A Kentucky radio station played "Baby, It's Cold Outside" on its airwaves repeatedly for two hours straight on Sunday, amid controversy over the Christmas song's lyrics.
Elizabethtown WAKY radio station mixed it up during the two hours by playing five different versions of the 1940s classic. "BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE! We like it and we're not afraid to play it on WAKY for the next couple of hours!," WAKY wrote on Facebook.
Joe Fredele, WAKY's director of programming, told local CBS News outlet WLKY that he's "not sure why it's controversial." "We've played this song for years, you know, this song is older than WAKY is. It's almost 70 years old."
The song's lyrics have come into question in recent months after the #MeToo movement highlighted the issue of consent. The 1944 duet—written by Frank Loesser—is about a woman who sings about leaving a man's house while he attempts to convince her to stay by pointing out the bad weather outside.
"I really can't stay," the woman sings, before the man responds: "But baby, it's cold outside."
Another problematic moment happens later in the song, when the woman sings: "Say, what's in this drink? I simply must go… the answer is no."
"What's the sense of hurtin' my pride?" the man replies.
Last month, an Ohio radio station removed the Christmas jam from its circulation after listeners complained about the lyrics' predatory undertones. Cleveland station WDOK Christmas 102.1 confirmed to local Tribune news station that it would no longer air the song because the holiday lineup is decided by listeners and they voted to remove it.
"People might say, 'oh, enough with that #MeToo,' but if you really put that aside and listen to the lyrics, it's not something I would want my daughter to be in that kind of a situation," WDOK midday host, Desiray, said. "The tune might be catchy, but let's maybe not promote that sort of an idea."
Another radio station in San Francisco added the song back into their rotation last week after they held the song pending review. KOIT Program Director Brian Figula told CBS San Francisco that the song's return was due to the "overwhelming" number of listeners who voted to get the tune reinstated.
In an online statement, Figula explained his decision: "After hearing from thousands of Bay Area listeners via polling, phone calls, emails and social media, KOIT has concluded that the vast majority consider the song to be a valuable part of their holiday tradition, and they still want to hear it on the radio."
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