John Legend’s rewrite of the controversial holiday song “Baby It’s Cold Outside” has faced some criticism from the daughter of Dean Martin, who famously recorded the song in 1959.
In an interview with "Good Morning Britain," Deana Martin called Legend's update of the song to reflect a post-Me Too era "absurd," according to a report by Canada's Global News. Martin said although she's a fan of Legend's, the 2019 remake of the classic song steals the thunder from songwriter Frank Loesser's song and her dad.
“He should write his own song if he doesn’t like this one. Don’t change the lyrics,” Martin said during the interview. “My dad didn’t care about things like that,” she added. “He would have said it was absurd. I think John should have just left it alone.”
Sharon Osbourne agreed. In a segment on her show “The Talk” on Monday, the television personality called the rewrite ridiculous.
"What would John Legend do, if in 40 years, if somebody wanted to, you know times change, re-record one of his songs, and there was some group that found it offensive, and somebody just went, 'Oh, I can change the lyrics on that,' " Osbourne said during the episode.
The original song has received its own criticism in recent years for its lyrics that seem to make light of drugging a woman to get her to stay overnight on a snowy day. The specific lyric “What's in this drink" brought ire for those seeking to uphold women’s rights and denounce sexual harassment.
Here’s how the lyrics were changed in John Legend’s new duet with Kelly Clarkson:
The line was replaced with a new verse in Legend's version:
"What will my friends think..." Clarkson sings.
"I think they should rejoice," Legend responds.
"...if I have one more drink," Clarkson continues.
"It's your body, and your choice," Legend adds.
The new version is featured on Legend’s holiday album “A Legendary Christmas.”
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