Ken faces a midlife crisis in a new parody of the hit Barbie song “I’m Just Ken”. While Barbie is not a complete musical, the soundtrack to Greta Gerwig’s hit summer movie includes several pieces of music, the most famous of which is “I’m Just Ken.” Near the end of Barbie, Ryan Gosling performs an 80s-style ballad, joined by a choir of other Kens.
The Holderness family parodied “I’m Just Ken” on Instagram. In this parody version, the grey-haired singer plays Ken going through a midlife crisis, and the song’s new lyrics deal with aging. Watch the full video below.
The parody cleverly reimagines lines from the original “I’m Just Ken”, such as when Ken talks about his “blonde fragility”, replacing them with lines about aging such as “gray fragility”. The user also added a caption to the post: “I live a grey, fragile life.” The song ends with wistful words, “I started a band in my garage with some friends to make up for the fact that I’ll never be young again.”
Because “I’m Just Ken” is one of the best Barbie moments.
This parody is a tribute to one of the best moments in Barbie’s life. Gosling playing Ken, who is in a confusing situation because of the patriarchy and only serves as a “beach”, is truly comical. Ken is sincere, goofy, superficial and confused, but incredibly funny and ultimately thoughtful.
Barbie makes music a part of her personality, from “Pink” Lizzo, which tells the life of the main doll in Barbie land, to a vibrant dance scene with all the Barbies and Kens. “I’m Just Ken” takes the music as a narrative element even further, making the characters in Barbieland sing. The song finally brings Ken to the fore and gives Gosling’s character a chance to express whatever he feels.
With Gosling’s acting and a well-written original song, “I’m Just Ken” is easily one of the best moments of Barbie’s life. It’s understandable that this was such a good fit for a parody, as shown in the video above, as it’s both a funny and incredibly touching scene. It draws attention even before the release of the film, becoming the main topic of conversation. Unsurprisingly, the Barbie soundtrack has become as popular as the film itself, while maintaining strong streaming figures.