We rank 20 Versions of ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’

2. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan

Chances are when you think of “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, this is the version that pops into your head. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan recorded their original version of this song in 1949 and it has remained a classic ever since. No one can touch Fitzgerald.

After all these years of hearing this song on the radio there is something so comforting and familiar about this one. Fitzgerald has such a distinct and wonderful voice, no one sounds quite like her. Jordan lets his personality shine through as well with his light and playful inflections.

Fitzgerald and Jordan manage to maintain the conversational nature of the song. With them it’s not just a duet, but a back and forth, a man making his case and a woman explaining her point of view. She is asserting her position, and he is working to change her mind. You can almost hear him falling in love with her as he tries to get her to stay, especially after he repeats the “gosh your lips look delicious” line for a second time.

There is something timeless about this song. It doesn’t sound like something that was recorded in the 1940’s; it has a romantic quality that transcends time. We’ll be hearing this song for many Christmases to come.