Barbie: Why will the iconic ‘Barbie girl’ track not appear in the movie? Here’s what we know
Fans are upset about the iconic ‘Barbie girl’ not making it in the movie Barbie. People are speculating Mattel’s lawsuit with the band Aqua could be the real reason behind this.
The trailer of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie left fans enraged by omitting Aqua’s song ‘Barbie girl.’ The fans were heartbroken that the iconic song wasn’t included in the trailer and hoped that the makers of the movie would redeem themselves by including it in the movie.
Song ‘Barbie girl’ not appropriate for the movie
The members of the band Aqua spoke about shared that they don’t think the song is appropriate for the movie. The member, Lene Nystrøm, shared her opinion on the song being included in the movie. She said it would be like “cheese on cheese.” While another member, Søren Rasted, jokingly said, “We should say we turned it down. Ryan Gosling is not good enough!” Band member René Dif elaborated on the actual message behind the song, “The message is that it’s OK to be the person you are and look the way you look and be confident in that. You don’t necessarily have to have plastic surgeries to be a better person.”
He continued, “All these metaphors in the song were taboo to talk about, but we came out with a tongue-in-cheek way to present our song. It’s a pop song, but it’s also a song about how it’s OK to be who you are, love who you are, and be yourself.”
It is pointed out that the plot of the movie agrees is in sync with the message the song is trying to communicate. The plot synopsis reading, “To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.”
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Mattel sues band Aqua
The real reason behind the song being skipped from the movie’s tracklist could be traced back to the year 1997. When Aqua’s song Barbie became a hit globally, Mattel, the maker of the toy Barbie Doll brand, sued the band. The reason behind the lawsuit was caused by Aqua’s lyrics, where they referred to Barbie as a “blonde bimbo.” The band tried to minimize the backlash they received by releasing a statement saying, “The song ‘Barbie Girl’ is a social comment and was not created or approved by the makers of the doll.”
Mattel decided to sue MCA Records, the company that the band Aqua was signed under. They were adamant that Aqua had tarnished the Barbie doll’s image by sexualizing her. Mattel filed 11 claims against the record label, and the lawsuit went on till 2002. Mattel claimed that the song violated trademark and copyrights, while MCA filed a defamation counterclaim against Mattel. Mattel’s lawsuits got dismissed by the Central District of California and then the Ninth Circuit when they filed an appeal there. The song eventually ended up being protected as a parody, and the claim was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court too.
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