Barbie Girl
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| "Barbie Girl" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Aqua | |||||
| from the album Aquarium | |||||
| Released | June 1997 (See release history) |
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| Format | 12" vinyl, CD single, Cassette | ||||
| Recorded | 1997 | ||||
| Genre | Bubblegum dance | ||||
| Length | 3:16 | ||||
| Label | MCA | ||||
| Writer(s) | Claus Norreen, Søren Nystrøm Rasted | ||||
| Aqua singles chronology | |||||
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"Barbie Girl" is a song in the bubblegum pop genre by the Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua, who released it in 1997 as their third single overall, and the first United Kingdom release. The song is included on the album Aquarium and was written by Claus Norreen and Søren Nystrøm Rasted after the group saw an exhibit on kitsch culture. The song topped the charts worldwide, particularly in European countries such as the UK, where it was a number-one hit for three weeks; it was also on top of the charts in Australia for the same length of time, and debuted and peaked at #7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on September 6, 1997.
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[edit] Aqua's Version
[edit] History
The lyrics of the song are about Barbie and Ken, the dolls made by Mattel. Both the song and its music video feature Lene Nystrøm Rasted as Barbie and René Dif as Ken. As such, the lyrics drew the ire of Barbie's corporate owners.
The song was voted the fourth "Best Number One of All Time" in a VH1 poll, and was featured in spot #32 on VH1's "Most Awesomely Bad Songs... Ever" countdown. In an unrelated VH1 countdown, VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders, it was featured at #88. In 2007, Rolling Stone named "Barbie Girl" as one of the 20 Most Annoying Songs.[1] Also in 2007, MuchMoreMusic featured the song at #27 on the list of the 50 Guilty Pleasures. In 2008, it was featured as "one of the worst songs ever played" on The Morning Wrap, the premiere talk show of the Florida Panhandle. In 2009, Same Difference voted it #2 in their Ultimate Cheese-Fest Top 20 on 4Music. Blender magazine also voted it at #33, as one of the 50 Worst Songs Ever.[2] Despite the criticism, "Barbie Girl" has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.
"Barbie Girl" was sampled for Lady Gaga's 2009 smash hit "Poker Face" without credit.[citation needed]
[edit] Music video
This file is a candidate for speedy deletion. It may be deleted after seven days from the date of nomination.
The music video played repeatedly on MTV and helped launch the career of Danish director Peder Pedersen, who designed its cartoon-inspired visuals.
As of July 2009, the video has over 28,700,000 views on YouTube, being one of the most viewed in the history of the website.
[edit] Mattel's lawsuit
Mattel sued the band, saying they violated the Barbie trademark and turned Barbie into a sex object, referring to her as a "Blonde Bimbo."[3] They alleged the song had violated their copyrights and trademarks of Barbie, and that its lyrics had tarnished the reputation of their trademark and impinged on their marketing plan. Aqua claimed that Mattel injected their own meanings into the song's lyrics and MCA Records was not about to let their hit single be suppressed without a fight. They contested Mattel's claims and countersued for defamation after Mattel had likened MCA to a bank robber.[4]
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Aqua - Barbie Girl listen to a clip from the song. - Problems listening to the files? See media help.
The lawsuit filed by Mattel was dismissed by the lower courts, and this dismissal was upheld, though Mattel took their case up to the Supreme Court of the United States (Mattel's appeal was later rejected). In 2002, Judge Alex Kozinski ruled the song was protected as a parody under the trademark doctrine of nominative use and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. He also threw out the defamation lawsuit that Aqua's record company filed against Mattel. Kozinski concluded his ruling by saying, "The parties are advised to chill."[5] The case was dismissed, and in the process, it garnered lots of media attention for the song and the band.
This controversy was used by journalist Naomi Klein to make a political point in her book No Logo, where she stated that the monopolies created by copyrights and trademarks are unfairly and differently enforced based on the legal budgets of the conflicting parties and their ability to defend their expressions by hiring lawyers.
