Barbie’s Historical Role In Today’s Pop Scene
Digital Magazine
Be for real: Everyone has played with a Barbie [song] before, as evident by the movie’s stellar soundtrack.
BY HARPSICHORD
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
Digital illustration of Mattel’s Superstar Barbie, joined alongside the artists who appear on Barbie: The Album.
In the middle of ‘Barbie: The Movie,’ the titular character finds herself at the corporation headquarters that created her very existence. Portrayed by Margot Robbie, Barbie’s already spent a few days learning about, and struggling to adjust to, the shallow crudities of being a human on planet Earth. Somehow– although she’s programmed to always be positive– the doll’s learned the art of lying.
“Where’s the restroom?” she asks, with no intention to actually occupy it.
“It’s just down the hallway,” answers the aloof CEO of Mattel [played by Will Ferrell]. He’s backed by all his male corporate lackeys– all of them donning Men In Black suits.
“Thank you,” a pink, cowgirl-clothed Barbie smiles back with feigned-innocent glee. Underneath that dialogue – before the climatic high speed chase to capture the doll and lock her away– Charli XCX can be faintly heard singing “Speed Drive.”
When Barbie actually makes a break for it, and starts running to the nearest elevator, “Speed Drive” starts over at a louder, non-diegetic volume. Its twinkling, electro synths underscores the click clack of Barbie’s cowgirl boot heels against tile. As the executive team is finally triggered by an alarm, the CEO starts sprinting: “Get that Barbie!”
“Uh oh!” exclaims Charli XCX on “Speed Drive.” The volume increases. The guitar bass increases. The tempo intensifies. “She’s my best friend in the whole world,” continues the British singer, as the audience prepares to root for the doll's escape.
A week after Barbie and its soundtrack premiered on July 21, 2023– and two months since “Speed Drive” dropped as an official single— Charli XCX earned her first Billboard Hot 100 placement since 2014’s “Break The Rules.” The song debuted and peaked at No. 73, staying on the chart for five weeks, in the midst of glowing reviews clashing against patriarchal critiques for the movie.
What had been puzzling about that charting accomplishment is that Charli XCX had what was promising to be US household name status. The type of status that requires consistent chart placements in the span of nine years. “Speed Drive” is no different from the hyperpop meets British punk rock flare that Charli XCX previously offered. “Speed Drive,” if anything, seemed like a play from her 2017 mixtape-EP, ‘Number 1 Angel;’ a more mainstream derivative of her 2016 EP, ‘Vroom Vroom;’ and what she offered on her latest studio album, 2022’s ‘Crash.’
Maybe it had been the Mickey Basil interpolation of 1982’s “Mickey,” that gives the song a pep rally cheer. The type of Pop Culture nostalgia that resonated on Charli XCX’s highest charting single to date, Iggy Azalea’s 2014 pop rap smash, “Fancy” (which had a music video that nods to the ‘90s teen flick, ‘Clueless’).
While “Speed Drive” garnered attention amongst the cult fans of Charli XCX and hyperpop prior to the movie’s release, the pivotal chasing scene that it supported, proved to be perfect sound placement in cinema. In fact, ‘Barbie’s’ incorporation of pop music throughout enhanced all the script’s poignant moments. Examples include: Lizzo’s “Pink” starting with “when I wake up in my own Pink world,” as Barbie discovers the unfulfillment of a predictable morning routine; the car ride in a desert to the real world captured the country-folk of the Indigo Girls’ “Closer To Fine;” and of course Ryan Gosling singing “I’m Just Ken,” to emote his character’s own disdain with playing a societal role. Simply put, the movie’s usage of music helped enhance the plot rather than distract from it.
The same week that “Speed Drive” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, the official soundtrack, ‘Barbie: The Album,’ debuted at No. 2 on the 200 albums chart. Before that news became official, Mary Whitfill Roeloffs of Forbes noted, “Tracks From ‘Barbie’ Are Soaring On Spotify Charts.” In a list of stats, Roeloffs highlighted that the soundtrack’s first single, “Dance The Night,” by Dua Lipa had been “streamed 139 million times on Spotify since it was released on May 25.”
