Miley Cyrus Solved the 'Santa Baby' Debate With Her Own Updated Lyrics
Miley Cyrus gave a much needed update to the holiday classic “Santa Baby” during her appearance on The Tonight Show Thursday evening, December 20. The pop singer performed a more progressive version of the 1953 song, which has lyrics like “I want a yacht and really that’s not a lot” and “Slip a sable under the tree for me.” (A sable, for those who don’t know, is a fur.)
“Am I saying I’m gonna hook up with Santa if he buys me all this stuff?” Cyrus says in the sketch right before she starts singing. “I’m asking for a car and a yacht and checks and literally the deed to a platinum mine. What?”
Her revised version, though, is much more empowered. Miley doesn’t need Santa to buy her these things because she makes her own money! “Don’t want diamonds, cash, or stuff,” she sings midway through her version. “Nothing that comes in a box. No more fluff. I’ve had enough. And I can buy my own damn stuff.”
She also adds in some lyrics about the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. “A girl’s best friend is equal pay,” she says, before addressing workplace harassment. “Santa Baby, I’d love to know my ass won’t get grabbed at work by some ignorant jerk.”
These are lyrics we can get behind. Watch Cyrus perform her version of “Santa Baby” for yourself, below.
This song is one of a few holiday tunes our culture is revisiting from a post-MeToo lens. Another example is “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” which is about a man who tries to stop a woman from leaving his house even though it seems that she wants to.
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