[edit] Releases
United Kingdom/Germany
CD1
- "Barbie Girl" (radio edit) 3:22
- "Barbie Girl" (extended version) 5:12
- "Barbie Girl" (Perky Park Club mix) 6:23
- "Barbie Girl" (Spikes Anatomically Correct Dub) 7:55
CD2
- "Barbie Girl" (CD-ROM Video)
- "Barbie Girl" (Radio Edit)
- "Barbie Girl" (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 12" G-String Mix)
- "Barbie Girl" (Dirty Rotten Peroxide Radio Mix)
France
- "Barbie Girl" (Radio Edit)
- "Barbie Girl" (Extended Version)
Australia and Canada
- "Barbie Girl" (Radio Edit)
- "Barbie Girl" (Spike's Plastic Mix)
- "Barbie Girl" (Spike's Anatomically Correct Dub)
- "Barbie Girl" (Extended Version)
[edit] Release history
| Country | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Europe | June 1997 |
| United Kingdom | September 1997 |
| United States |
[edit] Charts
| Chart | Peak Position | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 1 | 2xPlatinum | 1,200,000+ |
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 | 3xPlatinum | 210,000+ |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 7 | ||
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 | ||
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 | 2xPlatinum | |
| Finland Singles Chart | 3 | ||
| Sweden Singles Chart | 1 | ||
| Belgium Singles Chart | 1 | ||
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 2 | Platinum | |
| French Singles Chart | 1 | Diamond | |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 2 | Platinum | |
| Switzerland Singles Chart | 1 | Platinum |
[edit] End Of Year Charts
| Year | Country | Chart | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Australia | ARIA | 2[6] |
[edit] Succession
| Preceded by "When Susannah Cries" by Espen Lind |
Norwegian Singles Chart number-one single 30 May 1997 - 6 June 1997 |
Succeeded by "Bailando" by Paradisio |
| Preceded by "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112 |
Swedish Singles Chart number-one single 5 September 1997 - 19 September 1997 |
Succeeded by "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John |
| Preceded by "Leven na de dood" by Freek de Jonge and Robert Jan Stips |
Dutch Top 40 number-one single 20 September |
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| Preceded by "Men in Black" by Will Smith |
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart number-one single 14 September 1997 - 21 September 1997 |
Succeeded by "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba |
| Preceded by "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112 |
Italian Singles Chart number-one single 11 October 1997 - 15 November 1997 |
Succeeded by "Breathe" by Midge Ure |
| Preceded by "Spice up Your Life" by Spice Girls |
UK Singles Chart number-one single 26 October 1997 - 17 November 1997 |
Succeeded by "Perfect Day" by Various Artists |
| Preceded by "Savoir aimer" by Florent Pagny |
French Singles Chart number-one single 1 November , 1997 |
Succeeded by "Savoir aimer" by Florent Pagny |
| Preceded by "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John |
Irish Singles Chart number-one single 25 October 1997 - 15 November 1997 |
Succeeded by "Good Lookin' Woman" by Dustin and Joe Dolan |
| Belgian Singles Chart number-one single 8 November 1997 - 10 January 1998 |
Succeeded by "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia |
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| German Singles Chart number-one single 10 November 1997 - 15 December 1997 |
Succeeded by "It's Like That" by Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins |
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| Euro Hot 100 number-one single 16 November 1997 - 25 January 1998 |
Succeeded by "Together Again" by Janet Jackson |
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| Australia ARIA Singles Chart number-one single 16 November 1997 - 7 December 1997 |
Succeeded by "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba |
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| Swiss Singles Chart number-one single 30 November 1997 - 10 January 1998 |
Succeeded by "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John |
[edit] Kelly Key version
| "Sou a Barbie Girl" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kelly Key | |||||
| from the album Kelly Key | |||||
| Released | 15 April 2005 | ||||
| Format | CD, digital download | ||||
| Recorded | 2005 | ||||
| Genre | Pop, Dance-pop | ||||
| Length | 3:19 | ||||
| Label | Warner Music | ||||
| Producer | Claus Norreen, Søren Nystrøm Rasted | ||||
| Certification | Platinum | ||||
| Kelly Key singles chronology | |||||
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| Kelly Key track listing | |||||
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Brazilian singer Kelly Key released a Portuguese cover version of the song, titled "Sou a Barbie Girl" ("I'm the Barbie Girl"), as her tenth single on April 15, 2005.
