In 1997, the Danish pop group Aqua almost for no reason released the song “Barbie Girl”, a work of bubblegum perfection that became a worldwide sensation, a single that topped the charts and is impossible to forget the moment you hear it . It. Covered and parodied endlessly, the song was a pop culture meme before internet memes were a thing, and it’s unthinkable that Greta Gerwigs Barbie would premiere without any kind of tribute to it.
Thankfully, the legendary song comes into its own in the form of “Barbie World,” a new track from rappers Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice that samples Aqua’s song as well as a video that closely resembles the Europop band’s original effort. to recreate the Barbie dollhouse. Stylish.
There is also a fascinating piece of history here. Mattel, the owner of Barbie, sued Aqua’s label MCA Records in 1997, claiming that “Barbie Girl” violated the Barbie trademark with its sexual lyrics – Mattel argued that the song harmed the Barbie brand, among other things. The case, Mattel v MCA Recordswas ultimately rejected, with a federal appeals court ruling in 2002 that “Barbie Girl” was protected as a parody.
Eventually, Mattel calmed down and used a reworked version of “Barbie Girl”. a 2009 ad campaign – and now again, as part of the marketing blitz for the highly anticipated movie Barbiewith the help of two of the most popular women in hip-hop.
Funny how times change.