If you're a fan of this Christmas classic, we have bad news for you.
One radio station is now removing it from it's station after receiving feedback from listeners who felt that it was inappropriate in 2018.
The issue here is consent – a hot topic in the #MeToo era and the song's lyrics are what has been causing problems.
According to the hosts for Ohio-based channel Star 102, the festive classic was “manipulative and wrong.''
The 1944 hit sees a man try to get a woman to stay in his house, coming up with excuses as to why she can't leave.
One line in particular that the woman sings – “say, what’s in this drink?” has been a cause of discomfort.
And people have something to say about it.
Some are delighted that a song they see as outdated and even somewhat dangerous is being wiped from the air waves, others are outraged at what they see as more whining from the PC Brigade.
So where do you stand?
A poll by Star 102 on Facebook showed that revealed that most listeners believe Baby, It’s Cold Outside is not inappropriate.
One wrote, ''Then I guess you should stop playing Santa baby, I saw mommy kissing Santa, Grandma got run over, because people think those are offensive too, this PC stuff is getting ridiculous, play whatever if people don’t like it they will turn the knob. You will never please everyone 100%.''
While another said, ''I'm actually part of the me too movement, and a survivor. Personally I adore this song and have never been offended by it or freaked out by it. I do not believe it's about rape – it's a playful banter from a time when a woman would have been concerned people would think badly of her for staying, even if she wanted to.''
The song has been covered by may singers from Tom Jone and Cerys Mtathews, to Lady Gaga, Michael Bublé and Zoey Deschanel.
An updated version by musicians Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski was released a few years ago, giving the song an empowering message around consent.
The new version contains lines like, “I’m hoping you get home safe”, and “you reserve the right to say no”.
So what do you think – the right decision or a choice too far?
Posting the clips on his Instagram, his daughter is bopping along to his tunes.
Stormi is clearly impressed (as are we) with her dad's talent as you can hear her giggling with excitement.
Kylie has been supporting Travis' music too, as she packed her bags and went on tour with their child – which is a huge deal because let's face it, traveling alone can be tricky, nevermind when you have to look after another baby human.
She announced the bold move back in August and took to her Instagram stories to show off a sleeping Stormi.
Referring to their time on tour, Kylie wrote: "She comes everywhere with me…the favourite little road dog."
The 21-year-old also uploaded a GORGE selfie in orange trousers and white crop top to mark Travis' performance in Madison Square Garden.
She referred to Travis as her "hubby," which of course has fuelled speculation that the pair has tied the knot, but they are known for calling each other hubby and wifey – so we will remain unconvinced.
Gavin James is known for his love of Whelan's, his stunning voice which produces banger after banger, and his ability to make friends with pretty much anyone.
The singer-songwriter, who has achieved massive chart success at home and abroad with tunes such as Always, Glow and Nervous, from his breakthrough album Bitter Pill back in 2015.
We sat down for a chat with the man himself, who is the new ambassador for the Cadbury Secret Santa campaign, to chat to him about his "f*cking hilarious" father, his home away from home and his favourite celebrities, among other (random) things.
James has been known for his love and support for charities, especially Down's Syndrome Ireland, so it's not surprising that he's choosing a generous movement like CadburySecret Santa to represent this Christmas.
A Dairy Milk gift can be sent anywhere in Ireland for free, either anonymously or personalised, to someone you love. Frankly, that's adorable. After posting the very first Secret Santa gift of the campaign, Gavin speaks about what drew him to Cadbury.
"I have always loved the Secret Santa ritual; the excitement of sending a gift in secret and the anticipation of receiving a gift anonymously – it’s so much fun! My dad is also essentially Santa." After pointing his dad out to me, I had to agree. He was merry with a white beard.
The artist brings his family and friends with him to gigs any chance he gets: “Its good to be able to bring them away with me. Every time I have a gig in Ireland my entire family goes, I brought my dad to a photoshoot today, which is f*cking hilarious.”
Asking him about his early days of gigging in tiny pubs, and dedicated to his then-rock band, he describes why he transitioned into acoustic songwriting, despite still having an intense love for his electric guitar.
"I started off with my mates in Temple Bar, my hair was huge. I was also trying to sing high but I couldn’t sing falsetto when I was younger, I had a raspy voice back then and couldn’t pronounce the letter 's'.I never try to transition, genres just kind of come on their own, I think."
We're glad he found his niche, his musical talent started for him at a very young age, surrounded by musical talent within his own family. His latest album, Only Ticket Home, hit number one in Ireland and has already surpassed a million streams.