[edit] Track listing
- "Barbie Girl" (radio edit)
- "Barbie Girl" (extended version)
- "Barbie Girl" (DJ Malboro mix)
- "Barbie Girl" (club remix)
[edit] Samanda version
| "Barbie Girl" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Samanda | |||||
| Released | September 11, 2007 (UK) | ||||
| Format | CD single, Digital download | ||||
| Genre | Pop, Dance-pop, Eurodance | ||||
| Samanda singles chronology | |||||
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Samanda released a cover version of the song in 2007. The version peaked at #26 in the UK singles Chart.
[edit] Others cover versions and parodies
- The "gay" version of "The Barbie Song" (performed by The Dog House) features Garrett and Raoul who insult Barbie behind her back with gratuitous words because they pine for Ken, however the conclusion of the song sees Barbie approach the pair who proceed to assault her and run off. This song is featured on their 2000 album, How Many People Must Get Dissed?
- Covers have been performed by bands Home Grown, MxPx, Zebrahead, Simple Plan, My Favorite Band (MFB) and Tsunami Bomb.
- The German duo Lynne & Tessa produced a lip-synched internet video of the song, which has consistently been ranked high in the top-100 list on Google Video since it was released in May 2006.
- The British Indian comedy sketch show Goodness Gracious Me parodied the song as "Punjabi Girl" both in the radio series and later on television.
- The band Jack Off Jill wrote a parody called, "Ugly Girl."[citation needed] The The Aquabats and "Weird Al" Yankovic are often mistakenly credited for it. In 2000, Ben Apgar created a flash animation video for the parody on the now defunct 512Productions.com, though the song went credited to "Composer: unknown".
- The song is parodied in the Dutch song "Neem Een Ander in de Maling (Barbie Girl)" by Ome Henk (Note : this parody has sometimes been mistaken for being sung in German by Rammstein).
- WPLJ has also done a parody "Jersey Girl" using stereotypes of Jersey girls as the basis for the whole song.
- "I'm a Ken Doll" has been rightly or wrongly[citation needed] attributed to Eddie & Jobo.
- The us Electric Duo Velva Blu covered the song few months after the original version[8].
- In the Family Guy episode, Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey, president Bill Clinton is seen singing and dancing to Barbie Girl while playing Dance Dance Revolution.
- The band Electric Chairs recorded a melancholy, down-tempo rendition of Barbie Girl in 2001.
- The German Euro house project Bangbros played the Remix of the Rob Mayth version live in an DJ set in summer 2006.
- Andrea feat. Sergio created a Eurobeat cover of the song for Super Eurobeat Vol. 199 ~Collaboration of Eurobeat~.
[edit] References
- ^ "The 20 Most Annoying Songs". Rolling Stone. 2 July 2007. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/07/02/the-20-most-annoying-songs/. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
- ^ Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever! from Blender.com. Retrieved on May 3, 2008.
- ^ "Aqua Now Faces Lawsuit Over "Barbie Girl"". MTV News. 12 September 1997. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1424996/19970912/story.jhtml. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
- ^ "Supreme Court rejects ugly fight over Barbie doll". CNN.com. 27 January 2003. http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/27/scotus.barbie/. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
- ^ "Barbie loses battle over bimbo image". BBC News. 25 July 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2150432.stm. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
- ^ http://aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-singles-1997.htm
- ^ Rob Mayth - Barbie Girl CD Single on www.discogs.com
- ^ Velva Blu - Barbie Girl CD on www.discogs.com
[edit] External links
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