Single Awareness: Aqua – “Barbie Girl”

When you talk about the greatest satirists of the 20th century, there are usually only two names that come to mind: Tom Lehrer and “Weird Al” Yankovic. To be fair, they are the most consistent, able to make whole careers out of funny little songs that have transcended the test of time. You could even call them brilliant and some of the medium’s greatest achievements. But, with all due respect, there is little that they have on one of the strangest, most enjoyable satires of the decade. Fitting in with only three years to go, Aqua came out with a song that they claim is satire but, if you talk to anyone willing to humor this request, you’ll discover that “Barbie Girl” is one of the most misunderstood songs of its kind.

On one level, it’s Generation X’s version of “The Streak,” this comical takedown of cultural landmarks that defined the era. On another, some just found the song grating and felt that it was actually demeaning in its shiny packaging. After all, were kids really supposed to listen to songs where Barbie was called a “blonde bimbo friend” and that she could “beg on my knees”? I’ll forgive Aqua. Maybe something was lost in the translation from their Dutch culture, but Mattel doesn’t make Barbies that bend their legs. It MAY be the most offensive part of the song given the anatomical correctness of everything else referenced in the song.

After all, this is the subject of a very notorious lawsuit titled Mattel, Inc. v. MCA Records, Inc. over whether Aqua used the Barbie imagery fairly. If this sounds dumb, you’re not the only one. Upon giving his verdict, Judge Alex Kosinski came to the conclusion that Aqua wasn’t in any trouble and that:

"The parties are advised to chill."

It’s the appropriate way to look at every facet of this song. If you find it annoying, just chill. It’s been 23 years since its release and I’m sure you can find ways to listen to some other song. Meanwhile, those trying to find any deeper sinister subtext should also chill because, as I hope to explore in this post, it may be there but it’s only in versions where people totally miss the point of Aqua, a bubblegum pop band who wrote euphemistic songs like “Candyman” and “Dr. Jones.” Much like Toy-Box, they were cheeky in that European way. Unlike Toy-Box, I don’t get embarrassed listening to them decades later.

Because honestly, Aqua is a really good band. I know that “Barbie Girl” sends the wrong message to believe this. After all, the song has a chintzy quality, more like a novelty act that was lucky to get even one song on the radio. With that said, they are a great 90s dance band whose best songs will get you moving. They may not be the most perfectly layered songs imaginable, but they fulfill their quota. “My Oh My” will not change the world, but I hope it makes your night better.

For me, the journey with “Barbie Girl” is a tumultuous one. For starters, you can’t help but feel isolated by the song. I was an eight-year-old boy. Why would I listen to a song that was: A.) About Barbies, and B.) About Girls? It’s not that I cared for the boy equivalent, but given that Lene Nystrøm sang in a higher register, it’s easy to see this as a totally feminine song, full of homely images. I saw those commercials. I knew what Barbies did. They lived in dream houses and had Ken Dolls who grew beards that you could shave. Why would I waste my time wallowing in such silliness?

It doesn’t help that it felt omnipresent for the first decade of its life. I feel like there were times when groups would sing the song. Sometimes it was sincerity, others it was in a mocking way, knowing that it would jangle your nerves and make you realize how stupid Barbies were. By that point, you were in middle school and understanding that they set an unrealistic beauty standard. Most of all, you just hated that girls could hold this song over you and make you cringe. How dare they have nice things? I wasn’t a fan of them singing Grease’s (1978) “Summer Nights” for the sole fact that the final notes always sounded like a mocking nasal tone.

I can’t speak as to when things finally changed, but eventually, the song just became one of those One Hit Wonders™ of The 90s. You only ever heard from it during those nostalgic compilations. By then my friend had played a few tracks from “Aquarium,” and I was kind of sold on them as something greater. As the song “Happy Boys & Girls” tells you to do: be happy. I was finally allowed to chill and engage with the song on its own terms.

It’s difficult to tell how sincere the song is until you try and recognize that Europeans are just as capable of sarcasm as Americans. All you have to do is read the first verse:

I'm a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world

Dress me up, make me tight, I'm your dolly

You're my doll, rock and roll, feel the glamor in pink

Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky-panky

As a sincere song, it’s deeply concerning. Why would any woman want to be manipulated by a man like this? Also, the way that René Dif is forceful, but there’s something cheeky. He blends nicely with his feminine counterpoint, playing a “Ken” who is a phony kind of masculine. He’s the kind who sounds like he’s holding back a laugh. Then, if it wasn’t clear enough, the production is so full of this glitzy dance style that it becomes increasingly hard to not believe on some level that this is a joke. After all, if they were serious, don’t you think that it would be this sincere, slow-moving Extreme “More Than Words”-style ballad? It’s not. It’s a joke that lacks any subtlety, and it’s funnier because Barbie by nature is a doll that can be manipulated by the holder in that “life in plastic, it’s fantastic” way, regardless of intent.

