If Barbie Girl Was A Classical Song
Every now and then, we are gifted with a song we never knew we needed. That’s certainly the case with this slightly surreal blending of the Aqua hit, “Barbie Girl”, with a nocturne by Chopin. Yes, you read that right. Although others have covered this pop song, and singer Ava Maxx rewrote and recorded a new song based on it, this performance is on a whole different level.
It’s not a direct blending as some of the verses have been changed, and they’re definitely a lot darker than the fluffy, candy floss lyrics written by Aqua. The group behind this video comprises singer Stephanie Szanto, Simon Bucher, who plays the piano, and arranged this unique composition and producers Krystian Nowakowski and Martin Teschner.
Krystian is quoted as saying that the group had wanted to produce music videos to showcase their rearranged 90s songs for over a year and that they thought Barbie Girl was an excellent first choice.
The video is wacky and pretty out there. For example, the lyrics are sung by a pink-clad Ken even though Barbie is visible throughout. The lyrics are sung in a new-age operatic style making the song sound very different, especially when paired with classical music. It changes it from a light and intentionally silly song to a powerful operatic piece, which showcases the beauty of classical music.
Another interesting and very creative take on this pop song was created by Postmodern Jukebox with their “Barbie Girl” in the style of “Vintage Beach Boys”. Watch it in the video below.
If you’re curious why the band chose the Chopin nocturne, in particular, Krystian explains, ” “Musically, how could you describe the sad beauty of Barbie better than with a Chopin nocturne?”
This is true, but music lovers out there should keep their ears open throughout the piece as other pieces of music also make an appearance. Krystian says, “But we only use the first two bars of Chopin’s masterpiece. At the coda of the arrangement, you can hear the theme of the nocturne again but this time in C minor and in a more dramatic, operatic way. In between, you could hear a bit of Russian polka, samba, Dvořák or even Scarlatti.”
This performance is undoubtedly one of the strangest and most unique you’re likely to hear in a while. In the world of YouTube, that’s saying something! So check it out, and let’s go party 1880’s style! If you want to see more from singer Stephanie Szanto follow her on Facebook.