“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is an adorable holiday song. That’s why it’s been covered about 743 different times by any recording artist who has ever had a record contract. It’s also an incredibly icky song, making its winter omnipresence a very confusing, conflicting experience: “Man, this is a great tune,” you think. “A great tune that’s kind of about date rape.”
As has been well-trodden at this point, the lyrics to this classic duet are quite concerning. A woman wants to leave. A man refuses to let her. “The answer is no,” she sings at one point. After he continues to badger her into staying, plying her with more drinks and ignoring her insistence that she really wants to go, comes the sinker: “Say, what’s in this drink?”
Even the original score to the song labels the singing parts, “Mouse” (the woman) and “Wolf” (the man). He is the predator and she is the prey. What an alternately messed up, irresistibly catchy, reprehensible, utterly charming holiday classic.
ADVERTISEMENT
As most of us have been made aware and since dealt with our feelings about the more alarming nature of the song, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” continues to be covered ad nauseum, most recently by Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé. The pair released the music video for their version on Tuesday. It stars children mouthing along to the lyrics—those same lyrics we just described above.
Menzel and Bublé’s video highlights the exact tension we were just talking about. The children are precocious and cute and the whole thing is freaking adorable. But also…what the hell?!
So in honor of the precious/horrible children-starring music video, we went down a chilly “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” rabbit hole to surface more of the unusual pairings and interpretations of the duet from over the years. So please, have a half drink more, stay, and enjoy.
Mayim Bialik and the cast of Blossom Charming family moment, or the beginning of a “Very Special Episode” of Blossom?
Seth MacFarlane and Sara Bareilles This was not, in fact, a musical break in a politically incorrect, borderline offensive episode of Family Guy about date rape. Instead, it was actually an entry in MacFarlane’s very earnest recording career, which has even garnered him a Grammy nomination in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category. And Sara Bareilles? She’s as heavenly as always, even while being predatorily seduced by Peter Griffin through song.
Willie Nelson and Norah Jones May-December fireplace flirting. “Say, what’s in this drink?” It’s weed, Norah.
James Caan and Bette Midler Everyone’s favorite Hollywood curmudgeon collaborated with human manifestation of a bedazzle, the Divine Miss M, for a version of the song that appeared on the soundtrack of 1991’s For the Boys.
Rod Stewart and Diane Sawyer This is just highly entertaining.
Miss Piggy and Rudolf Nureyev Ever the badass feminist, it’s the world’s most glamorous swine puppet who is the predator in this gender-reversed, hyper-sexualized iteration, putting the moves on shirtless Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev in a steam room on The Muppet Show.
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John Travolta and Newton-John recorded an entire Christmas album together in 2012. The photo on the cover is everything. Everything. (Weirdly, it’s Newton-John doing the “Wolf” part and Travolta playing the “Mouse” in this version. Do with that what you will.)
Zach Braff and Donald Faison The Scrubs stars reunited to sing this holiday duet. It is completely nonsensical, and every second is fantastic.
Jimmy Fallon and Cecily Strong on Saturday Night Live
What happens after he finally convinces her to stay? Awkwardness. Because after he has his 12 minutes of fun, it’s now him who wants her to go. “Should I call you cab?” “But baby it’s cold outside…”
