The hit stayed there for six weeks. The song was also a number one hit in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom. In Austria it came in second.
It is a sung parody of the toy dolls Barbie and Ken and their alleged glamor lives. The one-hit wonder once got into trouble from doll maker Mattel.
In the vocal part and video clip, singer Lene Nystrøm takes on the role of Barbie and describes herself as “Bimbo” (which in German might best be translated as “Tussi”). What is meant is a woman who is very focused on her looks and on wanting to please men at all costs.
Lines of text go something like “I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world/Life in plastic, it’s fantastic/You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere…” Plastic life, it’s awesome/You can brush my hair, undress me anywhere…).
Ken is played by singer René Dif, who wants to win over Barbie, invites her to a joyride and a party (“Come on Barbie, let’s go party!”).
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Litigation with Mattel
In the US, several legal instances dealt with the song: In 2002, an appeals court in California ruled that the song was protected by freedom of speech. Barbie manufacturer Mattel had accused the band of damaging the doll’s image with the song.
However, the judges argued that with its Barbie doll, Mattel created not just a toy but a cultural icon whose celebrity meant the manufacturer and trademark owner also had to put up with unwanted attention.
Next year, after a slew of animated films, the world is facing a feature film starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Directed by Greta Gerwig (“Frances Ha”, “Lady Bird”). “Barbie” is expected to hit theaters in July 2023.
The song “Barbie Girl” will probably not appear in the film, even though many people probably have it in their heads when they hear the word Barbie at all. Singer Nystrøm was quoted by industry publication Variety as saying she understood the song would not be used. That would have been too much – literally: “cheese on cheese” (cheese on cheese).
Source: Nachrichten
