Barbie doll’s most famous song hides an intense legal dispute between Mattel and the band Aqua
The music “Barbie Girl” from the Dano-Norwegian group aqua is one of the most remembered when we mention the doll, however, the song does not appear in the film that hit theaters this month. There is an intense legal dispute between the aqua and the Mattel, manufacturer ofBarbie who accused the group of damaging the image of the doll.
A Mattel alleged that the song featured a “promiscuous” version of the toy, in addition to the “suggestive” lyrics and clip, and filed a lawsuit against the group’s record company, MCA Records. The song contains lines like “I’m a silly little blonde in a fantasy world” and “Kiss me here, touch me there, let’s make out”.
The company also claims that the doll’s items were not used correctly in the clip and only classified the song as “fun”.
The first thing I thought was: ‘Wow, the biggest toy company in the world is after the band from Denmark?'”, said René Dif, one of the members of Aqua in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2022 (via Adventures in History).
In its defense, the MCA Records said that the lyrics did not say anything explicitly and that the interpretation would be up to the listener. After years of dispute, the Mattel lost the process, the song “Barbie Girl” was classified as a parody, which falls under freedom of expression.
“Barbie Girl” is part of the band’s first album Aqua, that sold more than 15 million copies, in addition to the Brazilian version in the voice of Kelly Key.
Source: Rollingstone
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