How the Bee Gees Inspired the Movie ‘Barbie’
TL;DR:
- One of the stars who worked on the movie Barbie compared the doll to the Bee Gees.
- The director of the movie said the spirit of disco is similar to the heart and soul of the movie Barbie.
- A modern disco singer contributed a tune to the film’s soundtrack.
1970s music is still inspiring the artists of today. For example, the Bee Gees’ story helped inspire the new movie Barbie. In addition, disco music plays a notable role in the film.
A documentary about the Bee Gees inspired the movie ‘Barbie’
Mark Ronson is a major producer most known for working with Bruno Mars on the hit “Uptown Funk!” He’s also collaborated with Amy Winehouse, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, and numerous other stars. During a 2023 interview with Time, he said he wanted to work with director Greta Gerwig and screenwriter Noah Baumbach on their film Barbie. “Those two make some of my favorite films,” he revealed. “I thought, ‘Even if I don’t get this gig, I know this is going to be my favorite movie next year.'”
Gerwig became famous for her films Ladybird and Little Women. Ronson said he and Gerwig got along swimmingly. “I became the Robin to her Batman,” he said.
Ronson took inspiration for his work on the film from the documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. He was struck by a scene dealing with the backlash against disco music in the late 1970s. Famously, sports fans burned disco records in an infamous event called Disco Demolition Night in Chicago. “You just see the Bee Gees so crestfallen and thinking, ‘Wait, why does everyone hate us so much?’ Which is such a strong parallel to Barbie,” he opined. “In the film, she just wants to make everybody happy and can’t understand why she’s so problematic or why people hate her.”
Director Greta Gerwig explained why her movie has the same mood as her movie
During a 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gerwig said the disco genre “felt really related to Barbie in its heart because it’s so hopeful about people.” She compared disco to other styles. “Disco assumes you want to dance,” she said. “That’s not the assumption that every musical genre makes.”
Notably, nu-disco artist Dua Lipa contributed a song called “Dance the Night” to the soundtrack of Barbie. “Dua Lipa makes kind of modern, tragic disco hits,” Gerwig said. “She has that ability to write a disco song that’s so much fun, but when you actually listen to it, you’re like, ‘She’s sad.'” Notably, “Dance the Night” is more chipper than some of Lipa’s other famous tracks.
The Bee Gees paved the way for the music of ‘Barbie’
Notably, the Bee Gees also knew how to mix dance music with sadness. For example, one of their most famous tunes is called “Tragedy.” That song became a bridge between disco and the dance-pop that Lipa makes.
Barbie is shaping up to be the megahit of the summer and it wouldn’t be the same without the Bee Gees.