“Dance The Night” serves as the disco song laced with cellos and violins that all the Barbies and Kens dance to. It’s the standard play on the music of ABBA, Donna Summer, and Elton John. It works brilliantly for Dua Lipa’s career trajectory, counting the massive success of her 2020 album, ‘Future Nostalgia.’ With hits like “Don’t Start Now,” “Levitating,” and “Physical,” ‘Future Nostalgia’ ushered in the resurgence of post-disco mixed with new aged bubblegum pop. It reignited the oontz oontz music sound of the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, and early 2010s, but for the 2020’s.
In 1977, Mattel introduced the Superstar Barbie. Decked out in a simple hot pink evening gown, and ruffle boa draped around the neck, the doll exuded disco fever that raptured the decade.
the Superstar Barbie of 1977
The synesthesia effect of bubblegum pink leading to Barbie and disco seemed like a no-brainer for the movie’s director, Greta Gerwig and the soundtrack’s producers, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. Dua Lipa’s name being attached to a sound the mass audience already associated her with, would be a perfect marketing tool to give moviegoers a taste of what to expect. Especially if “Dance The Night” would be the first official single– highlighting the campiness of the movie.
Dua Lipa has a quick cameo in Barbie as Mermaid Barbie– which adds nothing more to the film than comic relief and a draw for pop fans to throw their money into the box office. However, Gerwig cited to ‘Entertainment Weekly’ how Dua Lipa’s music played a more pivotal role. The feminist director mentioned how Lipa “has that ability to write a disco song that's so much fun, but when you actually listen to it, you're like, 'She's sad.'” She referenced the pop artist’s work as “modern, tragic disco hits.” When the “Dance The Night” sequence happens during the actual film, it encompasses that feel good vibe until Barbie asks her friends, “have you guys ever [thought] about dying,” to which the vinyl record scratches and halts.
Just as Grammys season approaches, so does the one for the Oscars. The frontrunner track on ‘Barbie: The Album’ to receive a nomination is Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” It has all the ingredients for an Oscar win as well. Eilish has already won the category for Best Original Song for the titular 2021 track, “No Time To Die,” from the James Bond film franchise. Similar to “No Time To Die,” the song is co-produced and co-written by her brother, Finneas.
The lyrics of “What Was I Made For?” are original and so is the music production, two main requirements for eligibility. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science requires that the song “must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits.”
When “What Was I Made For?” begins its cue, Barbie is stuck in a fantasy realm of purgatory, speaking to the spirit of Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel and the actual doll herself. Throughout the movie, Barbie searches for her identity, as well as the identity of the human who made her.
In other words, “What exactly was she made for?” To only be stereotypical?
Ruth Handler notes that’s exactly the premise of her existence. It has no ending– she’s meant to be timeless and adapt to the needs of what consumers want to mold her as. And that in itself is what makes her powerful. That in itself is what drives home the deeper moral of the film. Being regarded as one of the most anticipated films of 2023, Barbie: The Contemporary Cinematic Masterpiece became an object of how its viewers wanted to identify with it.
The utilization of Billie Eilish– whose music is fastly approaching the category of an angsty teen coming of age in an industry that often wants to mold her into what sells over time– is a near perfect mirroring. When the promo for “What Was I Made For” first came out– featuring an album cover not adorn in the marketing hot pink of all the other ‘Barbie’ singles–fans automatically knew it would be the existential crisis track of the film. It’s not fun. It’s not campy. It’s in the feels. It’s what is meant to humanize Barbie in a world where everything isn’t roses and wine, disco ditties and sparkling jumpsuits.
The tension behind the track’s usage can also be attributed to a basis of Billie Eilish’s own marketing. She is not usually advertised as a girl’s girl. The type of “girlie persona” (for a lack of better terms) that one would attribute to Barbie. Billie Eilish got introduced on the scene as being a “sad girl” with a punk, tomboy aesthetic. Oversized clothing that doesn’t focus the gaze on her body, but instead lets the melancholy and storytelling of the music speak for itself. In that way she subverted the idea of what it is to be a girl’s girl. If there was a Billie Eilish fan in the world of ‘Barbie: The Film,’ that would most likely be Sasha– the high school daughter of Mattel employee, Gloria– who tells Barbie to her face why she’s become an issue for adolescent development.
And maybe, in a perfect utopia… Weird Barbie is a secret stan of Eilish too.
