How the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack got here collectively, in line with mastermind Mark Ronson

By Associated Press

LOS ANGELES: Mark Ronson is exhibiting off his Barbies.

Scattered all through his studio, the chief producer of the “Barbie” soundtrack — and a musical polymath identified for his work with artists like Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga — has just a few “leftovers” scattered throughout the room. One doll is positioned in a everlasting cut up, stretched throughout a Moog synthesizer. Another is styled to seem like primatologist Jane Goodall.

“I went to Toys R Us and I couldn’t find a single Ken,” he laughs. Fittingly, “that’s the theme of the movie.” Mattel HQ did find yourself sending over just a few; the Ken that is still in Ronson’s studio is, appropriately, shirtless.

Finding the sound of “Barbie,” poised to change into one among 2023’s greatest blockbusters, required cautious consideration and analysis for a movie with such a wealthy visible palette. In the tip, he produced a stacked soundtrack that included Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa (who additionally acts within the film) and extra.
But it began with a easy textual content message.

The music supervisor on the challenge, George Drakoulias, shot Ronson a fast, “Barbie?” Ronson learn the script and was in. He additionally scored “Barbie” with collaborator Andrew Wyatt. Ronson is not any stranger to engaged on music for movie, however government producing a soundtrack album and scoring a whole film, not to mention, a film of this measurement, was new territory. “It was a lot of learning on the job,” he says.

The soundtrack task started with two tracks: a pop music for an enormous dance quantity and an ’80s energy ballad for Ken (identify a style with extra “self-aware, bombastic silliness,” as Ronson calls it).

The former got here first. Ronson got here up with a refrain and beat — a detour from his first, far too apparent plan on writing “’80s, sugar-y pop,” and as a substitute touchdown on a “groovy, melodic thing … with some toughness,” good for Dua Lipa. It grew to become “Dance the Night,” the Lipa observe featured within the movie’s principal trailer.

The Ken music happened in a different way. For probably the most half, Ronson works on instrumentals: When he wrote “Shallow” with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper for “A Star Is Born,” for instance, he solely contributed lyrics to fill in gaps — the “surface, don’t hurt us,” line, as he remembers. But for the music that may change into Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken,” Ronson could not shake the lyric: “I’m just Ken, anywhere else I’d be a 10.”

So he despatched director Greta Gerwig a demo with just a few strains — together with a deliciously mouthy lyric about “blonde fragility.” She despatched it to Gosling, who performs Ken within the movie, and knew instantly he wanted to sing it. What may have soundtracked any scene within the movie grew to become its personal musical second.

Early on, Gerwig used the Bee Gees and ’70s discos as a reference level for Ronson.

“You know the Chicago (Disco Demolition) thing, where everyone burned their disco records, “Saturday Night Fever” had reached its apex and the poor Bee Gees were like, ‘All we wanted to do was make people dance! What did we do wrong?'” says Ronson. “That’s ‘Barbie.'”

If something, that concept is extra of a thematic one than a sonic guideline. The temper board was huge, and likewise included “Dolly Parton, Olivia Newton John, ‘Nine to Five,'” Ronson explains.

It speaks to why the “Barbie” soundtrack spans pop genres, together with a reggaeton observe courtesy Karol G, “Watati,” bubblegum Ok-pop from lady group Fifty Fifty that includes Kaliii in “Barbie Dreams,” and the falsetto-led piano ballad “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish.

For Atlantic Records, who launched the soundtrack, collaboration and variety was key.

“All of these artists were brought in early on to do screenings with Mark, Greta, and the filmmakers. They would see scenes they were going to write their music to,” says Brandon Davis, government vp and co-head of pop A&R on the label. “Each of these artists wrote lyrics about the specific ways Barbie was important to them.”

Ronson echoes the sentiment.

“Karol G was like, ‘I’m here because I love Barbie. I wasn’t expecting this incredible film. This is awesome,'” he says. “And HAIM had this encyclopedic knowledge. The only VHS they were allowed in the ’90s, when they were kids, was this one Barbie thing. They knew every song.”

