Barbie Star Ryan Gosling Releases Christmas Ken Song

Barbie‘s Ken is getting into the Christmas spirit with a new version of Ryan Gosling’s hit song. Atlantic Records has released Ken The EP, a three-song collection featuring the juggernaut hit “I’m Just Ken” in different versions too get into the Holiday Season. As an added bonus, the video for the “Merry Kristmas Barbie” edition of this record comes with a little bit of Gosling being in-character as Ken. He’s arguing with Mark Ronson and the producers about making some changes to this performance of the song. They quickly get the deluded doll into the right mindset to deliver a stirring rendition of the Barbie barn-burner. Get Christmas started early by watching the video down below:

On Instagram, Mark Ronson explained how this wild sequence of events came to be. It’s truly bizarre how this song grabbed the hearts of so many: “”I told him i fantasized about us performing the song live, so we started to dream what that might sound like,” Ronson wrote. “I was also dying to show the song in a different context —  he demanded i go “Full Ronson” with the arrangement (which i took to mean 2007 motown/wall of sound-obsessed me). Anyway, i sent this version to him last Tues and he dug it & it sounded so f***ing xmas that we were like, “man, can we get this out in a week?!”

“Since I’m the person who throws on Stevie’s “Someday at Christmas” the day after Thanksgiving, this appealed to me greatly,” the producer continued. “So he rerecorded the vocals and here we are, a week later serving up this version that we love with about 5 days til no one wants to hear a xmas record, but sometimes u have to do it 4 fun (& maybe a little for Barbie). Happy holidays, we hope u. Drops tomorrow x”

Barbie’s Soundtrack Remains Super Eclectic

“I’m Just Ken” isn’t the only song to get a massive push as a result of the Barbie soundtrack. Both “Barbie Girl” by Aqua and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” both saw some time in the spotlight. But, one of the hysterical left-field moments in Barbie was the inclusion of Matchbox Twenty’s “Push.” Rock veteran Rob Thomas spoke to USA Today about their song making it into Greta Gerwig’s movie. The crew asked for permission, and once they explained, the band was all too ready to give their blessing. As a result, fans from all over never stopped laughing at the bit.

“When I got the call for Barbie, they told me, ‘Ken’s by the fireside, he’s playing the song and it’s his favorite band.’ So, I did this thinking I’d be the butt of the joke, and I was fine with that. I’m pretty thick-skinned,” Thomas told the paper when asked about the process. “But Julie Greenwald (from Atlantic Records) came to the Hollywood Bowl a month or two ago. She had just seen the movie and was like, ‘You come out of it loving Ken and loving ‘Push.” And I was like, ‘Aww. Alright, really good!’”

While You’re At It, Barbie Is Finally Streaming

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera , Kate McKinnon , Michael Cera , Ariana Greenblatt , Issa Rae , Rhea Perlman , and Will Ferrell. 

The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey , Hari Nef , Alexandra Shipp , Kingsley Ben-Adir , Simu Liu , Ncuti Gatwa , Scott Evans , Jamie Demetriou , Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya , Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren . Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach , based on Barbie by Mattel . 

Do you love this Christmas version of “I’m Just Ken?” Let us know down in the comments!