Aqua has reacted after their iconic 1997 hit “Barbie Girl” was excluded from the soundtrack for Margot Robbie’s forthcoming Barbie film.
The Danish-Norwegian group released the euro-pop anthem 25 years ago. Since then, it has amassed a huge following with its music video reaching 1.1 billion views on YouTube.
Many fans believed that the song’s inclusion on the soundtrack for the Greta Gerwig film was a sure thing.
It has since been revealed, however, that “Barbie Girl” will not feature in the movie.
Speaking about their exclusion from the soundtrack with Variety, band member Lene Nystrøm speculated that the lyrics of “Barbie Girl” would be too on-the-nose for the film, or in her words, “cheese on cheese”.
Bandmate Søren Rasted quipped that Aqua should say “we turned it down”, jokingly adding:”Ryan Gosling is not good enough!”
“I totally understand why they didn’t use it,” said Nystrøm. “But it’s going to bring us a lot of attention, no matter what.”
“Barbie Girl” was released as part of their 1997 debut album Aquarium. Mattel, the toy company behind the iconic doll, sued Aqua in the Nineties over the hit track, and lost.
Barbie is scheduled for a theatrical release on 21 July 2023.
Robbie stars as the titular character in Gerwig’s romantic comedy, based on the famous toy doll, alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken, Barbie’s boyfriend.
In late June, paparazzi photos of the co-stars were leaked after they were seen filming at Venice Beach in Los Angeles.
Robbie has since said she and Gosling were “mortified” by the photos, calling it the “most humiliating moment of my life”.
