If the lyrics to "Baby, It's Cold Outside" sound like the back-and-forth flirtation between two people who were madly in love, well, that's because they are.
In 1944, songwriter Frank Loesser had just returned from serving in the Air Force during World War II and, for his first Christmas back home, his wife, aspiring singer Lynn Garland, decided to host a big party for their families and all of their friends.At the end of the night, to entertain their guests (and to politely signal to them that it was time to go home), the couple sang a loving duet that they had just written together.
The party and the song became annual traditions, but Lynn grew furious when Frank sold the rights to the song to MGM Studios for use in their film "Neptune's Daughter."
Lynn was upset because she considered it "their song"--a private and personal expression of their love for each other. But she changed her tune, so to speak, when "Baby It's Cold Outside" won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Original Song.
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