Who Knew Your Holiday Pops Tunes Were NSFW

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Brace yourself, we’re veering a bit off topic today and chatting about adapting traditional content that when seen through the lens of contemporary sensibilities clearly crosses the “not cool” line. Case in point, the popular holiday pops song Baby, It’s Cold Outside.

Years before the #MeToo movement gained traction, Baby, It’s Cold Outside started gaining attention thanks to lyrics that may have been acceptable in 1948, but 70 years later, are undeniably misogynistic.

If you think the lyrics are just “sweet, flirty, [and] fun” then be sure to check out this rendition from CollegeHumor.com. It does a good job at framing perspectives.

What continues to surprise me are how quickly people tend to self-identify into either side of the discussion whereas a simpler solution seems to be updating the lyrics.

I assumed an updated version was out there already but outside of a slew of parodies, I couldn’t find anything.

We’re smarter than this…right?

Personally, I really enjoy the tune and would be more than happy with an updated, non-parody, set of lyrics. If you know of something out there, leave a note in the comments.

In the meantime, does your organization have Baby, It’s Cold Outside planned for a holiday pops show? If so, I’m curious to know if this issue on your radar and if so, how did it unfold.

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

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