He describes his latest offering as a dedication to the art of "simplicity", with most of the songs only having four chords.
"They're not trying to be smart. There was one song that didn’t make the album because I tried to record it and it just didn’t turn out right. It was the best song I’ve written in a long time, but it sounded too far away from the right sound of the album. I have it in my back pocket for next year though. I found loads of songs in the cloud, I was chuffed."
"There was like 40 but 33 of them were shit. I usually have 100 ideas but one works. The first idea is always the best song. It’s like a buffet, the first thing you look at is always what you want.”
James has toured with some absolutely huge names in music, among them are Ed Sheeran, Niall Horan, Sam Smith and Kodaline, to name a few. With all this talent around him, we have to ask which artists have impressed him the most.
"Bands like Vulfpeckare absolutely insane, they’re so good at playing stuff that I absolutely cannot understand. It’s insane, like Stevie Wonder-esque.”
“Foy Vance sang songs next to me, and his voice starts low and aggressively builds up and I don’t even know how he exists. He’s insane.”“When it comes to Secret Santa gifts, Gavin's already done his bit for fellow musicians… and their skin, apparently. "Sam Smith. I gave him aloe vera before, he loved that. He’s a really nice guy.”
We're sure Sam would say the same about Gavin, but is there anyone in the industry who he has been disillusioned by, who maybe brushed him off? It's a notoriously tough industry, which requires a thick skin for survival. IT seems James has a level-headed approach to the whole 'fame' thing.
"There are people I don’t want to meet purely because it would ruin how I feel about them, people I totally idolise, sometimes they’re just not in the mood and you don't want to annoy them. Everybody I’ve ever met has been really friendly to me though, but if someone isn’t being nice to me, I’ll tell them. I don’t mind saying that to people. It’s easier to be nice."
"I couldn't meet Ryan Adams because I love him so much, and Bruce Springsteen. He’s meant to be the nicest man in the world. I’d love to meet him but I’d be bricking it. I’d probably just say “thank you, Bruce, for all of these songs.”
"When it comes to growing Irish talent, I love David Keenan. He’s class. His lyrics are amazing. He has a song called Laurence of Arcadia with lyrics like;
“You're looking at the last know bar stool prophet to retire early from the trade, I'm going fishing for pearls of wisdom. I'll be dancing through the pissing rain. You're welcome to join me you annoyance, for I find you quite amusing all the same." It's amazing."
Irish artists have repeatedly found success abroad, yet the UK and US markets are infamously hard to break into. Why have some Irish artists such as U2, The Script, Hozier and now Dermot Kennedy made it big over there, and some slip through the cracks?
“The UK is a tough market. It’s a weird one, like the Netherlands kicked off for me because they love a sad song, and I'm good at those. I brought out a Live at Whelans track, and was told it would reach top of the Dutch charts by Christmas. I didn't believe it, because it was a live recording. Then it went number one in the Netherlands, but no one would think of a live recording doing that.”
His second album, Only Ticket Home, is still distinctly within the style of his debut, and James makes sure that his roots can come across in his lyrics. When he's in Dublin, he loves chilling with his friends in the pub, living out a normal life despite his new-found fame.
Where are his favourite parts of Dublin, and if he had to move, where would he find himself?
“Whelan’s, but I spend most of my time in Temple Bar, even though it’s seven euros a pint.” *shivers*
"Where Doran’s used to be, my mate Robbie owns a little snug next to it, an Irish pub. I always go there because it seems like a little secret spot where I’d just have a pint with my mates.”
“I’ve never been to Coppers. I tried to get in years ago, I think they were closing up. They must have a quota of guys named Gavin or gingers, so I couldn’t get in.” (Can you BELIEVE this Dubliner hasn't stepped foot in the notorious nightclub? We are shook)
“I went on one night out to Nashville to see Ron Pope, and ended up staying there a week.”
“I’d definitely move to Nashville. Very random, it’s musical but it reminds me of Dublin in a lot of ways. I have a lot of friends there, I made a lot of friends there very quickly. It’s cheap too, it’s not f*cking mad, it’s not like Los Angeles. I’m not into L.A. How the hell do people get around there?”
Sounds like this lad has his head screwed on right, that's for sure.
We got two hugs out of him and a Cadbury Secret Santa letter, so we are officially his number one fans.
Only Ticket Home is out now, grab your tickets to see him live in 2019 here.
Don't forget to become a Cadbury Secret Santa and give a little something extra this Christmas- visit www.cadbury.ie/secretsanta and follow all the action on the Cadbury Ireland Facebook and Twitter pages.
