He’s just Ken, but he’s Kenough to enter the Billboard Hot 100. “I’m Just Ken,” Ryan Gosling‘s ballad for the Barbie movie, has officially entered the charts at No. 87.
“I’m Just Ken” marks Gosling’s first appearance on the Billboard charts, a milestone made all the more funny when you learn the actor has ventured into music before, in a more serious capacity (check out his indie band Dead Man’s Bones). Still, if you ask us, the song is a welcome addition to the cultural canon, the culmination of Gosling’s complete commitment to playing the anguished righthand man to everyone’s favorite doll.
In addition to “I’m Just Ken,” which features contributions from rock royalty Slash, Wolfgang Van Halen, and Josh Freese, Gosling recorded another memorable song for Barbie: a cover of Matchbox Twenty’s “Push.” That number comes later in the film, when Ken — in the midst of his villain arc — holds Barbie hostage and “plays the guitar at her.” Meanwhile, Barbie: the Album sits at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Since its release on July 21st, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has grossed over $800 million worldwide, making it the highest-earning film ever directed by a woman. Naturally, fans and studio executives alike are eyeing a sequel, but Gerwig likely won’t be involved if it comes to fruition.
