Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen are both set to feature on the forthcoming Barbie Movie soundtrack.
Raging shred guitar solos might seem an unlikely match for Barbie’s squeaky clean pop image, but recent updates from the pair have revealed they were both approached by composer Mark Ronson to lend their guitar talents to the soundtrack. A kind of heavy Mattel, if you will.
The guitarists will reportedly appear on the song I’m Just Ken – in which Barbie’s longtime companion Ken (played by Ryan Gosling in what looks to be a career-defining comedy role) laments his position as Barbie’s full time wingman. You can check out a teaser clip of the track below.
“I sent [Slash] the song and he was like, 'This is a good song… cool, I'll play on it,'” Ronson recently told Variety. “He kills it, he plays the solo at the end and the rhythm parts. It's wonderful.”
Meanwhile, Wolfgang Van Halen checked in on the morning after the premiere (July 11) to let fans know he had also been asked to contribute to the score.
“So here’s some news! I attended the @barbiethemovie premiere last night with @photosbydraia because I’m on the score/soundtrack!” wrote Wolfie on Instagram.
“My buddy @iammarkronson hit me up earlier this year needing my “mammoth guitar sound” and I happily obliged. Honored for the opportunity to contribute some guitar playing throughout this hilarious/surreal/heartfelt movie.”
Wolfie later took to Twitter to offer some insight on his contributions.
“[There's a lot of] textural stuff,” writes Van Halen. “With two major spots where I do some soloing. One in particular is pretty cool because it's the big song that Ryan Gosling sings and Slash plays on it as well!”
It also seems that judging from the – upsettingly solo-less – clip above, we’ve only heard a small contribution from both players, compared to what’s in the final film.
“There's a specific moment in this song that's only in the movie where l've got this fun solo with some tapping and stuff lol,” says Wolfie. “Such a cool opportunity. Honored to be a part of it.”
(There's a specific moment in this song that's only in the movie where l've got this fun solo with some tapping and stuff lol. Such a cool opportunity. Honored to be a part of it 🙏)July 10, 2023
We’ll have to wait a bit longer to hear the full track, but the movie – directed by Greta Gerwig – is in cinemas from July 21.
