You’ve probably heard “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” on the radio while driving along the winter roads—or maybe you remember the song from the cute Dwayne-and-Whitley scene in A Different World. Regardless of where you first heard the song, you may have, at one point, questioned the creepy lyrics.
In a new cover story with Vanity Fair, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen discuss their love, childhood traumas, favorite songs and of course, offer snarky commentary on the “shitty human being” known as the President of the United States. The couple’s two children, Luna and Miles, also grace the adorable cover.
In addition to providing readers with a sneak peek into the people they have become, Legend spoke about his decision to remake the holiday classic, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with a new and progressive spin.
Vanity Fair reports:
“Hold on, hold on,” he says, when this reporter looks skeptical about “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” It turns out that Legend has updated the lyrics with Natasha Rothwell (Insecure) and recorded it with his fellow The Voice coach Kelly Clarkson. The song’s every bit as fun and swinging as the original, and its newfound sensitivity feels genuine, not performative.
“What will my friends think...” sings Clarkson.
“I think they should rejoice,” Legend responds.
“...if I have one more drink?”
“It’s your body, and your choice.”
In the words of co-writer Rothwell’s Kelli from Insecure, “You know what that is? Growth.”
Co-writing a song that was once problematic is actually very on-brand for Legend, who was among the very few artists in the industry to speak out against R. Kelly in the explosive documentary, Surviving R. Kelly.
“He was already canceled in my mind,” he told Vanity Fair. “A few years ago, we had a party at the house and we had a DJ playing music. R. Kelly came on and I walked up to the DJ and said, ‘We don’t play him in this house.’ ”
Legend is currently working on his new album, which is set to be released in 2020. He plans to release some of the Christmas tracks this year.