Life in plastic just got a little less fantastic for fans of Aqua’s Danish pop hit “Barbie Girl,” as the song will not be on the soundtrack of Greta Gerwig’s upcoming live-action Barbie film starring Margot Robbie.
Ulrich Møller-Jørgensen, the manager of Aqua’s lead vocalist Lene Nystrøm who portrayed Barbie in the band’s “Barbie Girl” music video, confirmed the news through remarks made to Variety. “The song will not be used in the movie,” Møller-Jørgensen plainly stated, without further elaboration. Though no details were provided, the reason for the song’s absence from the soundtrack might be connected to some documented bad blood between Aqua and Mattel.
The Barbie toymaker filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Aqua’s record label MCA in response to the 1997 breakout success of the Europop song. Mattel claimed the suggestive material in both the song and subsequent music video threatened to damage Barbie’s brand as a children’s toy. Mattel specifically objected to lyrics such as “kiss me here, touch me there” and a scene in the music video in which Barbie’s boyfriend Ken “dismembers” her plastic arm. Aqua and MCA fired back, citing the protection of parody under the First Amendment.
Ultimately, the case between Mattel and MCA was dismissed by the United States District Court in California, with Judge Alex Kozinski issuing an official ruling that “[both] parties are advised to chill.” It’s unclear whether Møller-Jørgensen’s statement about the song’s exclusion in the upcoming Barbie film stems from any lingering resentment from the 90s court case or whether this was simply part of some larger creative conversation behind the scenes.
Barbie, opening the same weekend as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, boasts an all-star cast including Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. The famed toy couple will party with a cast of friends that includes Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, America Ferrera, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon and Rhea Perlman. Thus far, no one from the creative team behind the film has commented on the exclusion of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.”
Despite Mattel’s resistance, “Barbie Girl” became as strongly associated with the brand of Barbie as her extravagant Dreamhouse. As a result, the internet is decidedly up-in-arms about the news that the bubbly anthem will not be included in the film. Without such an iconic hit to buoy the soundtrack, it’s likely another artist will be put in the unenviable position of crafting an equally memorable score for Gerwig’s version of the character.
Barbie and her crew will be cruising a pink convertible into theaters on July 11, 2023.
Source: Variety
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