Outlets such as ‘Variety’ and ‘Billboard’ are placing “What Was I Made For?” and Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” at the top of their frontrunner lists for the prestigious award. These outlets note how essential the tracks are for the plot points of the film. They also mention that because films are only allowed two nominations in the specific category, Dua Lipa may be “squeezed out” of consideration despite seeming to be the larger global smash on other metrics.
The celebrity honor to be associated with the Barbie and Mattel brand runs deep. Ever since the Barbie doll first premiered on March 9, 1959, thousands of musicians, artists, politicians, and key historical figures have received either a Barbie or Ken inspired doll. In 1967, the first high profile individual to receive their own replica toy from Mattel happened to be the Mod-fashion supermodel, Twiggy. The company graced the doll with her signature makeup and yellow gogo rain boots.
From there, the world has experienced high fashion dolls that have modeled the high couture gowns of designers like Oscar de la Renta (1984) to their best selling collection (according to Mattel’s official website), 1992’s Totally Hair Barbie which mirrored the loud workout prints of the California valley girl aesthetic– as seen in the TV programs, ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ or ‘Saved By The Bell.’ As the legacy of the company has progressed to today’s pop culture, celebrities such as Zendaya, Brandy, and Beyoncé have all been graced with the tradition.
However, no celebrity has warped the Barbie identity, and what it means to be “an it-girl,” into their marketing brand the most than Nicki Minaj. While Brandy might have broken barriers with her Cinderella doll in the late ‘90s– showcasing the magnitude of her being perceived as the perfect teen idol in an era of Britney Spears’ and Christina Aguileras’; or while Missy Elliott cosplayed as Barbie in 1998’s “Beep Me 911” music video; or Lil’ Kim might have uttered “Black Barbie dressed in Bulgari” on 2003’s “The Jump Off;” it’s Nicki Minaj who made the brand synonymous with both pop and urban culture. Down to the hot pink wigs; to the album cover of her debut, 2010’s ‘Pink Friday,’ where she sits as a dismembered Barbie doll; down to the actual oversized Barbie necklace chain she’s worn throughout her career.
If there were anyone who had to be featured on the tracklist of ‘Barbie: The Album,’ it had to be Onika Tanya Maraj. It’s almost as if she didn’t need to beg for it. Social media demanded it. She played along already knowing the plan. And then bam, she drops a trailer of the music video featuring Bronx’s latest rap it-girl, Ice Spice. To a sample of Aqua’s iconic, memeable 1997 dancepop hit, “Barbie Girl,” nonetheless.
“Barbie World” plays at the end credits. Sample heavy on the Aqua song to a drill beat, “Barbie World” is arguably the most fun track existing on Barbie: The Album. Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice are clearly having fun as they trade banter with one another. “I’m a ten so I pull me a Ken,” Nicki cleverly acknowledges– giving a tease of a plot point that reflects a potential budding romance between Barbie and her male counterpart. “I’m a doll but I still want to party,” sums up the feeling of Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night.” The “Jazzie, Stacie, Nicki,” part nods to the flow and delivery of late drill rapper, Pop Smoke, who Nicki has previously remixed to approval before his passing in 2020. “Pink Barbie Dreamhouse” and “pink Ferrari” line drops add to the world of the signature doll actively being described.
Despite “Barbie World” also maintaining steady Top 10 success on charts such as the Billboard Hot 100 and Spotify’s global streaming tracker, the song is ineligible for an Oscar nomination– unlike “What Was I Made For?” and “Dance The Night.” The category currently has a rule in place that disqualifies movie tracks that rely on samples. As a side note, this rule may need to be reviewed in the future, as it has prevented recent gems like Doja Cat’s “Vegas” from also receiving a nod during last year’s award season.
Sometimes, the more fun and blatant songs can drive the message of the movie even further. And “Barbie World” is just that, as it is the “cool” interpolation of iconic Barbie-genre pop music that Margot Robbie requested Greta Gerwig to find. Just like the film, “Barbie World” sounds like it can gross over 1 billion box office dollars in less than a month. When people look up what the genre of Barbie Pop could possibly be, they would be sure to find “Barbie World” at the top of the page as a prime example.
Stream Barbie: The Album here