Mirroring the cult classic LiLo movie, Collen says, “One time on Twitter, I heard that Ariana was pregnant, so I got pregnant so we could be pregnant at the same time.''
She continues, “Turns out it was just a rumour.”
Jonathan Bennet, who played Lindsay's love interest Aaron, also takes the p*ss out of another line from the movie when he says, “Ariana Grande told me my hair looked sexy pushed back. She’s not wrong.”
As well as all of that, there is even a a not-so-veiled ref to Ariana's engagement to Pete Davidson ending.
The 25-year-old has been teasing us on social media over the last few days, posting amazing pics from behind the scenes, dressed as Regina George and posing with the infamous Burn Book.
And people are seriously excited about it.
One wrote, ''Can you release this shit already im tired of waiting.''
Another said, ''I am not kidding when i say EVERYONE is talking about this mv. family, friends, teachers, people on the train, podcasts, EVERYONE. she really is about to put out the mv of the decade, huh?''
A third said, ''THIS IS GONNA BE ICONIC IM SO FREAKIN READY.''
Thank U, Next is a massive hit for Ariana and looks set to hit its fourth consecutive week at number one in the UK singles chart.
Biffy Clyro are also not strangers to the huge stages, having headlined Reading and Leeds this summer.
The festival, which is in it's tenth year, is one of Ireland’s festival success stories as it has grown from its initial 3,000 capacity into 15,000 people expected in 2019.
Wow.
Ticket prices will not go up like they did in 2017 and 2018.
Weekend camping tickets are on sale now at €139 and will go to €149 on January 1.
Weekend VIP camping tickets are on sale now at €169 and will go to €189 on January 1.
Check out www.indiependencefestival.com for more updates.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has officially signed a new record deal with Universal Music, which marks her first signing with a major label.
Before this, all of her music has been released on independent country label, Big Machine. She signed with the small recording company, which is an imprint of giant UMG, when she was only 14-years-old, and her deal has now expired.
At the age of 28, she will now release her music globally through Universal Music Group.
The news came after she uploaded a photo to Instagram of herself posing with Universal executives Lucian Grange and Monte Lipman.
One year one from the release of her triple-platinum album Reputation, Swift underwent talks with every major record group, and requested more financial and creative freedom from a potential new deal.
This is massive news for Taylor, as she will now own all of the music which she records, resulting in the singer earning more money through sales and album streams.
Universal have also agreed to repay their artists with any money made from Spotify streams.
This is not the first time Taylor has campaigned for streaming service rights for artists; in 2015 she played a large role in persuading Apple Music to change how they pay artists.
#OnThisDayInMusic 2015, Apple Music reversed its payment policy, a day after #TaylorSwift said she was refusing to allow the company to stream her latest album 1989. Apple now said it would pay artists for #music streamed during trial periods pic.twitter.com/giHuWJBGYd
— Countdown Music Aust (@CountdownAus) June 21, 2018
The singer wrote a now-iconic open letter to Apple requesting that artists, producers, and creatives are fairly paid for their work:
"I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this."
Swift has now utterly changed the streaming game, with Universal now accepting her terms in the newly arranged deal.
"As part of my new contract with Universal Music Group, I asked that any sale of their Spotify shares result in a distribution of money to their artists," she wrote on Instagram.
"They have generously agreed to this, at what they believe will be much better terms than paid out previously by other major labels."
"I see this as a sign that we are headed towards positive change for creators – a goal I'm never going to stop trying to help achieve."
"I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Scott Borchetta for believing in me as a 14-year-old and for guiding me through over a decade of work that I will always be so proud of."
"The best thing I've been lucky enough to receive is the dedication, trust and loyalty of the fans who have cared about the words and melodies I've written. My biggest goal moving forward is to make you proud."
Chairman and CEO of UMG Lucien Grainge spoke out to praise Swift for her work:
"Few artists in history approach Taylor Swift's combination of massive global hits and creative brilliance. She is so multi-talented, she can achieve anything. I have such enormous respect for Taylor, in particular for her use of her hard-earned influence to promote positive change.
"Because of her commitment to her fellow artists, not only did she want to partner with a company that understood her creative vision and had the resources and expertise to execute globally on her behalf, she also sought a partner whose approach to artists was aligned with hers."
Lipman, founder and CEO of Republic Records, added: "Taylor has not only captured the imagination of an entire generation, but has also redefined the paradigm of the modern music industry."
