What Was I Made For

"What Was I Made For?" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish from '' Barbie: The Album'', the soundtrack of the film '' Barbie''. The song was released through Atlantic Records, Darkroom and Interscope Records on July 13, 2023, as the fourth single from the soundtrack. "What Was I Made For?" reached number-one in Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Background and release

In an interview with '' Time'' in early July 2023, Mark Ronson, who serves as the music producer of the upcoming ''Barbie'' soundtrack, announced that there are more surprise guests on the soundtrack than had been revealed at that time, describing the artist as having a "very personal, idiosyncratic tie to Barbie". However, he skipped the question if Eilish was going to be one of the two. Eilish previously sparked speculations about a possible appearance when she posted a picture of a Barbie neon sign on her Instagram on June 27.

On July 6, 2023, Eilish announced the single on her social media. In an accompanying announcement, she said that the song "means the absolute" world to her. The singer hoped that the track would "change lives" and told her fans to "get ready to sob". A snippet of the single appeared in a trailer for the film on July 10, 2023. Eilish also teased the single and music video on Twitter on July 12. The song was released the following day on July 13.

Production

For the song, Eilish again teamed up with her brother and long-time collaborator Finneas O'Connell. The songwriting process began with director Greta Gerwig showing Eilish and O'Connell a rough cut of the film at Warner Bros. Studios. In an interview with ''Billboard'', Eilish stated that the single was the first song that she and O'Connell had written after a prolonged writer's block.

Critical reception

Writing for ''Stereogum'', Tom Breihan noted metaphors in the lyrics that parallels '' Barbie'''s plot and compared the song to " Happier Than Ever", but lamented that "It seems like it’s building to a grand, cathartic finale, but that finale never arrives". Jon Mendelsohn of '' American Songwriter'' called the chorus "melancholy yet hopeful". Walden Green of '' The Fader'' saw the song as a "sly commentary on pop stars 'created' for the profit of record labels".

Accolades

Music video

The music video for "What Was I Made For?" was released alongside the single on July 13, 2023. In the video, directed by Eilish herself, she portrays a young woman in a Barbie-inspired outfit who sits down at a lone desk and begins playing with a handful of doll-sized clothing (which are replicas of the most famous looks worn by Eilish). An earthquake and bouts of rain and wind repeatedly knock down the clothes until the woman finally packs up the pieces and walks out of the room. In '' W'', Matthew Velasco interpreted the music video as Eilish's "way of telling us she’s done with her signature baggy look" and that "this feels like the beginning of a new era for Eilish".

Personnel

All credits are adapted from CD liner notes of '' Barbie: The Album''.

* Billie Eilish O'Connell – songwriter, vocal production, engineering, vocals, synths
* Finneas O'Connell – songwriter, producer, engineering, piano, synths, electric bass, percussion, vocal arrangement
* Mark Ronson – additional production, orchestral arrangement
* Andrew Wyatt – additional production, orchestral arrangement
* Rob Kinelski – mixing
* Eli Heisler – assistant mixing

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Barbie

2023 singles
2023 songs
2020s ballads
Billie Eilish songs
Atlantic Records singles
Interscope Records singles
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Number-one singles in Australia
Number-one singles in Switzerland
Songs written by Billie Eilish
Songs written by Finneas O'Connell
Song recordings produced by Finneas O'Connell
Song recordings produced by Mark Ronson
Song recordings produced by Andrew Wyatt
Songs written for films
Barbie
Pop ballads
UK Singles Chart number-one singles