Others have been tasked with a immediate: Lizzo’s “Pink”, which ends with a voiceover from Helen Mirren, was impressed by the lead Barbie, performed by Margot Robbie, dwelling by means of her good day. And as a result of the movie is a comedy with real-world problems, humor knowledgeable a variety of the songwriting: It’s in Dominic Fike’s “Hey Blondie” in addition to the numerous samples of Charli XCX’s “Speed Drive.”

“(Soundtracks) are an area where we cracked the code and figured out how to make it work in a way where we support our partners creatively,” says Kevin Weaver, president of Atlantic Records West Coast, citing Atlantic’s work on different main soundtracks like from the “Fast & Furious” franchise, “The Fault in Our Stars,” and ” The Greatest Showman,” which produced huge hits like Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again,” Charli XCX’s “Boom Clap,” and “This Is Me,” respectively.

But in contrast to these movies, a part of the acquisition course of for “Barbie” required a visit to the doll manufacturing unit, the place Atlantic executives acquired to witness the doll-making course of from inception to completion. (Davis and Weaver are each producers on the soundtrack.)

When working with legendary mental property, a soundtrack comes with some dangers. Do you deliver again Aqua’s 1997 hit “Barbie Girl,” or do you reimagine it? Surely Nicki Minaj should be featured — her followers are referred to as Barbz.

“I remember — no offense — that I had a song on the “Ghostbusters” remake and I think six of the 12 songs were reinterpretations of Ray Parker Jr.(‘s “Ghostbusters” theme),” says Ronson. “It all dovetailed into the single we have with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice,” he continued, referencing the remodeling of “Barbie Girl.”

“I’ve never really executive produced something before,” Ronson says. “I love this film. We had an amazing partner in Atlantic Records.”

“And then doing the score, but it was a lot of learning on the job. It was still a job that I’ve never really done before. … It’s fun to show people different scenes and getting them to dream big.”

LOS ANGELES: Mark Ronson is exhibiting off his Barbies.

Scattered all through his studio, the chief producer of the “Barbie” soundtrack — and a musical polymath identified for his work with artists like Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga — has just a few “leftovers” scattered throughout the room. One doll is positioned in a everlasting cut up, stretched throughout a Moog synthesizer. Another is styled to seem like primatologist Jane Goodall.

“I went to Toys R Us and I couldn’t find a single Ken,” he laughs. Fittingly, “that’s the theme of the movie.” Mattel HQ did find yourself sending over just a few; the Ken that is still in Ronson’s studio is, appropriately, shirtless.googletag.cmd.push(perform() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

Finding the sound of “Barbie,” poised to change into one among 2023’s greatest blockbusters, required cautious consideration and analysis for a movie with such a wealthy visible palette. In the tip, he produced a stacked soundtrack that included Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa (who additionally acts within the film) and extra.
But it began with a easy textual content message.

The music supervisor on the challenge, George Drakoulias, shot Ronson a fast, “Barbie?” Ronson learn the script and was in. He additionally scored “Barbie” with collaborator Andrew Wyatt. Ronson is not any stranger to engaged on music for movie, however government producing a soundtrack album and scoring a whole film, not to mention, a film of this measurement, was new territory. “It was a lot of learning on the job,” he says.

The soundtrack task started with two tracks: a pop music for an enormous dance quantity and an ’80s energy ballad for Ken (identify a style with extra “self-aware, bombastic silliness,” as Ronson calls it).

The former got here first. Ronson got here up with a refrain and beat — a detour from his first, far too apparent plan on writing “’80s, sugar-y pop,” and as a substitute touchdown on a “groovy, melodic thing … with some toughness,” good for Dua Lipa. It grew to become “Dance the Night,” the Lipa observe featured within the movie’s principal trailer.

