Christmas Creepiness

Christmas songs are clearly moneymakers. Some what astonishingly White Christmas (written by Irving Berlin) as sung by Bing Crosby is not only the best selling Christmas single of all time, but the overall best selling single of all time. That version alone has sold at least 50 million copies. When you add in all the other versions of the song the number soars to an incredible 100 million copies. No wonder Mr. Berlin is quoted as having said to his secretary “Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that any body's ever written".

However some Christmas songs don’t make me feel quite the same as White Christmas. One in particular (you may be surprised to hear) really makes me feel creepy when I hear it. That song is “Baby its Cold Outside”. It was originally written by Frank Loesser in 1944, and sung as a duet with his wife at their Navarro Hotel housewarming party. Perhaps in 1944 the song was considered cute, playful and perhaps even appropriate. To me in these days of “date rape” and “no means no” it comes across as the slimy attempts by some misogynist to coerce a reluctant female (his girlfriend, someone else’s girlfriend?) to spend the night (sleep with him). In fact apparently the male character in the duet is referred to as “the wolf” and the reluctant female as “the mouse”. Some examples of the lyrics:

The Mouse’s first 2 lines:
I really can't stay & I've got to go away
Shes preoccupied with what others will think:
My mother will start to worry - My father will be pacing the floor- My sister will be suspicious - My brother will be there at the door -My maiden aunt's mind is vicious

The Wolf merely redirects :
Baby, it's bad out there, No cabs to be had out there

The Wolf starts to undress the reluctant female:
I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell

He starts to ply her with alcohol:
Put some music on while I pour

With her starting to feel intoxicated earlier then expected:
Say, what's in this drink?


She becomes increasingly firm with:
I simply must go, The answer is no, & I've got to go home

He counters with that terribly passive aggressive approach some morally questionable men use when they're trying to guilt women into sex:

What's the sense in hurting my pride?

Ultimately she even asks to borrow his coat, but he refuses

Creepy don’t you think?