Here’s why people are up in arms over ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ right now

It's featured in everything from Glee to Elf and has been covered by legends like Michael Bublé and Dean Martin - but is it time to leave 'Baby It's Cold Outside' in the past?

The Christmas classic, first written in 1944 by Oscar-nominated songwriter Frank Loesser to perform at parties with his wife, is beloved of many but has gotten a lot of flak online recently. Critics have claimed that the tone and some of the lyrics of 'Baby It's Cold Outside', in which we hear a man trying to convince a female guest to stay over, are 'rapey'. The issue was first raised by US radio host Glenn Anderson, who explained in a statement that he wouldn't be playing 'Baby It's Cold Outside'this year.

"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," he said.

Now Irish station Christmas FM has confirmed that it won't be playing the song either. The song "didn't resonate well with listeners" and so was dropped last year, it said in a tweet.  

The song itself

A closer look at the lyrics shows that, if we're honest with ourselves, they probably wouldn't be included in a song written today "Ah, you're very pushy you know? (I like to think of it as opportunistic)" "Say what's in this drink? (No cabs to be had out there)" "I ought to say no, no, no sir (Mind if move in closer?)" Lots of cultural classics don't age well, including beloved Christmas songs - something that can be hard to swallow for fans. Many have argued that 'Baby It's Cold Outside' is simply of its time.

#BabyItsColdOutside is a great song from a different era. Let’s be smart enough to understand that and enjoy the sentiment. Also, don’t rape/beat/abuse/etc...humans. It’s seems like it goes with out saying, but...

— #Picassole' (@fooken) December 1, 2018

Please just ? STOP..... How ridiculous is this? Banning #BabyitsColdOutside ? Grow up, people. Enough already..... ?‍♀️ https://t.co/0fyHV1mILk

— Dina Parise (@DPariseRacing) December 2, 2018

#BabyItsColdOutside it's just a fun song a fun song about being snuggled up with the one you love rather than out in the snow. people have real problems.

— caroline tait (@nethenia) December 2, 2018

But others are pleased to see that it's beginning to fall out of favour.

“Baby it’s cold outside” is an innocent song...but the lyrics make it a little creepy for today’s climate of scandals and impacts by a powerful social movement. I think we should wait for a while before playing it. #BABYITSCOLDOUTSIDE

— AustinTrench (@Austin_Trench) November 30, 2018

It is completely valid for radio stations to stop playing "baby it's cold outside" bc it has nothing to do with Christmas and everything to do with creepy men being insistent when a woman is clearly uninterested #BabyItsColdOutside

— •Andra Roventa• (@ahh__ndra) December 3, 2018

It is a truly creepy song that I have never been comfortable with. I stand by this #MeToo related ban. #BabyItsColdOutside #consentiseverything https://t.co/3GJGsQzqB9

— Jon Wolff (@WolffJawn) December 3, 2018

There's another argument doing the rounds online which goes that the woman in the song wants to stay but is wary of being slut-shamed.

If u think that then you don't understand the words. Is about a woman afraid of the reaction of her parents, brother, sister, aunt and neighbours if she stays overnight with her lover, and he trying to convince her to ignore them and stay - giving her excuses. #BABYITSCOLDOUTSIDE

— Jim Duffy (@JimTDuffy) December 1, 2018

Where do you stand on the song?