Holiday Song History: ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’

Okay, I get it. This song sounds rapey now. That's not what this is about. But since this song is in the news again, I'll start this series of blogs with it.

I was driving around this weekend with the wife listening to Christmas music when she started asking questions. "When was this song written?" "Who first made the song popular?" So I looked up the answers. So here begins a Holiday Song History series.

• Song - Baby, It's Cold Outside
• Year - 1944
• Written By - Frank Loesser

Other Random Facts

• Although the song makes no mention of Christmas, it's regarded as a Christmas song due to it's wintery theme.
• Loesser wrote the song for him and his wife to perform at parties.
• He ended up selling the song to MGM, and it was used in the 1949 movie Neptune's Daughter.
• The song has been in the spotlight recently because the lyrics can be perceived to be pro-rape culture. But, in reality, the song was written during a time that it was not socially acceptable for women to stay the night with a boyfriend or fiance, and the woman in the song wants to stay, but is concerned about her social perception to others.