The Ken music happened in a different way. For probably the most half, Ronson works on instrumentals: When he wrote “Shallow” with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper for “A Star Is Born,” for instance, he solely contributed lyrics to fill in gaps — the “surface, don’t hurt us,” line, as he remembers. But for the music that may change into Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken,” Ronson could not shake the lyric: “I’m just Ken, anywhere else I’d be a 10.”

So he despatched director Greta Gerwig a demo with just a few strains — together with a deliciously mouthy lyric about “blonde fragility.” She despatched it to Gosling, who performs Ken within the movie, and knew instantly he wanted to sing it. What may have soundtracked any scene within the movie grew to become its personal musical second.

Early on, Gerwig used the Bee Gees and ’70s discos as a reference level for Ronson.

“You know the Chicago (Disco Demolition) thing, where everyone burned their disco records, “Saturday Night Fever” had reached its apex and the poor Bee Gees were like, ‘All we wanted to do was make people dance! What did we do wrong?'” says Ronson. “That’s ‘Barbie.'”

If something, that concept is extra of a thematic one than a sonic guideline. The temper board was huge, and likewise included “Dolly Parton, Olivia Newton John, ‘Nine to Five,'” Ronson explains.

It speaks to why the “Barbie” soundtrack spans pop genres, together with a reggaeton observe courtesy Karol G, “Watati,” bubblegum Ok-pop from lady group Fifty Fifty that includes Kaliii in “Barbie Dreams,” and the falsetto-led piano ballad “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish.

For Atlantic Records, who launched the soundtrack, collaboration and variety was key.

“All of these artists were brought in early on to do screenings with Mark, Greta, and the filmmakers. They would see scenes they were going to write their music to,” says Brandon Davis, government vp and co-head of pop A&R on the label. “Each of these artists wrote lyrics about the specific ways Barbie was important to them.”

Ronson echoes the sentiment.

“Karol G was like, ‘I’m here because I love Barbie. I wasn’t expecting this incredible film. This is awesome,'” he says. “And HAIM had this encyclopedic knowledge. The only VHS they were allowed in the ’90s, when they were kids, was this one Barbie thing. They knew every song.”

Others have been tasked with a immediate: Lizzo’s “Pink”, which ends with a voiceover from Helen Mirren, was impressed by the lead Barbie, performed by Margot Robbie, dwelling by means of her good day. And as a result of the movie is a comedy with real-world problems, humor knowledgeable a variety of the songwriting: It’s in Dominic Fike’s “Hey Blondie” in addition to the numerous samples of Charli XCX’s “Speed Drive.”

“(Soundtracks) are an area where we cracked the code and figured out how to make it work in a way where we support our partners creatively,” says Kevin Weaver, president of Atlantic Records West Coast, citing Atlantic’s work on different main soundtracks like from the “Fast & Furious” franchise, “The Fault in Our Stars,” and ” The Greatest Showman,” which produced huge hits like Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again,” Charli XCX’s “Boom Clap,” and “This Is Me,” respectively.

But in contrast to these movies, a part of the acquisition course of for “Barbie” required a visit to the doll manufacturing unit, the place Atlantic executives acquired to witness the doll-making course of from inception to completion. (Davis and Weaver are each producers on the soundtrack.)

When working with legendary mental property, a soundtrack comes with some dangers. Do you deliver again Aqua’s 1997 hit “Barbie Girl,” or do you reimagine it? Surely Nicki Minaj should be featured — her followers are referred to as Barbz.

“I remember — no offense — that I had a song on the “Ghostbusters” remake and I think six of the 12 songs were reinterpretations of Ray Parker Jr.(‘s “Ghostbusters” theme),” says Ronson. “It all dovetailed into the single we have with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice,” he continued, referencing the remodeling of “Barbie Girl.”

“I’ve never really executive produced something before,” Ronson says. “I love this film. We had an amazing partner in Atlantic Records.”

“And then doing the score, but it was a lot of learning on the job. It was still a job that I’ve never really done before. … It’s fun to show people different scenes and getting them to dream big.”