By Brian Tynes
(WWBT) - A Cleveland radio station has said “no, no, no, sir” to playing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
Star 102.1 said the Academy Award-winning holiday song “really can’t stay” and has “got to go away” because of lyrics that are deemed “inappropriate.”
The song was written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and follows the conversation of a man asking a woman to stay with him a little longer because, well, it’s cold outside.
The song generates conversation and sometimes controversy every year over lines such as “say, what’s in this drink” and “I ought to say no, no, no, sir” as evidence of the man attempting to coerce the woman into staying against her will.
Supporters of the song point to lyrics such as “at least I’m going to say that I tried,” and “I wish I knew how to break this spell” as her being more concerned about other people’s perception of her rather than her lack of interest.
Many versions of the song exist, but the most famous is by Dean Martin.
Newer versions of the song have softened some of the more controversial lyrics to make it, and in some cases it has been rewritten altogether to illustrate the concept of sexual consent.
The song was used in the 1949 MGM movie “Neptune’s Daughter,” for which it won an Oscar. In the movie, the conversation plays out twice – one with the genders reversed.
Part of the song was also sung by Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrell in “Elf.” Deschanel also recorded it as part of She & Him.
But listeners of Star 102.1 who like the song may have a chance to get it to “move in closer.”
The radio station said it is listening to the opinions of all its listeners and created a poll on its Facebook page. The poll has nearly 2,000 votes with 94 percent saying the station should play the song.
Many of those listeners have flooded the station’s Facebook page with support for the song and satirical reasons why other well-known Christmas songs should also not be played, including comments that the only thing they’re offended by is the station itself for not playing the song.
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