Swift's latest album Reputation received unprecedented critical acclaim before becoming the biggest-selling album of 2017, selling around 1.3 MILLION albums in just one week.
Congrats Taylor, keep fighting for fair pay and artists' creative rights. You do you, queen.
Get ready to be the next global sensation, because Britain's Got Talent are bringing their open auditions to Ireland for their brand new series, with dates for Dublin, Tralee, Kilkenny, Tralee as well as further venues around the country.
The much-loved show are branching out their reach to the Irish nation, and now is the time to get your act together and audition for the one of a kind prize.
This year, the Britain’s Got Talent team is coming to Dublin, on the Sunday 25th November at The Spencer Hotel from 12-5pm. Auditions are open to any performer of any age, with absolutely any talent.
Successful acts at the auditions will then be in with a chance of securing a place at one of the 2019 judges’ auditions.
Whether you're a comedian, actor, singer, dancer troupe or even animal- now is your chance to shine.
Executive producer Charlie Irwin said:
“We can’t wait to see what talent you’re ready to bring to the BGT stage in 2019. Anyone can apply – there is no age limit and we are looking for all kinds of talents. So, if you feel you have something special to show us, no matter what it is, then make sure you apply, you never know where it might take you!”
Following his win last year, Lee Ridley, also known as the Lost Voice Guy, sold out his entire Edinburgh Fringe run and had to add on extra performances.
In 2019 Lee will be embarking on a UK tour, he is currently writing the second series of his popular Radio 4 sitcom Ability and has also been commissioned to write about a book about disability.
Since being crowned the winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2017, Tokio Myers has co-produced the Artists for Grenfell charity single to support The London Community Foundation, has released his debut album Our Generation, the biggest classical crossover of 2017. He is currently in the process of creating new music.
Of course, we can't forget about Susan Boyle, who has sold more than 23 million records worldwide. Diversity have sold-out seven nationwide tours and are about to embark on their eighth UK tour Ignite, while multi-platinum selling artist Paul Potts has sold six million records worldwide.
BGT 2014 winners Collabro have had a No. 1 album and Calum Scott, Simon’s golden buzzer in 2015, was the first ever Britain’s Got Talent contestant to be nominated for a Brit Award. His song Dancing on my Own achieved phenomenal success.
Previous BGT Series 9 semi-finalist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who was part of the classical band The Kanneh-Masons, went on to win the BBC's Young Musician of the Year 2016. Since appearing on BGT, Sheku has performed at the BAFTAs, the BBC Proms and even the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
We're jealous of the last one especially…
If you want to join this group of successful contestants, come down to audition next Sunday. You won't regret it.
They were the rock 'n' roll kings that hailed from Count Cavan, so the news today that The Strypes have spilt is pretty heart-wrenching.
The foursome, formed in 2010, was made up of lead vocalist Ross Lynch, lead guitar Josh McCluskey, bassist Pete O'Hanlin and drummer Evan Walshe.
Their rhythm and blues, 1960's-inspired music certainly made a huge impact on the music scene and the announcement has left their legions of fans worldwide in shock.
The band took to Instagram to post about their separation.
They clearly had a blast over the last eight years, writing, ''we have played in toilets and theatres, in cafes and castles, from Scothouse to Tokyo and back again.''
However they also touched on how hard some of it has been, and that there has been highs as well as lows.
They continued, ''It's been fun and exciting, dull and dangerous, easy, tough, frustrating, satisfying and amazing. It's been a life and a living.''
The outpouring of sadness on social media is a testament to how much they were loved.
I saw @TheStrypes supporting Liam Gallagher at Weston last year and they were seriously good….brilliant energy so surprised and sorry to hear that
One wrote, ''Been there since the beginning! Always loved your music and it has been amazing to hear you grow. I wish I would've been able to catch you live, but I sadly didn't! Best of luck.''
Another said, ''Thank you for all your amazing performances. I have managed to see you and sing along many times. You guys are amazing and so talented. Good luck!''
While another wrote, ''It was an honour to see you guys live when I had the chance. Best of luck to you all in the future.''
In the copy-and-paste landscape of today's music world, The Strypes stood out with their raw talent and energy.
Best of luck with the next chapter – now excuse us while we listen to them on repeat all day…
Speaking of the tour Elton John says “The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour will take us to many places that have meant a lot to me over the last fifty years. To celebrate some of the incredible moments we’ve shared with my fans over the years will be wonderful. These shows will be very emotional, and a lot of fun.”
