Aqua

Barbie Girl and Beyond

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Barbie Girl was the beginning and end of the Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua (comprising vocalists Lene Nystrøm and René Dif, keyboardist Søren Rasted and guitarist Claus Norreen).  Their 1997 hit was like pineapple on a pizza: you either loved it or you loathed it.  While I can't stomach the idea of pineapple (or any other fruit for that matter) defiling the deliciousness of a pizza, I was one of those who fell into the "love it" category when it came to Barbie Girl.  Clearly I wasn't alone.  The song's worldwide popularity translated to chart success and it reached number one on charts in Europe and the UK.  Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic described it as an inexplicable pop culture phenomenon and an "insanely catchy...bouncy, slightly warped Euro-dance song".  What's not to love?  

One group  that did not love it at all was Mattel, the Barbie manufacturer.  The references to Barbie and Ken led to a lawsuit, with Mattel claiming that Aqua had violated the trademark of their famous perfect couple, but the suit was unsuccessful.

The song established the group's signature cartoonish look and sound (a motif continued in their 2000 single Cartoon Heroes) while at the same time promoting a bold sexuality that sparked a new era in pop music.  Indeed, Jason Scott from B-Sides and Badlands argues that its "unapologetic promiscuity was empowering, refreshing and thrilling" and "embodied sexual awakening".  While Barbie Girl may not be the best song of all time (it has in fact been voted as the worst song of the 90s in a Rolling Stone readers' poll), it had - and continues to have - a frivolous, feel-good quality that we could use nowadays.

The song certainly catapulted the group into stardom and their debut album, Aquarium, produced several successful singles, including Doctor Jones, Turn Back Time (which featured on the Gwyneth Paltrow film Sliding Doors), Roses Are Red and My Oh My.  Interesting fact: the album is still the third-biggest selling album in Denmark.  

Continuing with wordplay on the their name, their second album, Aquarius, was released in 2000.  Much like its predecessor, the album was defined by catchy pop songs with ridiculous lyrics and subject matter.  As the lead single, Cartoon Heroes, proclaims:  welcome to the toon town party!  Again, the appeal of the album is that it doesn't take itself too seriously but offers listeners 12 tracks of unadulterated fun, often combining different genres and themes, like the country-esque Freaky Friday or the Latin-flavoured Cuba Libre.  And what could be more fun than a song about Bumble Bees (albeit a sexualized one: "'Cause I'm a single flower, feeling free / Blooming now / Take me honey, be my favorite bee").

Their third and final album, Megalomania, was released 11 years after Aquarius, although there was a Greatest Hits album in 2009.  Megalomania has some fantastic songs on it, some of my favourite Aqua songs in fact, although it received mixed reviews and didn't do as well on the charts as their previous releases.  Take Playmate To Jesus for example.  It is a more mature sound for the group, characterized by sweeping strings and a soaring chorus without the band's earlier bubblegum-pop sound.  The video is also beautiful, featuring band members in black and shades of grey meandering through an empty house.

It's been 10 years since Megalomania.  The band has been touring on and off since then, most recently as part of The Rewind Tour in Canada (with another favourite 90s artist hailing from Denmark, Whigfield!).  Are we perhaps on the brink of a new Aqua album?  There doesn't seem to be any indication that that is the case but we can hope.

If you're in the mood, here is my selection of 10 essential Aqua songs:

• Around The World
• Back To The 80s
• Barbie Girl
• Cartoon Heroes
• Dr Jones
• My Mamma Said
• Playmate To Jesus
• Roses Are Red
• Spin Me A Christmas
• Turn Back Time