It takes a great team for a good song to be well-loved by many. Ryan Gosling's "I'm Just Ken," from the hit movie Barbie, is a huge testament to that.
Unbeknownst to many, rocker Wolfgang Van Halen is among the people who brought "I'm Just Ken" to life.
Wolfgang Van Halen's 'I'm Just Ken' Journey
According to Billboard, Van Halen was recruited to be part of the now-sensational track when he met Mark Ronson, the songwriter, at a London Taylor Hawkins tribute concertt in September 2022.
"Mark Ronson and I hit it off," Van Halen recalled to the publication, "and he reached out and hit me up and it was just a really good time. I spent two days in his studio and we just played around with ideas and it was a really good time. [Ronson] and his writing partner Andrew are such wonderful dudes and amazing at what they do, that it was an honor just to see how they worked."
Speaking about the opportunity to be part of the track, Van Halen related that he was thrilled to be with the team.
"I'm honestly happy just to be a part of it, to have an opportunity to play a super small part in it," he confessed. "It was a really, really wonderful opportunity. I knew [the movie] was good just from being involved in it and seeing what I was able to see. But to see the song I played on blow up as much as it did was pretty crazy."
Since the tune, which was nominated for a best original song Oscar, was released, it peaked at No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after Barbie The Album hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Soundtrack Albums Chart.
During the holidays, an extended play on "I'm Just Ken" was released, including a "Merry Kristmas Barbie" version of the song.
Will Wolfgang Van Halen Perform at the Oscars?
Gosling was announced to perform the song at the 2024 Oscars on March 10, 2024. Ronson and Wyatt are also expected to be part of the performance.
Van Halen looks like he will also be gracing the show because his band, Mammoth VHW, has postponed three concerts that would have coincided with the ceremony rehearsals.
In addition to Van Halen, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash was also on the song, along with Jelly Fish/Imperial Drag keyboardist Roger Manning and current Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel revealed that the "I'm Just Ken" performance would be a "big production." (via The Mirror)
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