‘Come on, Barbie, let’s go party’…
Anyone who lived through the 90s remembers that song that quickly became an international hit: ‘Barbie Girl’a song with voices that seemed to have been achieved with helium and the kitsch lyrics that took their group, Aqua, to worldwide success. That theme was a hymn that captivated to the world in 1997. The caramel color video that has accumulated more than 1.1 billion views on YouTube. Now this year the song turns 25 years old.
Taking into account that in 2023 the film directed by Greta Gerwig about the famous doll, starring (and produced) by Margot Robbie, it is logical that many of us ask ourselves that question: Will ‘Barbie Girl’ be heard on the soundtrack? Well, there seems to be an answer to that: no. And it’s no surprise. In the 1990s, the Mattel brand sued the Aqua group and lost.
Lene Nystrøm, the group’s Norwegian singer, maintains that using the theme in the film would be too direct. Søren Rasted, another one of the members, finds the whole situation amusing and jokes about it: “We should say that we rejected it. Ryan Gosling is not good enough!”. Nonetheless, they are excited for the movie. “I totally understand why they didn’t use it,” continues Nystrøm, “but it’s going to get a lot of attention, no matter what.”
The band just released a 25th anniversary edition of their debut album, ‘Aquarium’, on September 23 and they plan to increase their touring schedule. And while some artists distance themselves from their past, Aqua is very comfortable with her niche in popular culture that began in the late ’90s.
As many cons as were found in ‘Barbie Girl’ lyrics over the years, Aqua just wanted to make a catchy song. “We had the line ‘Come on, Barbie, let’s go party’ (‘Come on, Barbie, let’s party’), and we thought it was coolRasted confesses sheepishly.There were a lot of headlines about plastic surgery at the time, which influenced us, but we really just wanted to make a fun song. We don’t think much about it. The hook worked very very well“.
From the beginning, the Norwegian-Danish group suspected that they had a hit on their hands, but that they were not aware of the hit they were going to make. “Something magical happened when ‘Barbie Girl’ came out,” “The whole world blew up overnight,” says Nystrøm.
However, as much as they enjoyed the rush of world fame, there was a downside. “We were not prepared for all the negative reactionssNystrøm adds, referring to the anti-feminist accusations leveled at the song.You know in your heart what your intentions were and reading all that was a little hard to take.“Despite all the cons they had, the song has become a very timeless theme, and more so now that the 90s are so present again.
And what about the Gerwig soundtrack? Well, the same there are surprises. Or not… To see the film you have to wait until the summer of 2023.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
