FEATURE:
Aqualung
PHOTO CREDIT: Atlantic Records/Warner Bros. Pictures
The Barbie Soundtrack, and Why the Upcoming Film Is a Must-See
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THERE are a couple of points…
PHOTO CREDIT: Warner Bros.
that I wanted to bring up when it comes to the upcoming Barbie film. Directed by Greta Gerwig (who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach), the film comes out on 21st July. As this is a music blog, I wanted to look at the soundtrack, but there is also something else that I wanted to focus on. I will start with the music. Undoubtably the film of the summer, there is a lot of excitement around Barbie already. Rolling Stone reported on the soundtrack roll-out, in addition to providing more details about the film itself:
“The movie of the summer is almost here — and now has an all-star soundtrack lineup to go with it.
Rolling Stone exclusively reveals that Barbie: The Album will feature Ava Max, Charli XCX, Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, Fifty Fifty, Gayle, Haim, Ice Spice, Kali, Karol G, Khalid, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, PinkPantheress, Ryan Gosling, Tame Impala, and the Kid Laroi. The compilation project releases July 21, the same day the movie, starring Margot Robbie and Gosling, arrives in theaters worldwide.
What a lineup … and also Gosling. Jokes aside, the star has been known to flex his vocal chops —Gosling sang, danced, and played piano in the Oscar-winning La La Land.
And the list isn’t even complete — more artists will be announced as the album’s release date draws near. The project will be executively produced by Mark Ronson, who collaborated with Lipa on the platinum-certified “Electricity” as one half of the electronic duo Silk City.
On Monday, Lipa (who stars in the film as Mermaid Barbie) announced that her single from the soundtrack, “Dance the Night,” will be released Thursday. The Grammy-winning multi-hyphenate kept the Barbie vibes going this week, living her plastic fantastic life at Cannes, where she unveiled her new collaboration with fashion house Versace.
A first glimpse of the song made its way into the latest Barbie trailer, which finally reveals some gritty, existential details about the plot beyond shiny plastic and picture perfect parties. Dancing at her own giant blowout party — her version of a small get-together — Barbie spins and twirls to Lipa’s smooth vocals, singing: “You can find me under the lights, diamonds under my eyes.”
“It is the best day ever — and so is yesterday, and so is tomorrow, and every day from now until forever,” Barbie exclaims on the dance floor, keeping the good times going until she asks: “Do you guys ever thinking about dying?” With a loud record scratch indicating the sudden vibe-shift, “Dance the Night” is immediately replaced with the sound of crickets to go with everyone’s horrified looks.
For some on the project, being involved in Barbie is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Barbie moniker is one of Nicki Minaj’s long-standing alter egos, punctuated by 2018’s “Barbie Dreams,” which flipped Biggie’s “Just Playing (Dreams).” Now, she’s on the soundtrack.
A brief clip of her contribution to the project closes out the trailer. As the release date flashes across the screen in the classic Barbie font, Minaj spits: “It’s Barbie, bitch, if you still in doubt.”
Sadly, no sign of Aqua on the project. The previously unknown group from Denmark exploded when its cheeky track “Barbie Girl,” which included the unforgettable “life in plastic, it’s fantastic” bars, became a global sensation in 1997. The track was sampled in 2017’s “Not Your Barbie Girl” by Ava Max, who appears on Barbie: The Album. Read the oral history of the infamous track, which turned a quarter-century last year, here.
The movie’s first trailer arrived last month, introducing a Barbie multiverse and a star-studded cast: Issa Rae as President Barbie, Ana Cruz Kayne as Supreme Court Justice Barbie, Kate McKinnon as a Barbie who’s always “in the splits,” and others. The Greta Gerwig-directed flick takes place in Barbie Land and has a log line: “To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis … Or you’re a Ken.”
The Barbie fun doesn’t stop here — the film’s global trailer drops Thursday at noon ET. Plus, Barbie is just one movie on Rolling Stone’s “40 Movies You Need to See This Summer” list. See what else made the cut here”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa/ PHOTO CREDIT: Tyrell Hampton
I am excited about the soundtrack, as it features some huge artists. I half-jokingly titled the feature ‘Aqualung’. Aqua are a Danish band that released Barbie Girl in 1997. That song won’t appear on the soundtrack (mercifully). I think that the artists and music that will be on the soundtrack will give life and breath to a film that is going to be among the best of the year. Dua Lipa’s single is fantastic - and she will have a small role in the film. There is another thing that I wanted to focus on. Barbie is a film that has heart and moments of emotion. I think it is primarily a comedy. After being expelled from Barbieland for being a less-than-perfect doll, Barbie sets off to the real world to find true happiness. The trailer looks incredible, and it is clear that Greta Gerwig is helming a film that is going to do huge business at the box office. It has a $100 million budget, and I expect that it will take a few times that within weeks. It is hard to name too many comedies from the last decade which have stuck in the mind. One might see a comedy that is heart-warming and uplifting. When it comes to those classics and standout comedies, I struggle to remember when the last one was. You would have to go back many years to name a comedy that can sit alongside the best of all time. I think that the Barbie film is not only going to be one of the films of 2023 – this could well rank alongside the best comedies ever. With Greta Gerwig’s incredible and imaginative direction, there is going to be this balance of fantasy and real-life. When in Barbieland, there is going to be a lot of fantasy and frivolity. A somewhat plastic world that seems suited to Barbie. In terms of the script, there is plenty of scope for huge laughs and memorable scenes. I think it is the transition into the real world that will provide the highlights.
With Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, there is that chemistry and connection you can feel in the trailer. I think that Robbie especially has a natural gift for comedy. It is going to be a fantastic film. I have been dubious when it comes to modern comedies. Not much has captured me in terms of the plot and crucially the laughs. A lot of them fall rather short! With Barbie, I think that it is going to exceed any comedy released in the past couple of decades. Of course, it will have a lot of depth and seriousness too. The marketing campaign has been incredible. I can understand why people are excited ahead of the July release. Mark Ronson is the Executive Producer of the soundtrack, so you are in safe hands regarding the sequencing and artists. HAIM, Ice Spice, Kali, Karol G, Khalid, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj and a host of others will provide one of the best soundtracks of the year. I was eager to write something about Barbie, if only to highlight the music. You know the film will get five-star reviews across the board! With excellent performances, a hugely strong cast, and direction by Greta Gerwig, this is going to be a film that is going to sit alongside the very best. In comedy terms, I think that we are in for something huge! There are going to be more teasers and news coming about Barbie closer to July. At the moment, you can feel the anticipation and excitement. This is a smash that you…
WON’T want to miss!