It’s hard to pick the “best part” of this year’s Barbie. The biggest movie of the year at the global box office bowled over audiences and critics alike and got people talking about possible Oscar consideration. One area where the movie has strong Oscar possibilities is in the Best Original Song category, and now, fans of Ryan Gosling’s song from the movie, have even more to enjoy, as three new versions of the tune just dropped, and they sound, and look fantastic.
Ken The EP was released this morning and it contains four different versions of “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie. In addition to the original version from the movie, it contains an acoustic version of the song, the “Purple Disco Machine Remix, as well as a holiday-themed version, titled “I’m Just Ken - Merry Kristmas Barbie.” This latter version of the song also came with a music video, and it’s all as glorious as you think. Check it out.
It’s a wonderful video, even if contains misinformation regarding the time of year that Die Hard was actually released. Maybe it’s just the decorations in the music video, but “I’m Just Ken” really does work as a Christmas song. The instrumentation is changed up just enough that it does feel like a different sort of song, one that belongs in the holiday season. “I’m Just Ken” was already a Billboard hit. It will be interesting to see if this one gives any of the traditional Christmas number ones a run for their money.
The other two versions of the song are pretty good as well. They can be found on Spotify and other platforms. The acoustic version sounds like the sort of song that Ken would play for Barbie on his guitar while sitting on the beach, just as they did with “Push” in the movie. The disco version of the song is a very different animal, almost a different song, but that’s part of what makes it great. It changes things up.
While these new versions of the song are going to be great new additions to the playlist for fans, one has to wonder if there isn’t something of an ulterior motive. Releasing the song now, and giving it a fresh push, may help “I’m Just Ken” with those last-minute Oscar voters, helping to secure the nomination for the song, as well as its potential win once it makes the shortlist. Honestly, the biggest competition for the Oscar might be a different song on the Barbie soundtrack. Still, one can assume Gosling's song will influence upcoming movies.
At this point, we don’t know if more Barbie movies are in our future. One thing we do know, however, based on their response to the song, is that if we do get the Ken-focused sequel that’s been teased as a possible upcoming Ryan Gosling movie, it’s going to have to have some pretty incredible music.
