Wolfgang Van Halen and Josh Freese also bring Kenergy to Barbie Land
Slash isn't the only rockstar featured on Ryan Gosling's '80s ballad in Barbie.
In video released by Warner Bros. (recorded prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike), soundtrack producer Mark Ronson discusses the making of "I'm Just Ken," which he penned with co-producer Andrew Wyatt — and he also confirms that musicians Wolfgang Van Halen and Josh Freese make their own Kentributions to the memorable and catchy track.
While creating the ballad, Ronson (above) says the most important thing was "making sure it never went into the world of gag or funny," adding, "The sense of earnestness [with] Ken's struggle is in there." And if it isn't apparent yet, Gosling has the range. "He just brought all this incredible emotion to it that we hadn't even planned on."
The inclusion of Slash and Van Halen on guitar and newly-minted Foo Fighters drummer Freese on drums ensures, Ronson says, "that the music is also as powerful and full and rich as you would have on a real song, so to make sure there's nothing about this song that feels tongue-in-cheek — and mainly because Ryan's performance is that good that it deserves that bed around it of some serious musicianship."
In the song, Gosling's Ken croons about the woes of being No. 2 to Margot Robbie's Barbie. The lyrics include: "I'm just Ken, anywhere else I'd be a ten / Is it my destiny to live and die a life of blonde fragility? / I'm just Ken, where I see love, she sees a friend / What will it take for her to see the man behind the tan and fight for me?"
Van Halen, musician and son of famed late guitarist Eddie Van Halen, previously tweeted about his involvement, sharing that he was "honored" to be involved.
The starry soundtrack also features contributions from Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice ("Barbie World," featuring a sampler of Aqua's "Barbie Girl"), Lizzo ("Pink"), Dua Lipa ("Dance the Night"), Billie Eilish and Finneas ("What Was I Made For"), Charli XCX ("Speed Drive"), and Karol G ("Watati"), among others.
In conversation with director Greta Gerwig and costars Robbie, Issa Rae, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, and Michael Cera in EW's Around the Table (also recorded pre-actors' strike), Gosling reveals he tapped into his former child actor roots to play the musical character. (The actor's career began as a Mouseketeer alongside pop stars Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera in the early '90s.)
"At a certain point I thought I had left that kid behind, and I realized that I needed his help to make this movie," Gosling says. "So I had to go back and make peace with him and ask for his help. It was good for me."
Watch the full Around the Table with Gerwig and the cast of Barbie below. The movie arrives in theaters July 21.
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