“At first,” Mark Ronson recalls regarding the most challenging project of his music career, “I had only planned for two songs.”
Ronson, the artist and producer best known for his work with Amy Winehouse and the chart-smashing solo singles Uptown Funk and Nothing Breaks Like a Heart, had been approached about contributing a couple of tracks to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film: one song for Barbie’s big dance number and another to shed light on Ken’s (not-so-rich) inner life.
Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” have become well-known songs. As the project gained traction, it became evident that Barbie could not be contained.
Ronson’s role initially involved managing the soundtrack and collaborating with Andrew Wyatt, his longtime partner, for two songs. However, he eventually took on the task of scoring the entire Barbie film. The movie proved to be a huge success, becoming a cultural phenomenon and potentially receiving recognition at the upcoming Oscars.
As the movie shattered box office records, its soundtrack is also the most prosperous of this century. It achieved a unique feat of having three singles simultaneously in the top five of the UK charts, namely Dance The Night with Nicki Minaj’s Barbie World and Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For? The last time a soundtrack accomplished this was in 1978 with Saturday Night Fever and Grease, although those songs only reached the top 10.
Appearing with Wyatt over video call from New York, Ronson remains stunned by its success. “It’s very, very, very weird,” he says. “There’s always a part of us that wants to write timeless pop bangers, but our prerogative, at the time, was to make the best songs for the film.”
After being instructed by Gerwig, Ronson’s initial action was to recruit Wyatt, the lead singer of Miike Snow who he collaborated with on A Star is Born, which included Lady Gaga’s Academy Award-winning song Shallow.
Their joint effort with Barbie, titled Dance The Night, is just as powerful. It features a dazzling blend of disco and pop, showcasing Ronson’s signature flair for elegant arrangement and meticulous execution, which has cemented his status as a highly sought-after producer.
According to him, the difficulty was not only creating a popular dance track but also one that complemented the movie. An initial effort was deemed too self-aware for the upbeat beginning of the film, which comes before Barbie’s deep personal struggle.
“The scene of Margot Robbie in gold sequins, fully embracing the moment, did not quite align with the lyrics,” Ronson notes. Wyatt also comments that the lyrics were slightly more open to interpretation.
The pair returned to the planning stage, but their time was limited. The trailer required the song, and in England, at the Warner Bros Leavesden studios where most of Barbie was being made, the choreography was already underway.
“We revised it two times,” Ronson stated. Their first attempt was sharp and clever, but the second felt “overly polished, as if we had made too many corrections.” “Dance The Night” was completed last minute, according to Ronson, with changes necessary to sync with the choreography on screen.
“Shortly before the trailer’s shipping date, it was discovered that the stopgap, synthesized instrumentation had not been replaced with the 80-piece orchestra that had been recorded. Ronson explains, ‘We only completed the string section the day before sending it for mastering.'”
The recurring theme in our interview was the last-minute saves, which reflected the fast-paced nature of production and the lower status of the pair involved. According to Wyatt, they were not willing to delay the process for the music.
The team’s focus shifted from their usual work in the pop music industry. Wyatt explains, “Typically, we work on our own projects or collaborate with well-known pop artists – if they need more time, we give it to them. But with this project, it had to be completed on time.”
Wyatt and his partner dedicated most of their time to the movie between March and June of this year. During the last two months, they had to be on call 24/7, according to Wyatt.
Ronson, who was responsible for managing the entire soundtrack featuring 20 different artists, faced a significant increase in administrative duties. He still remembers the lengthy and frequent Zoom meetings (lasting two hours every two weeks) with Atlantic, the record label. Despite the challenges, Ronson was determined to do whatever was necessary for the movie, which he describes as being incredibly enjoyable.
According to Ronson, the enthusiasm of the artists involved was instrumental in the success of the project. The songs cover a wide range, from Eilish’s reflective ballad to Sam Smith’s playful and energetic anthem. This showcases the depth and significance of Barbie as a symbol, and also reflects Gerwig’s film. Ronson explains, “As soon as everyone saw their scenes, they were filled with inspiration and creative ideas.”
