The Real Reason Ryan Gosling's 'I'm Just Ken' Performance Made It Into Barbie
It's impossible to imagine a "Barbie" movie without Ryan Gosling's epic '80s-style pop ballad "I'm Just Ken," where the Kens of Barbieland join together to embrace their individuality. However, not everyone was confident in the soon-to-be hit-track at the start. While reading Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach's script for "Barbie," score composer Mark Ronson sympathized with Ken and his dilemmas, and almost immediately got to thinking about a potential song for the boy toy. "I instantly had this idea for this lyric: 'I'm just Ken/Anywhere else I'd be a 10,'" Ronson recalled in an interview with Vanity Fair. "It just seemed funny."
Ronson lacked confidence in the piece, not believing that Gosling would sing it or that Gerwig would take it seriously. Thankfully, the "Lady Bird" director fell in love with the demo and altered the film's final act to include it, telling Rolling Stone she "wanted to create a moment that felt like those movies from the '90s when they had soundtracks to movies that ended up at Costco." Likewise, it resonated with Gosling, who offered to sing it, surprising Ronson with how well he performed the high keys. "He was really amazing," Ronson said. "And when he really did start hitting the big notes, I was like, this dude is a vocal powerhouse!" To fully sell the '80s energy of the number, Ronson brought on board Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and Foo Fighters musicians Josh Freese and Wolfgang Van Halen to contribute their talents.
To say Ronson's labors paid off would be an understatement. Not only did the song work perfectly for the film, but the success it has seen proves that Gosling wasn't the only one to connect with its message.
The song helped Gosling reach a musical milestone
Mark Ronson may have had his reservations about "I'm Just Ken," but it's doubtful he feels the same way now. With "Barbie" becoming a worldwide box office phenomenon, the song itself has received widespread attention, with many predicting a best original song nomination at the Oscars for the ballad. But while the Academy Awards are a long way off, "I'm Just Ken" is already seeing its fair share of acclaim.
Along with "Barbie: The Album" debuting on No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200, making it the first movie soundtrack to reach such a spot since 2019's "The Lion King" and the highest charting since "Encanto," the song also marks a first for Ryan Gosling. "I'm Just Ken" premiered at the 87th spot on the Billboard Top 100, and while Gosling's "City of Stars" from 2016's "La La Land" managed to find its way on several jazz and digital release charts, this is the Oscar nominee's first time on the coveted Top 100. This is in addition to other accomplishments for "I'm Just Ken," such as reaching No. 67 on the Canadian Hot 100, No. 25 on both the UK's Official Singles Chart and New Zealand's Music Charts, and No. 5 on the U.S. Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.
However, Gosling, in true Kenergy fashion, doesn't credit himself for its success. In an interview with LA Times, he states, "Ken sang that song. I never sang like that in my life. I don't know why or how that happened."