LOS ANGELES (AP) — Throughout the billion-dollar “Barbie” film, an instrumental version of Billie Eilish’s hit “What Was I Made For” weaves in and out, soundtracking the famous doll’s existential crisis. In the final scene — no spoilers! — Eilish’s crackling, saccharine falsetto is finally heard atop the familiar piano. Cue the waterworks.
It is one of many standout musical moments in a movie stacked with them: from Dua Lipa’s disco-pop “Dance the Night,” with lyrics that perfectly sync up to Margot Robbie’s bespoke choreography, to a reimagination of the 1997 Europop hit “Barbie Girl,” courtesy Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice.
The music of “Barbie” has become its own blockbuster, selling 126,000 copies in its first week and debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart.
“Barbie” music has also earned three Grammy Awards, one Golden Globe and two Academy Award nominations in the original song category – more than any other film.
It is hard to pinpoint how long it has been since a soundtrack has dominated conversation the way “Barbie” has, particularly at the Oscars — Lady Gaga’s “A Star is Born” performance comes to mind, with the success of “Shallow.” Then there’s “La La Land,” and “Dreamgirls,” which received three of the five original song nominations in 2007. But overwhelmingly, there has been a drought in zeitgeist-defining film soundtracks.
So, is “Barbie” an exception? Or are soundtracks back?
SOUNDTRACK FORMULAS
Each decade has produced iconic soundtracks. The all-time best-seller is still 1992’s “The Bodyguard” powered by Whitney Houston and her iconic “I Will Always Love You,” with 45 million copies sold.
And there are many ways soundtracks are created. Often, studios will license recognizable, pre-existing music — likely “the safer play,” as Gary Trust, Billboard’s chart director says — because two-thirds of all music streams are older music.
In the current era, most “successful” soundtracks opt for that — like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and its 2014 “Awesome Mix Vol. 1” soundtrack, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with songs from the Jackson 5, David Bowie and Marvin Gaye. Musicals have also done well, like “La La Land,”…