Several musicians were assigned specific scenes in advance, such as Charli XCX for the chase and Eilish for the film’s emotional climax. Their music was adjusted after test screenings. Ronson stated, “There’s nothing quite like watching a film with a group of people to make you realize, ‘Oh, this part is dragging on a bit.'” However, the artists were allowed creative freedom to make the songs their own.
According to him, each person did their own unique thing. Nicki Minaj has been using the nickname “Barbie” for herself and her fans, known as the “Barbz,” for a long time, so it was inevitable that it would be mentioned. Charli immediately came up with the idea to incorporate Toni Basil’s “Mickey” into her song “Speed Drive,” creating the line “Hey Barbie.”
Everyone involved was incredibly intelligent – regardless of their perspective, we were confident that it would be exciting and engaging. When asked, Ronson confesses that the only person missing from his dream soundtrack lineup was SZA; however, he worries that complaining about his impressive collaborators would make him seem like a spoiled brat. (In addition, Ronson shares that Gerwig initially wanted to work with Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees, but he politely declined.)
According to Ronson, the Barbie soundtrack was not meant to be a unified work due to the variety of artists featured. It was also not meant to be appreciated on its own without considering the film. Greta was intentional about not including anything in the movie that seemed haphazard.
The selection of Push by Matchbox Twenty – the late-90s alt-rock radio hit, criticised as misogynistic – as Ken’s favourite song was Gerwig’s idea, though Ronson reveals that Gosling messaged singer Rob Thomas to reassure him that they weren’t making fun. “I think Ryan just wanted to tell Rob Thomas that he didn’t represent toxic masculinity – but the song did work really well in the film.”
Similarly, the song “Man I Am” in the film was developed through discussions between Gerwig and Sam Smith. According to Ronson, they engaged in a dialogue about Betty Friedan and her book “The Feminine Mystique,” and he knew to stay quiet and let them flesh out the concept.
However, the responsibility for Ken’s prominent musical performance was entirely placed in their hands. Ronson initially came up with the emotional chorus line, “I’m just Ken, anywhere else I’d be a 10”, and then Wyatt wrote the verses from the point of view of a heartbroken and disregarded himbo.
Ronson recalls that Gerwig had a strong reaction to the song. He remembers her response being, “Ryan really connects with this song.” Ronson was unsure if Ryan was being sarcastic given the emotional nature of the sentiment, but Gerwig assured him that she didn’t believe so.
During that period, Gosling was not scheduled to perform in the movie. However, the efforts of Ronson and Wyatt convinced him otherwise. “Before we knew it, Greta announced that Ryan was on board to sing it and we were going to revise the battle scene to include it.” Ronson still feels proud: “These talented comedy writers believe that our song is worthy enough to be included in the script…We continued to expand upon it from there.”
From two-and-a-half minutes, I’m Just Ken was expanded into a seven-minute, wonderfully over-the-top power-ballad. Guitarist Wolfgang Van Halen, Foo Fighters’ Josh Freese and Slash of Guns N’ Roses, who deemed the song “cool”, were roped in to play.
Ronson and Wyatt were prompted to take charge of the score and soundtrack for the musical theatre production.
The initial performance of Pink, where Lizzo tells the story of Barbie’s actions on screen, was put together last minute during breaks from Lizzo’s world tour. Ronson expresses his appreciation for Lizzo’s willingness to write lyrics to fit the music. He had been worried about going to Gerwig without any material. However, Lizzo began improvising and they all ended up having fun. This gave Ronson the confidence to continue with the project.
Ronson, who is known for his perfectionism, admits that the entire project was somewhat impromptu. He expresses that they could have benefited from an additional six months. However, both he and his team have positive memories of their pink-themed project. Ronson reflects on the experience and recalls arriving at the studio each day to turn on the TV. He describes each frame of the film as resembling a work of art, making every day a delightful one.
He has returned to the process of writing his debut novel, 93 ‘Til Infinity, which delves into his experience as a DJ in 1990s New York. He is also focusing on creating a solo album. Additionally, Wyatt is currently occupied with other endeavors. However, they have not completely left the world of Barbieland behind. Ronson reveals, “We still have Barbies displayed in the studio.”
Source: theguardian.com
