# In defense of "Baby It's Cold Outside." **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041 "2014-12-01T16:17:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jim\_Bow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jim\_Bow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Bow)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/21 "2014-12-01T18:15:55Z")
I recall a TV special in which James Taylor duetted with a much much younger woman (Katherine McPhee??) It was absolutely creepy. Taylor had a very predatory look, and the young woman stumbled over the lyric, and seemed to be looking for help. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/22 "2014-12-01T18:16:20Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > The one thing that makes me mad about the song is I can not find my perfect version of it. There’s always something off. Dean Martin. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/23 "2014-12-01T18:17:52Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Roofie, Roofie…everyone keeps calling them Roofies. I mean, you’re more likely to end up on the ground…why not just call them Groundies? Please remind me what you’re quoting? ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/24 "2014-12-01T18:23:41Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Please remind me what you’re quoting? You don’t remember this movie? Do you have a hangover? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/25 "2014-12-01T19:15:30Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Please remind me what you’re quoting? > [@Erdosain](#): > > You don’t remember this movie? Do you have a hangover? In case you haven’t actually seen the movie, Eridosain’s response isn’t another quote, but a sly way of telling you. But I’ll let you figure it out and not spoil the fun ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/26 "2014-12-01T19:25:19Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > In case you haven’t actually seen the movie, Eridosain’s response isn’t another quote, but a sly way of telling you. > > But I’ll let you figure it out and not spoil the fun Hell, even I got the reference and I didn’t see the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_of\_Words](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f6c823/32.png) [@Jack\_of\_Words](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_of_Words)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/27 "2014-12-01T19:38:51Z")
[Cerys Matthews and Tom Jones](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4klyIX4RIWA), ably accompanied by by noted ivory-tickler Jools Holland and his band. Maybe not the _perfect_ version, but it is at least very Welsh. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/28 "2014-12-01T19:54:29Z")
[Miss Piggy and Rudolph Nureyev](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARUM0-jtjIg). Thread over. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/29 "2014-12-01T20:02:12Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > [Miss Piggy and Rudolph Nureyev](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARUM0-jtjIg). Thread over. There have been a few good gender reversal versions, but I’ve always wondered if Miss Piggy and Rudolph Nureyev were the first. Even if they weren’t the first, they certainly set the standard. Another good gender reversal version (also from a Muppets presentation): [Joseph Gordon Levitt and Lady Gaga](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtoW4aV-CIc) It’s pretty good (seems a little under-rehearsed, but it’s fun and charming). ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/30 "2014-12-01T20:39:35Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Dean Martin. Yeah – [that’s the version I was trying to remember before](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwGrg8UPTY8), where both singers are very flirty. I think it’s my favorite straightforward rendition of the song. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/31 "2014-12-01T21:14:36Z")
[Is it objectionable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRoVAMhh-60) [when the woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVz6TCT5Bjs) [takes the lead?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtoW4aV-CIc) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/32 "2014-12-01T21:17:53Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > [Is it objectionable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRoVAMhh-60) [when the woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVz6TCT5Bjs) [takes the lead?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtoW4aV-CIc) I mean, these have been linked to before, and folks have generally said it’s not objectionable except in some cases. So you tell us: do the traits that make it sometimes objectionable apply to genderswitch cases? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/33 "2014-12-01T21:23:54Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > So I think if you like the song you should enjoy it and not feel guilty. It isn’t some relic of a different era like racist WWII Bugs Bunny cartoons; it’s just misunderstood. So, you’re just going to throw Chuck Jones under the bus, eh? As for your gendered interpretation, Ms Germanotta and Mr Gordon-Levitt say you’re wrong: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgK5odZtNkM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgK5odZtNkM) ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/34 "2014-12-01T21:32:19Z")
…I _really_ ought to have read the thread this time. e\_e Gaga and JGL’s version is one of two I always think of. The other I’m either not finding online or seriously misremembering. > [@Jim\_Bow](#): > > I recall a TV special in which James Taylor duetted with a much much younger woman (Katherine McPhee??) It was absolutely creepy. Taylor had a very predatory look, and the young woman stumbled over the lyric, and seemed to be looking for help. McPhee tends to look lost a lot. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/35 "2014-12-01T22:02:25Z")
The part where I get really uncomfortable is the verse where it comes out that they’re married to other people, and are cousins. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/36 "2014-12-01T22:14:43Z")
I’ve witnesses that song performed by a man and a woman, two men, and two women. it’s only the man/woman version that people find creepy. That says more about them than the song. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/37 "2014-12-01T23:36:12Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > The closest one I’ve like is, oddly enough, Will Ferrell and Zoey Deschanel in Elf. Shame it’s so short. Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone sing it on the Elf soundtrack. She sings her part pretty much the same as she does in the shower scene. It’s pretty different from the She & Him version. So unless it’s Will Ferrell’s melodious voice you really like (or aren’t a fan of Leon Redbone) you might like it. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/38 "2014-12-02T02:04:50Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I mean, these have been linked to before, and folks have generally said it’s not objectionable except in some cases. So you tell us: do the traits that make it sometimes objectionable apply to genderswitch cases? I don’t find the song objectionable any more than I find Singin’ In The Rain objectionable because Alex sang it in _A Clockwork Orange_. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/39 "2014-12-02T02:54:08Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > There have been a few good gender reversal versions, but I’ve always wondered if Miss Piggy and Rudolph Nureyev were the first. Even if they weren’t the first, they certainly set the standard. > > Another good gender reversal version (also from a Muppets presentation): > [Joseph Gordon Levitt and Lady Gaga](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtoW4aV-CIc) > It’s pretty good (seems a little under-rehearsed, but it’s fun and charming). No, if you watched the original clip from “Neptune’s Daughter”, the second half of the clip is Betty Garrett as the aggressor to Red Skelton. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041/40 "2014-12-02T02:57:22Z")
There’s the same-gender version from Glee: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BgdLdl60EMA/maxresdefault.jpg "Glee Cast - Baby, It's Cold Outside (Glee Cast Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgdLdl60EMA) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/706041.md?page=3)