John Legend and Kelly Clarkson release updated version of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’
John Legend and Kelly Clarkson have updated the Christmas tune “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” for the age of #MeToo.
The two coaches from “The Voice” have released a version with updated lyrics of the song that first became a hit when it was included in the 1949 movie “Neptune’s Daughter.”
Critics claimed the original lyrics hinted at date rape as a persistent man tries to convince a woman to stay the night by plying her with liquor and reminding her how cold it is outside.
The updated version appears on Legend’s Christmas album, “A Legendary Christmas: The Deluxe Edition,” released Friday.
It swaps out new lines for some of the original lyrics: “I really can’t stay (but baby, it’s cold outside)/ I’ve got to go away (but baby, it’s cold outside)/ So very nice (I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice)/ My mother will start to worry (beautiful, what’s your hurry?)/ My father will be pacing the floor (listen to the fireplace roar).”
In the new version, that part is now: “I really can’t stay (baby, it’s cold outside)/ I’ve got to go away (I can call you a ride)/ This evening has been (so glad that you dropped in)/ So very nice (time spent with you is paradise)/ My mother will start to worry (I’ll call a car and tell ’em to hurry)/ My daddy will be pacing the floor (Wait, what are you still livin’ home for?).”
Another change includes Clarkson singing, “What will my friends think if I have one more drink?” before Legend replies, “It’s your body and your choice.”
The daughter of the song’s original writer, Broadway star Frank Loesser, told NBC News last year that she understood why women these days might take offense to the original lyrics.
“It’s a song my father wrote for him and my mother to sing at parties,” Susan Loesser said. “But ever since (Bill) Cosby was accused of drugging women, I hear the date rape thing all the time.”
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Source:today.com