To go even further, one has to question the seriousness of a music video that is such an exaggerated version of this fantasy world. Nystrøm has an incredible mix of fashion that recalls Barbie from poolside hats to slim-fitting sports outfits. Sure, you can argue whether Dif calling her “bimbo” repeatedly is sexist or not, but there’s plenty of smiling and tongue-in-cheek to the whole affair. Everyone is acting like a toy, even to the point that Nystrøm’s arm pops off at one point. The whole song is about wanting to go party. It’s a simple premise, and frankly, it’s evidence that Barbie will always be the best doll. After all, Bratz had a whole movie musical, and that ended horribly.

To Aqua’s credit, they knew to prepare themselves for potential lawsuits. On the back of their album, they advertised “Barbie Girl” as having no association with Mattel Inc.'s toy. There was plenty of reason to acknowledge that this wasn’t some major critique on the product, but more a play on feminism that at times could either read as condescending or one of the most brilliant and successful satires in pop history. After all, the song is so goofy that any attempt to sing it sincerely will end in an outright mockery.

In my research, I came across a rather disconcerting cover by Tori V. I’m sure she’s a nice girl in real life, but all you have to do is watch the music video to understand the difference between Aqua’s satire and the misunderstanding of it being sincere. Sure, Toi V. has plenty of set-piece in the song that highlights the glamor, but it’s clearly designed to be a celebration of these themes. She sings to a “Ken” from inside a box in one scene and dances at a pool party in another. It has a decent iconography, but it’s lacking anything that can be considered goofy cheesy. It feels like Tori V. believes every word.

I’m not going to get into that I think the cover, in general, is just bad and that the vocals feel off. It still feels fun, but it feels like it misses the point as she dances with kids spelling out “B-A-R-B, don’t forget that I-E.” It’s the type of production that could’ve used more foresight on realizing that this song is silly and not lifestyle goals. On the one hand, it’s harmless, but given how much flack that Cuties (2020) has gotten for satirizing the exploitation of kids, it’s weird how this is played off as innocent fantasy. 

Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I think it perfectly explains why Aqua’s song is so infectious. It just wants to be this playful concoction that crosses the lines of satire and sincerity depending on your view. I think your interpretation says as much about you as it does Aqua. Then, continuing down the rabbit hole of interpretations is Ava Max, whose “Not Your Barbie Girl” takes on the song from an independent woman lens. It’s not nearly as catchy as the original, but the intent is admirable and a decent way of using the song to further criticism. Sure, it’s no “Kings & Queens,” but it does the trick.

That’s the thing. This song has so much to offer in the way of discussion. Some will miss the point while others will enhance it in their own style. I personally think it makes for an interesting debate about the song, especially as I’m sure it started as a joke that nobody understands anymore. It’s become more about how it represents feminism, and again… chill. It knows that it’s a dumb song. Everyone in the legal system can confirm this.

But you know what? I’m not even at the best part yet. If you were alive in the early 2000s, one of the greatest gifts and curses was Limewire. Where you could end up with a virus, there were times when you were blessed with something that has thankfully become more readily available in the decades since. While I don’t think that anyone has been able to pin down the language, or if this is “Rammstein” like some people claim, it is still a masterpiece. To be totally honest, it’s one of the few things in life that has aged better than Aqua.

Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy…

I know that on one hand laughing at foreign languages is a lazy form of comedy. However, I just love the energy of this cover. The male singer sounds like he’s constantly angry, yelling at the female singer as she tries to keep the act going. It’s dissonant in amazing ways. How do you not find something to love about it? There are sound effects and certain lines that sound like English. How do you not find him saying “whoopie?” hilarious?

At the end of the day, I suppose that I should answer the question: do I actually like “Barbie Girl”? Not really. I don’t love it, but it exists in this constant state of indifference now where I’ll enjoy it if I’m in the mood, but often will just brush it off. After all, there are many better Aqua songs. This is the equivalent to DEVO’s “Whip It.” I can appreciate it for elevating the band to a more recognizable platform, but Lord help me do I not like “Whip It.” I love DEVO more than Aqua, and I can tell you that “Whip It” is one of their more boring songs, even if it’s referencing Jimmy Carter and Thomas Pynchon.

I think they have good energy live, too.

Maybe I will get into that one day. For now, I want to say that those who look at “Barbie Girl” and lose their minds, I ask that you chill out. While I think that some have taken it in ridiculous directions, the song has achieved its goal of entertaining and helping to make Aqua a timeless band. You could argue that it’s for the wrong reasons, but it still has quite an impressive legacy that you wouldn’t expect other satirists to achieve. Once you hear it, you can’t forget a single line. You’ll wonder how this song ever came into being. Afterward, you’ll be saying that with as much joy as you do regret. Be careful who you share this song with. They may annoy you.