The All-Star ‘Barbie’ Soundtrack: Every Song Ranked

The Barbie movie campaign has been a year-long affair, complete with brand partnerships, clothing lines and more. As part of the rollout, the studio announced a star-studded, Mark Ronson–produced soundtrack, Barbie: The Album, and released a few advance singles from artists like Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa. And today, along with the movie's premiere, the album is officially out, with a track list spanning high-profile rock acts Haim and Tame Impala, pop stars Lizzo and Nicki Minaj and even the film's vocally gifted co-star, Ryan Gosling.

Here are our rankings of every song from the Barbie soundtrack.

18. The Kid Laroi, "Forever & Again"

The Kid Laroi put himself on the mainstream map in 2021 with "Stay," his Justin Bieber–assisted hit. "Forever & Again" sounds a lot like the artist's current output, featuring his Post Malone–ish croon and Auto-Tuned rapping about sticking by your partner's side through the ups and downs. 

17. Khalid, "Silver Platter"

Khalid's contribution to the Barbie soundtrack follows his R&B-adjacent, adult-contemporary-friendly formula, with lyrics about chasing a love interest who won't give you the time of day: "Give you the world on a silver platter/ Would it even matter?" 

16. Lizzo, "Pink"

Lizzo's disco-inflected, midtempo track is a winking ode to the power of the color pink. "Good enough to drink," she sings, "Goes with everything." The song reveals its self-awareness in the bridge, where Lizzo spells "pink," giving each letter an acronym: "P, pretty; I, intelligent; N, never sad; K, cool." The song works in the context of a feminist-leaning Barbie movie, but compared to Lizzo's usually effervescent hits,"Pink" is a little lackluster.

15. Dua Lipa, "Dance the Night"

Continuing with the disco theme, a zone Dua Lipa is certainly comfortable in, the second track on the Barbie soundtrack is a groovy romp about dancing in perfect rhythm no matter the circumstance. "Watch me dance/ Dance the night away," Dua sings. "My heart could be burnin', but you won't see it on my face." The lyrics seem in line with the movie's feminist commentary — even when she cries that she'll "keep the party goin'/ Not one hair out of place."

14. Gayle, "Butterflies"

Up-and-comer Gayle, known for her hit single "ABCDEFU," lends her pop-punk-ish stylings to a reimagining of Crazy Town's 2000 one-hit-wonder "Butterfly." She switches between fake phone-call interludes, shouting the original track's chorus, and her own half-sung, half-spoken verses.

13. Tame Impala, "Journey to the Real World"

Tame Impala bring their spacey psych-rock on a quick, minute-and-a-half song that could just as easily have appeared on one of their own albums. The song, presumably, soundtracks Barbie's passage from Barbie World through the Real World, and its dreamy melody reflects the transition.

12. Karol G, "Watati" (feat. Aldo Ranks)

Colombian hitmaker Karol G introduces a refreshing Latin flair to the track list. An English translation of the Spanish lyrics suggests a song about wanting a man to take you to the disco and party until the morning.

11. Fifty Fifty, "Barbie Dreams" (feat. Kaliii)

South Korean girl group Fifty Fifty's bubblegum-pop "Barbie Dreams" is the soundtrack's penultimate song, a cheery track about living out your fantasy with your friends. "Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous girls/ Flip phones dipped in diamonds and pearls/ Rhinеstone, rover, hot pink toaster/ Comе take a step into my world," they sing over a bouncy melody. The Kim Petras influence is apparent, and raises the question: Why didn't Barbie pull Petras herself for the project? 

10. Ryan Gosling, "I'm Just Ken"

Gosling's ballad narrates Ken's internal struggles and "blond fragility." A slow piano opening leads into explosive guitars and drums as he expresses his character's desire to break free to the "real world." Swirling synths kick in for a '80s-rock-opera vibe, calling to mind Gosling's musical history. "I'm just Ken and I'm enough," he shouts in conclusion. "And I'm great at doing stuff."

