It seems like no surprise, but to the surprise of many, Aqua’s 1997 pop anthem “Barbie Girl” — that’s the title of Being a Barbie Girl in a Barbie World, in case you don’t remember — isn’t on the soundtrack . of the upcoming Barbie movie from director Greta Gerwig and Warner Bros. Studios.
…About.
Speaking to Variety last yearthe band’s singer Lene Nystrøm revealed that the beloved song would not be in the film – although it has appeared in a trailer – claiming that, perhaps, its use would be “cheese on cheese” tonally.
“I totally understand why they didn’t use it,” he said, “but it’s going to get us a lot of attention no matter what.”
Amusingly, bandmate Søren Rasted argued that the band should claim that the decision not to use the song was theirs: “We should say we rejected it,” he joked. “Ryan Gosling is not good enough!”
Some have suggested that his absence is due to the 1997 lawsuit filed by Barbie owner Mattel against Aqua’s label, MCA Records. that suit—which alleged that Barbie infringed on its trademark, illegally used a certain shade of pink for its cover that belonged to Mattel, and tarnished the Barbie brand by sexualizing the character—ultimately failed when a Ninth Circuit judge ruled that the song was a parody, and therefore legally protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The problem with the theory that Mattel holds enough of a grudge to prevent the song from being used is that the toy maker actually used the song in its own commercial in 2009. albeit in a re-recorded, re-written version.
A much more likely explanation is that the song does appear on the soundtrack, via the recently recorded “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, which uses “Barbie Girl” as its base to the point where Aqua is credited on the track.
An original track by Nicki and Ice Spice, and a sneaky use of the Aqua track? It’s no wonder the producers couldn’t resist… even if it means the original version of the song remains off the official soundtrack.
Barbie opens on July 21st. Buy tickets Fandango the Atom Tickets.
Will there be a Barbie sequel? See what director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie have to say on the subject.
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