2023-07-29 09:30:00
When the Barbie project was announced, many hoped that the famous song “Barbie Girl” would be featured in the film.
With its catchy melody and catchy lyrics, it seemed obvious that this iconic song would belong there. However, in 2022, the disappointment was great. Indeed, it was confirmed that “Barbie Girl” would not appear in the film, nor in its soundtrack.
The explanation behind the absence of “Barbie Girl” in the Barbie movie
The absence of “Barbie Girl” from the film isn’t just down to licensing or rights issues. Barbie’s parent company, Mattel, had indeed sued Aqua for trademark infringement in 1997.
Mattel was concerned that this song might taint Barbie’s immaculate imageNotably, the music video had drawn complaints because it featured the Ken doll dismantling the Barbie doll. We saw him rip off his arm. For Mattel, it was an attack on the integrity of their icon.
The legal battle between Aqua and Mattel
MCA Records, Aqua’s record label, countered by arguing that the song was a parody. The company claimed that it was therefore protected by the First Amendment. Nevertheless, the legal battle dragged on until 2002.
The tensions between Aqua and Mattel were palpable, and MCA even launched a lawsuit for defamation. This was in response to statements made by Mattel representatives during the trial.
Eventually, both cases were dismissed by the United States District Court in California. The court found Mattel’s assertions to be non-actionable hyperbole. He also felt that the song was a parody mocking both Barbie and the plastic values she represented.
The acceptance of the song by Mattel, but the lingering sequels
Despite Mattel’s acceptance of the song, the years of disagreement with Aqua left their mark. The absence of “Barbie Girl” in the film seemed to be more a decision made by Mattel than a ban imposed by Aqua.
Lene Nystrøm, the lead singer of Aqua, admitted that the inclusion of the song in the film might have been overkill. It would have been simply a forced addition. She called the idea “cheese on cheese,” but she held no resentment toward Mattel or the film.
As for Aqua band member Søren Rasted, he joked that maybe they should have pretended they refused to use their song. He added that Ryan Gosling was not good enough for the film.
The musical trick to keep the spirit of “Barbie Girl” in the film
However, even though “Barbie Girl” won’t be fully featured in the movie, he was still considering incorporating it. The trick was to include the spirit of the song. To do this, the parody took the form of the song “Barbie World”.
This one credits Aqua and features Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. They rap on a large excerpt from the classic song.“Barbie World” is used during the end credits of the film. It is part of the soundtrack, thus constituting an updated tribute to “Barbie Girl”.
Thanks to this musical trick, the spirit of the song remains present in the film. However, it’s not quite the way fans hoped.
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