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Kelly Clarkson and John Legend's Version of 'Baby It's Cold outside' Receives Backlash Online

Oyin Balogun
Nov 09, 2019
04:40 P.M.

"The Voice" coaches, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend, announced the release of their new version of Frank Loesser's 1944 Christmas classic, "Baby It's Cold Outside."

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The popular and controversial Christmas song, "Baby It's Cold Outside," written by late country singer Frank Loesser back in the '40s, is up for another debate as singers, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson revealed their revamped rendition of the classic.

John Legend, Kelly Clarkson on the "Kelly Clarkson Show" | Photo: Getty Images

John Legend, Kelly Clarkson on the "Kelly Clarkson Show" | Photo: Getty Images

THE LEGENDARY COUNTRY CLASSIC

Over the years, the song has sparked controversies among feminism advocates, with many arguing that the lyrics of the hit response duet promoted date rape.

The sensitive nature of the once-favorite Christmas jam has led to an outcry for the song to be disbanded from radio stations and public outlets.

However, others had maintained that the lyrics were innocent, and represented slangs that were prominent in the good ol' days when it was written.

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JOHN LEGEND'S RENDITION

Due to the general controversies surrounding the classic's lyrics, John Legend made a move to offer a less suggestive version that does not debase the female's sexual vulnerability.

Admittedly, the original duet had some questionable lyrics that were suggestive of a man trying to seduce his date into spending the night by getting her drunk without her consent.

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Rather than include diminutive verses like "What's in this drink?" and the response, "No cab to be had out there," the singer opted for a more sensitive counterpart, singing "If I have one more drink?" with the response, "It's your body and your choice."

The singer included the doctored version in the 2019 reissue of his last year's Christmas album titled, "A Legendary Christmas." The new release is expected to drop on November 8.

THE SINGER GETS BACKLASH FOR TAINTING A "PERFECT SONG"

Since the news of the upcoming rewrite hit the media, fanatics of the original classic have called out the "All Of Me" singer for doing something so disdainful to a legend's perfect song.

Frank Loesser while rehearsing a song for M-G-M film "Hans Christian Andersen" | Photo: Getty Images

Frank Loesser while rehearsing a song for M-G-M film "Hans Christian Andersen" | Photo: Getty Images

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Some took to online platforms to voice out their disapproval. One fan tweeted:

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with the original. People need to grow up and look at slang and phrases used back then. That song was and is perfectly fine."

Several celebrities have also come out to oppose John Legend's alteration of the controversial "Baby It's Cold Outside," including television personality, Sharon Osbourne of "The Talk," and Deana Martin, daughter of the Legendary Dean Martin.

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DEANA MARTIN FIRES AT LEGEND

Although Loesser first performed the song in 1944, it was Dean Martin who discovered the record again and released its 1959 version, which increased the song's popularity.

It is no surprise then that the 71-year-old, Deana would be at the forefront of the protest against Legend's revamp, as to her, it meant seeing her father's lifework crumble.

She called out the singer on "Good Morning Britain" for changing the lyrics. She also implied that Legend's version made the song more sexual, and was an attempt to steal the "thunder" from Loesser and her late dad.

Singer Deana Martin visits "FOX & Friends" at FOX Studios on December 10, 2018 | Photo: Getty Images

Singer Deana Martin visits "FOX & Friends" at FOX Studios on December 10, 2018 | Photo: Getty Images

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"He should write his own song if he doesn't like this one, but don't change the lyrics. It's a classic, perfect song."

She finished by admonishing the singer to leave the song alone.

OSBORNE ALSO CRITICIZED THE REWRITE

Co-host of the television show, "The Talk," Sharon Osbourne also condemned the music artist for tarnishing a piece of art.

She likened the duet to a master painting, while sighting a scenario of someone deciding to rewrite one of Legend's songs sometime in the future, and decided to change some of the verses because a group thought it inappropriate.

She summed up the talk by concluding that the idea of remaking controversial songs is ridiculous.

"BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE" HAVE FACED SEVERAL CONTROVERSIES BEFORE NOW

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The Christmas song won hearts for years, with its rocking beats, one could easily overlook the lyrics while dancing, and even singing along to the classic duet.

John Legend, Kelly Clarkson on the Voice season 16 | Photo: Getty Images

John Legend, Kelly Clarkson on the Voice season 16 | Photo: Getty Images

For over five decades, the music was enjoyed by all, with no allegations of inappropriate verses.

As the years passed, the world became more sensitive to such things as feminism, gender debasement, and sexual consent, thereby giving the song a bad rep.

The first publication against the song was a 2004 piece published on Canada's National Post, which urged Canadian citizens, and the world at large to stop listening to the song as it was an ode to statutory rape.

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Again, in 2005, blogger, Drew Mackie described the song as a "warm embrace of Semi-consensual date rape." The advent of social media brought about a revolutionary protest against the mass sales and distribution of the song.

In 2018, the song was banned from several Canadian radio stations including, Bell Media, Corus Entertainment, and CBC radio stations, as a result of protests against the appropriateness of the lyrics.

However, many fans met the ban with a counter-protest to see that the soundtrack was restored back on radio stations, and all bans lifted.

Seeing as people hold holiday songs most dear, John Legend might be better off leaving the problematic song unaltered, to preserve the seven decades of sensual Christmas delight.

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