The Barbie movie soundtrack, starring Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie (center), features (from left) Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa, as well as Gosling himself singing “I’m Just Ken.”
Minaj: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV. Eilish: John Kopaloff/Getty Images. Barbie: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment. Linden: Anthony Jones/Getty Images for Warner Bros.
“Who’s your favorite child?” is a question that most parents know they can’t, or shouldn’t, answer. “Which songs from Barbie Will you submit the soundtrack to the Oscars?” may be an equally difficult question for its manufacturers.
Barbie: Album Since its release in July, the soundtrack has been a triumphant success, topping the charts and becoming a hit. Several songs have come to life as the film continues to break world records: Dua Lipa’s bop “Dance the Night” and Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s rousing “Barbie World” spent multiple weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart; Billie Eilish’s lush and emotional track “What Was I Made For?” it is an international hit, topping the rock and alternative charts; and Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” has us all wishing the superstar would release his own album as soon as possible.
All of these tunes are in the running for best original song at the 2024 Oscars, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has strict rules about the number of songs a film can enter into competition and the studio behind it. Barbie a strategy for further action will need to be developed. (Best Original Song is determined separately as part of the Academy’s shortlist, which also includes original music and eight other categories.)
Unlike the Grammy Awards, where the Recording Academy does not limit the number of songs a film can submit to the best song written for the visual media category.
Only three songs from a film can be nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar, and only two of them can be nominated.
It’s a far cry from the 2007 Academy Awards, when three songs from Enchanted, written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, competed for best original song. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova “Falling Slowly” from Ounces won. A year earlier, three songs from Dream girls, including Beyoncé’s “Listen,” were nominated for a music award; “I Need to Wake Up” by Melissa Etheridge from An inconvenient truth took home an Oscar.
Three Elton John and Tim Rice tracks from 1994. Lion King were nominated for Best Original Song: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” won, as did three songs by Menken and Howard Ashman from the 1991 album. The beauty and the Beast also competed for a music award, with the title track performed by Angela Lansbury taking first place.
So how do you decide what to send? Barbie? Leading the way are “I’m Just Ken,” “Dance the Night,” and “What Was I Made for?” If the first two are featured, producers and songwriters Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, who both share an Oscar with Lady Gaga for “Shallow” from the 2018 film. A star is born — would be given names since they worked on both songs. Lipa’s tune, which she co-wrote, became the biggest pop hit, and Eilish, already an Oscar winner for 2022’s “No Time to Die,” teamed up with her brother and musical partner Finneas to create a touching track that feels like it was created specifically. win at the Oscars. “I’m Just Ken” is a wild but sweet song from the film that continues to resonate with audiences, and who doesn’t want to see Gosling perform it live at an awards ceremony? Minaj and Ice Spice’s contributions were a big hit, but the heavy sample of Aqua’s 1997 hit “Barbie Girl” makes it less compelling when the category is named best original song.
There are other strong contenders on the soundtrack that can’t be discounted, from Tame Impala’s dreamy and fantastical “Journey to the Real World” and Ava Max’s battle anthem “Choose Your Fighter” to Sam Smith’s disco gem “Man I Am.” my personal favorite from the movie. Other tracks from Karol G, Haim, Dominic Fike, Charli XCX, Kid Laroi and Khalid also stand out.
But choosing which songs to promote shouldn’t be done too early, in case the song unexpectedly takes off like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from charming did it in 2021. The surprise hit has topped the Billboard Hot 100 for weeks, but the studio has already unveiled the soft and sweet “Dos Oruguitas” by Colombian singer Sebastian Yatra. This track received the title, but lost the award to Eilish’s James Bond song.
Other studios would play it safe by opting to feature one song per film so the voices don’t cancel each other out. But, as with the various Barbie dolls to choose from, Barbie there are options.
This story first appeared in September. Issue 27 of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.
