This image provided by Atlantic Recording Corporation/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc./Mattel, Inc., shows the cover of the “Barbie The Album” soundtrack. (Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corporation/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc./Mattel, Inc. via AP)
The recent Barbie movie took the world by storm with its release this past July. There were a lot of conversations surrounding what the movie means, what Barbie stands for, and more. With that being said, the album was also critiqued heavily for the artist and song choices that were included. Today, we are going to go through each song they incorporated.
The first introduction we got before the movie’s release was “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa. This poppy sound served as a great selection for one of the opening scenes and is a fun, light feature. Another song from the beginning of the movie was “Pink” by Lizzo. This definitely gives more of that bright, Barbie vibe that goes with everything that comes to mind when we think of the doll. It also maintains a girly tone that resembles the Barbie lifestyle, touching on things like living in a “pink” world surrounded by friends and being near the pool.
Other exciting features include the iconic “Barbie World” with Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, and Aqua, as well as “Speed Drive” by Charli XCX. The first gives off a remix vibe from “Barbie Girl” by Aqua, with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice adding a modernized twist. It still incorporates the original ideas from Aqua’s version, hinting at a frisky life of partying. It was a good choice for the end credits. Moving onto Charli XCX’s piece, this is another energetic tune that is enjoyable to listen to outside of the movie. It has a faster pace, adding to the overall hype of the movie and suits the scene pretty well.
We also get the pleasurable additions of “Choose Your Fighter” by Ava Max, “Barbie Dreams” by FIFTY FIFTY and Kaliii, and “WATATI” by Karol G and Aldo Ranks. Ava Max takes on a more motivational track that goes into being able to do whatever one wants, comparing life to a “runway” that we get to be the “designer(s)” of. FIFTY FIFTY touches again on the idea behind the doll’s creation- women can follow their dreams and pursue any career they would like. While I do not remember these being in the movie, they are hits you can’t go wrong with. It was also nice seeing a variety of popular female artists featured on the album. Such was to be expected for the film.
“Man I Am” by Sam Smith is another hit on the album, but resembles quite different ideas than the previous songs. Considering the Ken takeover in the movie, this is of course a song for the kens to represent their lack of a need to please “Barbie” and that they can be unstoppable as well. I like to look at it as the men anthem of the album. The way the music and voices are executed is excellent for the scene and the message it is conveying. I find it an enjoyable song to listen to and think the artist choice was perfect.
Next up, we have quite a few male tracks, like “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling. This gained a lot of popularity and is rather emotional, making it a sing-along song for car rides. Again, this one suits the movie’s plot and is lyrically genius. As the main Ken of the film, I do not think anyone else could have been the singer other than Ryan Gosling himself.
One song I did enjoy but struggle to understand the place for would be “Forever & Again” by The Kid LAROI. It is a sweet love song about embracing flaws and being there for the other person. The only time it is played in the film is during a brief car ride as background noise. As much as I love this song, I do feel like they could have replaced it with another female feature, as this is a film that has the goal of empowering women. I would say the same about “Journey To The Real World” by Tame Impala, though they more so used the background music on the way to the real world in the film. The few lyrics in the song suit the movie well and it adds a nice artist variety.
Other standout male features include “Hey Blondie” by Dominic Fike and “Silver Platter” by Khalid. Dominic Fike’s message is from that male point of view, saying that women have a lot of people looking at them all of the time. However, it is more positive in the sense that it reassures what the person actually cares about in comparison to everyone else. Khalid goes into fighting for the attention of a woman or person and is basically asking to be given a chance. Despite neither of these going with the feminist side of Barbie, they do celebrate what Ken is supposed to mean in the movie and follow through with that pretty well. While it might be different from real society, the Kens in the movie are trying to get attention from their Barbies; it all does make sense with the film.
The final standout song I would like to discuss would be “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish. This song is perfectly emotional and relevant with its message. Barbie dolls are supposed to have endless limits, but this song dives into what their actual purpose is viewed as. Society has picked Barbie apart countless times, and Billie Eilish has a flawless voice to accomplish this track’s goal of exposing Barbie’s existential philosophy.
All in all, the producers knew what they were doing with this lineup. Not only did they recruit a popular, diverse group of amazing artists, but they were able to intertwine all of the movie’s key messages effortlessly and effectively with the lyrics and placement. If you have not seen the movie, listening to some of these songs would be a good place to start.
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