If you can’t get “Kenough” of this year’s biggest film sensation Barbie, Ryan Gosling is here to give your holidays some “Kenergy” with Ken The EP, a collaboration with producer Mark Ronson, who co-wrote and co-produced most of the Barbie soundtrack.
Ken The EP includes three new versions of Gosling’s solo performance of “I’m Just Ken,” a breakout song and dance number from the film that has been nominated for a Grammy and a Golden Globe and is likely to also score an Oscar nod. Among these new versions is a holiday-themed take “I’m Just Ken – Merry Kristmas Barbie.” There is also an acoustic version, subtitled “In My Feelings,” which Ronson says “puts a lump in my throat.”
And finally, there is a dance remix, the “Purple Disco Machine Remix,” which Ronson says was supposed to be released over the summer, while Barbie was still in theaters, “but we didn’t have a proper reason to put it out til now.” The EP also includes the original soundtrack version of “I’m Just Ken.”
Regarding the “Merry Kristmas Barbie” take, Ronson wrote that he sent the new recording to Gosling:
“… 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. 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 for fun (& maybe a little for Barbie). Happy holidays, we hope u enjoy.”
Grab a cup of hot chocolate and curl up to see the recording of the “Merry Kristmas Barbie” version:
Ronson further added:
“I’m very excited about all this because i love this song and the wonderful man who sung it. And all praises to the most high, Greta Gerwig whose glorious vision of a world run by women still carved out seven minutes for a song about all the emo boys who struggle with how to express their feelings.”
Will you be adding “I’m Just Ken – Merry Christmas Barbie” to your holiday playlist? Or will you be rocking out to the “Purple Disco Machine Remix” on New Years Eve?
