(WSVN) - As radio stations across the country started heated debates by pulling “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from the airwaves, the decades-old song has now reappeared on the Billboard charts.
The Christmas classic, originally recorded in 1944 by Frank Loesser, has emerged as a point of contention in the #MeToo era, with some criticizing the song’s lyrics by pointing out the man doesn’t take “no” for an answer.
After fielding complaints from listeners, several radio stations across the U.S. made the decision to pull the song from their holiday playlists — only to then be bombarded by other listeners who wanted the song back.
It’s unclear if the recent debates propelled the tune to rise on the charts, but the Dean Martin cover from 1959 jumped from No. 31 on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart to No. 10 for the week ending Dec. 22nd, Fox News reports.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, that’s a 70 percent jump in sales. The tune is the second-most downloaded Christmas song for the second week in a row, coming in just behind “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey.
Billboard says the song is also their “greatest gainer” for the week.
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