It's Cold Outside" has been called misogynistic, sexually aggressive and just plain creepy. Here's why that view is wrong.
This song was written in a historical context where society was unconcerned with date rape and was very concerned with (female-mostly) sexual "purity". Now that society's concerns have flipped, it's not surprising that the song needs careful analysis of the lyrics and a historical perspective to lose some of that "rapey" sound. The song derived a lot of its original appeal from its original context, so it's not surprising that it loses it, even experiences some revulsion, in a context that has flipped. This is part of why some songs become classics, and some songs, no matter how how wonderful they are in their original context, just can't. Think of how so much topical humor can be hilarious, and inspire activism, but a short while later can inspire only weariness. Maybe in another generation the song will find welcoming listeners again.
This song was written in a historical context where society was unconcerned with date rape and was very concerned with (female-mostly) sexual "purity". Now that society's concerns have flipped, it's not surprising that the song needs careful analysis of the lyrics and a historical perspective to lose some of that "rapey" sound. The song derived a lot of its original appeal from its original context, so it's not surprising that it loses it, even experiences some revulsion, in a context that has flipped. This is part of why some songs become classics, and some songs, no matter how how wonderful they are in their original context, just can't. Think of how so much topical humor can be hilarious, and inspire activism, but a short while later can inspire only weariness. Maybe in another generation the song will find welcoming listeners again.
The version that Ray Charles did was with Betty Carter, not Betty Page. (Bettie Page was a famous pin-up model of the 1950s.)
Betty Page? Aaargh. Betty Carter, of course. C'mon!