Among the casualties—collateral damage, as it were—of the Me Too Movement (MTM) have been long- popular songs, whose lyrics are said to be politically insensitive in our fraught times. Just to be clear, I’m not talking about the vulgar misogynistic lyrics common in rap music or the sexual incorrect ambiguity captured in country singer Holly Dunn’s controversial 1991 hit “Maybe I Mean Yes.” And I’m not talking about the inane lyrics in the banal, but (apparently) beloved song “Kiss the Girl” from Disney’s Little Mermaid, which has recently been flagged at Princeton.
Rather, here I’m talking about the clever, even brilliant wordplay in Frank Loesser’s 1944 classic holiday duet, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which is increasingly seen as a coercive and manipulative demonstration of male dominance, patriarchal culture, etc. What I see in that great song—especially Dean Martin’s version—is a light-hearted wink at, even spoof of the art of romantic seduction. Given the sheer stupidity of much of what passes for lyrics today, Loesser’s song, with its smart word play, certainly deserves better treatment.
In light of the hue and cry regarding “Baby, It’s Cold outside,” I’m wondering why another classic holiday song—Phil Springer’s “Santa Baby”—hasn’t taken similar hits. Perhaps it’s because it was written to be sung by a woman. The lyrics to this song, which includes the exhortation for Santa to “Come and Trim my Christmas Tree,” make Loesser’s duet sound like the Little Drummer Boy. This is especially true of the 1953 version of Santa Baby sung by the uber -sensual Eartha Kitt.
Perhaps MTMers would be better served to train their sights on other, more egregious targets such as the Beatles, the lyrics to whose song ”Run For Your Life” from their 1965 Rubber Soul album follow below:
Well I’d rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or I won’t know where I amYou better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That’s the end ah little girlWell I know that I’m a wicked guy
And I was born with a jealous mind
And I can’t spend my whole life
Trying just to make you toe the lineYou better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That’s the end ah little girlLet this be a sermon
I mean everything I’ve said
Baby, I’m determined
And I’d rather see you deadYou better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That’s the end ah little girlI’d rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or you won’t know where I amYou better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That’s the end ah little girl
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah (fade out)
Nah, nah, nah is right.
