Monday, December 21, 2015

Song #15 - Baby, It's Cold Outside

No, no it's not.


While "Baby, Literally Everything Is On Fire Outside," doesn't have quite the same ring to it, you have to admit it's at least a more convincing argument than "it's cold outside."

Classic Version: Baby, It's Cold Outside was written by Frank Loesser in 1944 for the film Neptune's Daughter. Its role in the film earned it the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making it our second Oscar-winning track (See White Christmas). Check out the original here:

Neptune's Daughter (cast)

Better known than the film recording is the duet by Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting.

Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting

Modern Version: Modern covers of this song are often hit or miss. I think the deciding factor is the relationship between the two singers. The worst of the worst are those where you can tell the call-and-response parts were recorded at different times, in different studios, across the country. It follows, then, that the stronger recordings generally feature close friends or, as is the case in our first track, a husband and wife.

While the recording by Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey (pre-divorce) is nothing too original, their chemistry does come across nicely in the song.

Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey


By now, the cast of Glee has covered almost every Christmas classic; Having had the misfortune of listening to them, I can assure you they're nothing special. One exception is this cover of Baby, It's Cold Outside featuring Darren Criss and Chris Colfer.

Glee (cast)


What have we learned from today's post? I discovered that this song is pretty creepy regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, and income. It's like the Equal Opportunity Employer of Songs With Questionable Intention.

Anyway! On to the voting!

Which creeps you out the least?


-Jesse

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