'Barbie Girl' was a No.1 hit in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom. — Filepic
"I'M a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world – Life in plastic, it's fantastic."
There you go. Now try getting that out of your head. A quarter of a century ago, we were given the pinnacle of bubblegum music. The world feels different today. And yet Barbie is returning.
Barbie Girl, the earworm to end all earworms and perhaps Europe's most hated and loved dancefloor popsong of the 1990s, is now 25 years old.
The bubblegum anthem from Danish-Norwegian music group Aqua took the world by storm in April of 1997, making it to the top of the charts around Europe by November, when the song was performed on Top Of The Pops.
A No.1 hit in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom, the Europop anthem also charted in the United States and Australia with its perky and catchy hook: "Life in plastic, it's fantastic."
In the vocal part and corresponding video, singer Lene Nystrom (now 49) takes on the role of Barbie, describing herself as a "blond bimbo girl in a fantasy world."
The one-hit wonder parodying the Beverly Hills lifestyle of Barbie and Ken quickly got into legal trouble with manufacturer Mattel, which accused the band of damaging the doll's image.
In 2002, an appeals court in California ruled that the song was protected by freedom of speech.
The judges argued that Mattel had created not only a toy with its Barbie doll, but a cultural icon. Its level of fame meant that the manufacturer and brand owner also had to put up with unwanted attention.
"You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere," sings Barbie in high-pitched vocals laced with double entendres.
What was a playful song poking fun at our notion of perfection in the late 1990s, might today go down as a misogyny today, stereotyping the kind of women who focus on their looks and try to please men at all costs.
"Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please. I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees," Barbie sings.
"Come on Barbie, let's go party," says a more tight-lipped Ken, embodied by singer Rene Dif (now 55).
It's hard to imagine a song as saccharine and superficial charting 25 years later, let alone being written, in times of inflation, war, soaring energy costs, economic certainty and mass layoffs.
Yes, life certainly feels less plastic and fantastic in many parts of the world. And yet the Barbie and Ken story is nevertheless set to make its big comeback next year, this time on the big screen.
Margot Robbie is set to star as Barbie alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken in a feature film that follows a host of animated Barbie shows over the years.
Directed by Greta Gerwig (Little Women and Lady Bird) and set to be released in July 2023, Barbie is to tell the story of an imperfect doll being banished from Barbieland.
The song Barbie Girl is not supposed to appear in the film, although many will likely have it stuck in their heads when they hear the word "Barbie".
Singer Nystrom was quoted by industry publication Variety as saying that she understood why the song could not be used. It would just be too much – "cheese on cheese". – dpa
