Pause the party: Aqua's "Barbie Girl" won't be featured in Greta Gerwig's Barbie film

How will we know if life in plastic is truly fantastic, now?

By Savannah Olson  |  April 29, 2022 | 7:56pm
Aux News Barbie
Pause the party: Aqua's
Margot Robbie at the premiere of The Suicide Squad. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Imagine this: Margot Robbie as Barbie, rolling around in her hot pink convertible in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie feature. The roof is down, and it’s a glorious, sunny day that will definitely involve some shenanigans for Barbie and her friends. She decides to put on some tunes, and lands on something zappy and fun: Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.” Maybe Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, or the other half of Hollywood that has been cast in this movie are along for the ride, and they all start to sing along.

Unfortunately, this moment will have to remain a dream for us all. Variety reports that the Euro-club banger won’t be in the star-studded Barbie film, breaking the hearts of cinephile’s everywhere.

“The song will not be used in the movie,” Ulrich Møller-Jørgensen, who manages Aqua lead singer Lene Nystrøm, tells the outlet.

Though Variety also explains that Møller-Jørgensen didn’t care to elaborate on why the song won’t be included, there’s a good chance the Danish band and Barbie’s owners Mattel aren’t on the greatest of terms. The same year “Barbie Girl” became a hit, Mattel filed a lawsuit against MCA Records (Aqua’s American record label) claiming the song violated the Barbie trademark and tarnished the children’s brand with its suggestive lyrics and portrayal of the doll.

Eventually, the lawsuit was dismissed by United States Court of Appeals judge Alex Kozinski with the hilariously straight-forward ruling of: “The parties are advised to chill.”

It seems like a missed opportunity for one of the most iconic songs associated with Barbie to not be included in her first live-action film, especially one that seems likely to be very meta and campy. Get to groveling Mattel, and let modern remix queen Doja Cat hop on the track with Aqua while you’re at it!

 
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