The annual "Baby It's Cold Outside" controversy didn’t last for too long at a Bay Area radio station.
KGO reported that adult contemporary radio station 96.5 KOIT in the San Francisco Bay Area removed the 1944 song from its rotation on Dec. 4. Written by the late "Guys and Dolls" writer Frank Loesser, the duet, typically performed by a male and female singer, contains lyrics like, "Say, what's in this drink?" and "I simply must go," followed by the woman singing "The answer is no."
The decision followed that of WDOK in Cleveland, which announced Nov. 27 it was no longer playing the song.
"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," station host Glenn Anderson said in a blog post. "The world we live in is extra sensitive now, and people get easily offended, but in a world where #MeToo has finally given women the voice they deserve, the song has no place."
Related: ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ removed from radio station’s playlist
KOIT's decision wasn't final, however. The same day the song was pulled, the station invited listeners to weigh in on the change via a poll on its website.
"We received more complaints on the song than any other song ever played in the history of the radio station," KOIT program director Brian Figula told KGO Dec. 4.
Related: 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' writer's daughter says song isn't about date rape
Listener response led the station to put “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” back in rotation.
"KOIT's listeners have spoken, and the overwhelming message is they do want to hear 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' on our station, as they have throughout the years," Figula said in a statement Monday. "More than seven out of every 10 listeners who responded said although some lyrics of the song may reflect a different era and a different sensibility than today, still they love the tradition and history of the song, and want to hear it as part of their holiday season.
“At KOIT, we always listen carefully when our listeners take time to comment. In this case, it was very obvious what they wanted us to do.”
Credit: Jacek Dylag/Unsplash
Credit: Jacek Dylag/Unsplash
According to Loesser's daughter Susan Loesser, the song, taken in the context of the time it was written, does not imply date rape.
"I think my father would be furious at that," she told NBC News. "People used to say, 'What's in this drink?' as a joke. You know, this drink is going straight to my head so what's in this drink? Back then it didn't mean, 'You drugged me.'"
About the Author
