Tonight (March 10), the biggest hits in film will battle it out at the 2024 Oscars.
Most cinema enthusiasts predict Oppenheimer will sweep the ceremony. However, there’s one category that fans believe belongs to Barbie—Best Original Song. At the forefront are Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” and “I’m Just Ken” performed by “vocal powerhouse” Ryan Gosling. The latter earned Gosling his first-ever Billboard Hot 100 entry and Grammy nomination.
But, according to the track’s co-writer and producer, Mark Ronson, the smash hit almost didn’t make it into the movie. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ronson revealed that the track was on the chopping block. “At that first screening, the song wasn’t working,” he said. “I panicked. The humor wasn’t translating, and Greta [Gerwig] had to fight. The studio asked her how much she really needed it, and she said, ‘With every inch of my body.’ And then there was a big swing.”
Ronson explained that the song conflicted with Gerwig’s vision for the movie. “Ken is ridiculous,” he said. “But Greta’s point was that nobody should ever be laughing at a character. We feel their pain, as crazy as that sounds about a guy wearing a white mink and two pairs of sunglasses. I never wanted to write a song for a cheap laugh. You want something to get under people’s skin.”
Ultimately, the track was tweaked, and the final cut was made, which the Ken collective couldn’t appreciate more. Gosling is set to perform the song onstage at the 2024 Oscars. Find more information here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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