A Cleveland radio station will stop playing the 1944 classic āBaby, itās Cold Outsideā citing the MeToo movement and how it could be problematic.
Station WDOK Christmas 102.1 is pulling the song after a listener called into the station to bring up how the song could be seen as problematic in this day and age.
The stationās midday host Desiray told on Thursday that the move was out of her hands because the song lineup is chosen by listeners: āIt wasnāt really our decision. Itās the decision of our listeners.ā
The MeToo movement, which began from sexual misconduct by film producer , has led to scores of women accusing powerful figures of assaults and harassment.
But since 2017, the movement has sparked a debate on sexual harassment, consent and rape culture and caused people to re-evaluate films, TV shows and even songs like āBaby, Itās Cold Outside.ā
In the song, the female singer sings āI really canāt stay,ā to which the male responds, ābut baby, itās cold outsideā and āBeautiful, whatās your hurry?ā Some of the more problematic lyrics include āMy mother will start to worry,ā āI ought to say no, no, noā and ā"What's in this drink?"
The stationās afternoon host Glenn Anderson admitted in a that he initially didnāt understand how the lines could be an issue āuntil I read them.ā
āNow, I do realize that when the song was written in 1944, it was a different time, but now while reading it, it seems very manipulative and wrong,ā Anderson wrote, adding āthe world we live in is extra sensitive now.ā
āPeople get easily offended, but in a world where MeToo has finally given women the voice they deserve, the song has no place.ā
The duet was written by American songwriter Frank Loesser who sang it with his wife, Lynn Garland, for friends at dinner parties. After years of performing the song, he sold the song to MGM studios which used the song in the 1949 romantic comedy āNeptune's Daughter.ā
Although it was first sung professionally in that film by singers Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán, it has been covered by numerous singers like Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Dean Martin, Kelly Clarkson, and Cee Lo Green. In 2014, Canadian singer Michael Bublé sang the song with Broadway star Idina Menzel.
A spokesperson for the radio station was unavailable for comment on Saturday and couldnāt specify if it wouldnāt play the 1949 version or all covers of the song.
On Wednesday, the asklng readers to vote on whether they felt the song was a "classic" tune or an "inappropriate" one. As of Sunday morning, 94 per cent of the over 6,500 votes have called it a classic.
Since the news broke of the stationās decision, comments have been flooding onto the stationās Facebook page with people weighing in on both sides of the debate.
