Baby, It's Cold Outside

Frank Loesser's 1944 duet as introduced on screen by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán in the 1949 MGM film Neptune's Daughter, where Red Skelton and Betty Garrett also perform it; the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It is a winter song that never mentions a holiday, but it is often played at Christmas.

Performance tips

• Pick a duet partner and rehearse the call-and-response timing; the overlaps are the fun.
• Play it as a light, teasing back-and-forth rather than a big ballad.
• Read the room: some crowds find the lyrics dated, so keep it playful.