The song of summer is finally here, yes, it is willing to sing. A preview of Ryan Gosling's highly anticipated Barbie anthem "I'm Just Ken" was released on July 10, and although the full track has yet to be released, Twitter is already calling it to win all the awards.
In the new video, Gosling's Ken sings his big song while thinking about life (like a guy lying topless in bed) and feeling his feelings, especially about his relationship with Margot Robbie's Barbie relationship. Interspersed with clips from the film, Gosling ruminates on his place in the world with extremely hollow yet poignant lyrics, such as "I'm just Ken, I'm a 10-year-old everywhere else," and then he's about to Barbie's desire rises to a new level. 10. Send Ken into new emotional depths.
The power ballad was produced by Mark Ronson, who produced the film's star-studded soundtrack, which includes Billie Eilish, Lizzo and Dua Dua Lipa, who also appears in the film. Guns N' Roses member Slash even plays guitar on the song, as Ronson told Variety at the film's Los Angeles premiere. "I sent him the song and he said, 'That's a good song...cool, I can play it,'" he recalled. "He was awesome, he played the solo and the rhythm section at the end. It was awesome."
As the super-producer told TIME , "I'm Just Ken" was one of the first songs written for the film. "I walked into the studio one day and I thought about this line, 'I'm just Ken, and everywhere else I'm No. 10,' and I thought: 'This is his life,'" he said. Ronson soon recorded a demo played by director Greta Gerwig for Gosling, which Gosling said "had a profound impact" on him, and when it came time to record it, he knew it. "He succeeded because he's an incredible actor," Ronson said. "Of course, I didn't expect him to sell better than anyone else because he 's Ken."
Fans couldn't agree more, immediately taking to Twitter to praise Gosling and express their excitement with memes.
Twitter particularly praised the song's lyrics, such as "I'm just Ken, I'm enough, I'm good at what I do."
Of course, people are already calling for "I'm Just Ken" to win Best Original Song at the 2024 Academy Awards, and of course, all the Grammys.
Guys, it's time to start your Oscar campaign.
