Barbie Girl

Barbie Girl

1997 single by Aqua

"Barbie Girl” is a song by Danish-Norwegian[9] dance-pop group Aqua. It was released in April 1997 by Universal and MCA as the third single from the group’s debut studio album, Aquarium. The song was written by band members Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen, René Dif, and Lene Nystrøm, and was produced by the former two alongside Johnny Jam and Delgado. It was written after Rasted saw an exhibit on kitsch culture in Denmark that featured Barbie dolls.[10][11] The accompanying music video was directed by Danish directors Peder Pedersen and Peter Stenbæk.

The song topped the charts worldwide, particularly in European countries such as the United Kingdom, where it was a number-one hit for four weeks and remains one of the best-selling singles of all time. It also reached number two in the group’s homeland and peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100. It is Aqua’s most popular work and was also performed as the interval act in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. Mattel accused Aqua’s label of diluting the image of Barbie, leading to the controversial lawsuit Mattel, Inc. v. MCA Records, Inc.. Twenty-five years later, Mattel licensed the song in the film Barbie and additionally sampled it for a new song, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s "Barbie World” for Barbie the Album. That same year, Billboard magazine ranked it among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time”.[4]

Background and composition

Rene came up with the original lyric Come on Barbie, Let’s go party! and we wanted to put voices to the dolls and imagine what they would say to each other.

—Lene Nystrøm talking to Music Week about the song[12]

The lyrics of the song "Barbie Girl” are about Barbie and Ken, the dolls made by Mattel. Both the song and its music video feature Lene Nystrøm as Barbie and René Dif as Ken. As such, the lyrics drew the ire of Barbie’s corporate owners, and a lawsuit was filed by Mattel.

A footnote on the back of the Aquarium CD case precisely stated that "The song ’Barbie Girl’ is a social comment and was not created or approved by the makers of the doll."[13] "Barbie Girl” is written in the key of C-sharp minor,[14] using major chords and an upbeat tempo to create an effect band member Søren Rasted calls "the plus and minus”.[15] The song has a tempo of 130 beats per minute.[16]

"Barbie Girl” was released the same year as the pitch correction software Auto-Tune, although it was not yet available when the song was recorded and mastered. Rasted said that Nystrøm naturally portrayed the high-pitched Barbie voice in the studio.[17][18]

Reception

Critical reception

"Barbie Girl” received critical acclaim. Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "with her squeaky, high-pitched delivery, Lene Grawford Nystrøm fronts this giddy pop/dance ditty as if she were Barbie, gleefully verbalizing many of the twisted things people secretly do with the doll.” He noted that "at the same time, she effectively rants about the inherent misogyny of Barbie with a subversive hand”, adding that René Dif is an "equally playful and biting presence, as he embodies male counterpart Ken with an amusing leer."[19] Scottish Daily Record stated, "Love them or hate them, you have to admit Aqua’s silly doll song is pure pop and the video is great, too”.[20] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly described it as a "dance-floor novelty that alludes to the secret, less-than-wholesome life of every little girl’s fave doll."[21] Another EW editor, Jeremy Helligar, commented, "There must be something in that Northern European water. Like recent tunes by their Swedish-pop counterparts Ace of Base and the Cardigans, these Danish newcomers’ frothy debut is fun, fun, fun—but oh so disposable."[22]

Kevin Courtney from Irish Times named it Single of the Week, calling it "a supreme slice of cheese which out-hums even the mighty Whigfield” and saying that Aqua had "hit the perfect wally beat, and this awful tune is set to dominate the dance-floor and do kinky things to it."[23] British magazine Music Week gave the song five out of five and also named it Single of the Week, concluding, "Bleached and blonde this bouncy Europop tune may be, but dumb it isn’t. Its mix of perky vocals, barbed lyrics and infectious energy has already brought it success in Scandinavia and the US. The video is irresistible."[5] A reviewer from People Magazine called it "the year’s best novelty record, a cartoonish anthem you’ll need surgery to remove from your head."[24] James Hyman from the RM Dance Update gave the song top score, declaring it as "a Balearic-tinged Euro pop smash hit”. He added, "My niece refuses to go to bed unless the video is played several times over; I think that speaks for itself with regard to ongoing single success."[6]

Retrospective response

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called "Barbie Girl” "one of those inexplicable pop culture phenomena” and "insanely catchy”, describing it as a "bouncy, slightly warped Euro-dance song that simultaneously sends up femininity and Barbie dolls."[7] Insider stated that the song is "sugary sweet” and "totally catchy”, viewing it as one of the best songs of the 90s.[25] In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue wrote that "this song is fun, undoubtedly catchy, and bouncy, with the personas of Barbie and Ken fitting perfectly with the vocal contrast."[26] The song ranked number 88 in a VH1 countdown, "VH1’s 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders”.[27] In 2017, Billboard ranked it number nine in their list of "The 100 Greatest Pop Songs of 1997”, writing, "’Barbie Girl’ was like the cartoon rendering of Jill Sobule’s more obviously snarky ’Supermodel’, so over-the-top in its kitschiness that you could be forgiven for not noticing its impressive self-awareness."[28] Same year, BuzzFeed ranked it number 76 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the ’90s”.[29] In October 2023, Billboard ranked "Barbie Girl” number 220 in their "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time”.[4] They praised its "magic moment”; "Put on your best Ken voice — René Dif, not Ryan Gosling — for every "Come on Barbie, let’s go party!” shout-along.” In 2024, MTV 90s ranked it number two in their list of "Top 50 Rhythms of Eurodance",[30][31] while Cosmopolitan featured it in their "60 of the Best ’90s Songs for the Ultimate Throwback Playlist”.[32]

Commercial performance

"Barbie Girl” has sold more than eight million copies worldwide.[33] It went on becoming a huge hit on several continents, remaining the most successful song by the band. It reached number one in more than 10 countries. In Europe, the single peaked at the top position in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the band’s native Denmark, the song debuted and peaked at number two.[34] In the United Kingdom, it debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number two and reached number one the next week, on 26 October 1997.[35] It stayed at that position for four weeks and has sold and streamed 2.4 million units in the United Kingdom as of September 2023.[36] Outside Europe, "Barbie Girl” peaked at number-one in Australia and New Zealand, number four in Canada and number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the latter, it debuted at that position. It sold 82,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number five on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart.[37]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Barbie Girl” was directed by Danish directors Peder Pedersen and Peter Stenbæk,[38] and depicts the band members in different scenes that a Barbie doll would be in. It has Nystrøm dressed as various Barbie dolls skulking around her swimming pool at home after Dif, dressed as Barbie’s love interest Ken, accidentally pulls her arm off.[12] The video was also the number one most requested video in the US, having shot from 30 to number one on the US channel The Box.[12] The video was uploaded to their official YouTube channel in August 2010 and reached 1 billion views in February 2022.[39][40]

Aqua

1997

26

602438041305

United Kingdom

CD

UMDX 80413

4

Denmark

4

Single

320 kbit/s

1

2018-06-28 16:12:54

Slimline Case

4

~£4.56

2025-11-23

2018-06-28 16:12:54