9. Sam Smith, "Man I Am"

Sam Smith's contribution is a sultry, tongue-in-cheek song about protecting manliness, the Ken ideal. "So beefed up you can't get through the door/ It's your time to break through/ Batman to the rescue/ Barbie, your time is up/ You will not take our voice," Smith says in a low tone over a buzzing beat. "Six pack and tight G-string/ No, I'm not gay bro." Their voice shifts to a higher pitch and melodic disco rhythm for the chorus.

8. PinkPantheress, "Angel"

Rising British bedroom-pop act PinkPantheress got her start in the past few years by sharing song demos on TikTok. She garnered a cult following on the platform, now creeping into the mainstream. "Angel" showcases the artist's signature Auto-Tuned vocals over synths, strings and a confounding, oddly catchy Celtic fiddle.

7. Ava Max, "Choose Your Fighter"

This song's chorus sounds almost identical to Ava Max's hit "Kings & Queens," and it totally works. The poppy empowerment anthem is indebted to dance music of the '90s and 2000s, with lyrics about being yourself and charting your own path: "You can be a lover or a fighter, whatever you desire/ Life is like a runway and you're the designer/ Wings of a butterfly, eyes of a tiger/ Whatever you want, baby, choose your fighter."

6. Dominic Fike, "Hey Blondie" 

Singer-songwriter and Euphoria star Dominic Fike's "Hey Blondie" is a sunny, sweet love song with a catchy Jack Johnson–esque sound. "Those sticks and stones and big glass homes don't hurt you 'cause you're so perfect," he sings over upbeat guitar. "I took a million tries for you and I wanna take a million more."

5. Haim, "Home"

"Home" has Haim's signature soft-rock sound, sprinkled with a sparkle of Cher. "Thinkin' that you got me/ Well, I know me better/ I'm not the girl who beats around just to get walked all over," the sisters sing alongside stirring synths. It's an emotional ballad about feeling betrayed and longing for a place where you belong. 

4. Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”

“What Was I Made For?” is a heavy-hearted piano ballad about not knowing your life's purpose. “Taking a drive, I was an ideal/ Looked so alive, turns out I’m not real/ Just something you paid for," Eilish sings in her breathy falsetto. The song, recorded with her brother and regular collaborator Finneas, wouldn't be out of place on Eilish's album Happier Than Ever, or even a Phoebe Bridgers record. 

3. Brandi Carlile and Catherine Carlile, "Closer to Fine"

Ahead of the soundtrack's release, all contributing artists were teased, except for one. Country singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and her wife Catherine are the surprise duo behind the one of two bonus tracks appearing on the so-called Best Weekend Ever edition of the soundtrack: a cover of the Indigo Girls' famous 1989 folk anthem "Closer to Fine." Their rendition is beautiful and heartfelt, and a reminder of how good the original is.

2. Charli XCX, "Speed Drive"

With or without the Barbie movie, "Speed Drive" could stand on its own as an ideal Charli XCX track. She uses her classic hyperpop style to turbocharge the lyrics for "Hey Mickey," changing the words to, "Barbie, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind/ Jump into the driver's seat and put it into speed drive" over buzzing and twinkling synths.

1. Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, "Barbie World"

As talk of the Barbie soundtrack began bubbling, news broke that Aqua's iconic 1997 hit "Barbie Girl" was absent from the track list. The exclusion made headlines and inspired Twitter outrage. "If 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua isn't in the end credits of the Barbie movie I want my money back," one fan tweeted. It was later revealed that, while the Danish-Norwegian Europop group's original single didn't make the cut, an equally memorable song would take its place.

Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice sample "Barbie Girl" for an updated independence anthem. "Barbie World" has a contagious trap beat, courtesy of Ice Spice's go-to producer RiotUSA, and cheeky lyrics, effortlessly delivered by Minaj and Spice. The duo go back and forth, trading bars: "And I’m bad like the Barbie/ I’m a doll but I still wanna party/ Pink ‘Vette like I’m ready to bend/ I’m a 10, so I pull in a Ken." The duo are supremely suited to put their spin on "Barbie Girl." Barbie is an integral part of Minaj's personal brand and her Barbz fanbase, while Spice, much like Barbie, has that ineffable magnetism. It's a perfect theme song for the modern It Girl.