Kicking off in the U.S. in September, the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour has already been greeted with a wealth of praise from critics and fans alike. The three-year tour will consist of more than 300 shows across five continents, hitting North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australasia before reaching its conclusion in 2021.
By the end of this week, over half a million fans will already have witnessed the tour. These dates mark the superstar’s last-ever tour and the end of half a century on the road for one of pop culture’s most enduring performers, who was recently named as the most successful male solo artist in Billboard Hot 100 chart history, having logged 67 entries, including nine No. 1s and 27 Top 10s.
Elton’s new stage production will take his fans on a musical and highly visual journey spanning a 50-year career of hits like no one has ever seen before.
It may be two years away but we are SO excited to see the legend in concert.
'One taught me love, one taught me patience, one taught me pain'
The now iconic lyrics of Ariana Grande's new HELLA SPICY self-love song that has shaken the globe.
The tune features lines about her last four serious ex-boyfriends: Ricky Alvarez, Mac Miller, Big Sean and of course, Pete Davidson.
TBH we all expected her to shrow some (lamp) shade all around, especially seeing as Pete Davidson recently made a far-too-soon joke about their engagement, but Ari took the highest road of all, and said 'Thank you, next' to immaturity.
She's a far bigger person than we are, morally, that's for sure.
We've taken the liberty to dig up the most hilarious 'Thank You, next' memes on the net, and boy have we hit the jackpot of comedy. Buckle up, lads.
1. Shrek is love, Shrek is life. Apparently Ariana Grande fans concur with this statement? Who knew.
2. The twist on the most famous line from Notting Hill, and possibly one of the greatest Hugh Grant rom-com quotes, was tweeted by Ari herself. Though who would shrug off Julia Roberts?
Pretty much just constant pain though… let's not lie to ourselves.
7. What romantic triple threat could skip the Gilmore Girls? Those boys had our hearts, Jess was always our personal fave but WE LOVED THEM ALL. Who are we kidding?
Those boys had us feeling all kinds of emotions, much like Ari's entire new album, Sweetener.
In light of everything Queen Grande been through over the last few years, Ariana makes sure to confirm to her fans that the most important relationship she has is with herself.
She's dead right, we say. As Ru Paul affirms: "If you can't love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love anyone else?"
God is a woman, but these memes need their own religion.
It's not news that Demi Lovato has had a ridiculously tough year, following her opioid overdose and subsequent trip to rehab in the past six months.
After taking time away from the spotlight, the 26-year-old singer has finally returned to the 'gram for an important cause: to encourage her fans to vote in the US mid-term elections.
She posted this today from her polling place:
"I am so grateful to be home in time to vote! One vote can make a difference, so make sure your voice is heard!"
Lovato isn't the only celebrity to display their political standpoints and show their stance, but Demi's is all the more valuable for the struggle she is currently enduring following 90 days of sobriety.
The former child star was admitted to a rehabilitation facility on July 24 after suffering an opioid overdose in her Hollywood Hills mansion, currently on sale for €8.995 million.
She stayed in Beverley Hills hospital for almost two weeks before seeking in-patient treatment for her addiction, which she has suffered with throughout her life, alongside mental illness and eating disorders.
The star entered a treatment facility in 2010 for bipolar disorder, self-harm, addiction and bulimia, but relapsed after leaving the centre. Following this, she entered a sober living facility for a year, and celebrated six years of sobriety in March.
Her July overdose shocked fans and the famous alike. It followed the release of her semi-autobiographical single, Sober in June.
Her previous Instagram post is a selfie from July 23, the day before entering rehab, without a caption. She appears to have been dispelling fan fears that her life had ended as a result of the overdose:
The singer thanked her friends and family for their support during her troubles, and has been silent ever since. Today, she has used her platform to encourage a higher voter turnout.
Her mother, Dianna De La Garza, has recently spoken out about her daughter's advancement: “Yes, she has 90 days and I couldn’t be more thankful or more proud of her because addiction being a disease, it’s work."
"She’s getting the help she needs. And that, in itself, encourages me about her future and about the future of our family.”
The 26-year-old singer was spotted by paparazzi out for the first time in Los Angeles last weekend, leading the public to believe that she has finished her stint at an addiction facility.
She went out to dinner with friend and designer Henry Levy, TMZ reported.
Her mother has been especially vocal about how grateful their family is that Demi is alive:
“I just feel like the reason she’s alive today is because of the millions of prayers that went up that day, when everybody found out what was happening,” she said.
“I don’t think she would be here if it hadn’t been for those prayers. I couldn’t have asked for a better team of people to save her life.”
