We knew that Guns N’ Roses’ Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen took part in the upcoming ‘Barbie’ movie’s soundtrack, but according to Planet Rock, there’s also a subtle nod to Metallica in one of the songs through Ryan Gosling’s Ken.
Recently, Warner Bros dropped the music video for ‘Just Ken.’ Following that, some fans noticed Ken wearing a bandana, an oversized fur coat, and a metal belt with the character’s name written in the Metallica logo font.
In addition to using references, the song’s producer, Mark Ronson, worked with different names from different genres for the movie’s full soundtrack. He confirmed Slash’s contribution to ‘Just Ken’ during the ‘Barbie’ premiere in Los Angeles last week.
Sharing his feelings about the guitarist, he said:
“Slash is my hero. I grew up like… I was 7th grade when (Guns N’ Roses’) ‘Appetite for Destruction’ came out. He’s my all-time hero; I had pictures of Slash all over my wall.”
The producer also explained how Slash joined the project and went on:
“When we were getting this song done, I was like, ‘It never hurts to ask; it’s such a longshot.’ I sent (Slash) the song, and he was like, ‘This is a good song!’ I didn’t know Slash that well before this, but he was like, ‘Cool, I’ll play on it.’ And he killed it! He played the solo at the end and the rhythm parts. It’s wonderful.”
Following his statements, Wolfgang Van Halen talked about his part in the film and its music the next day on Instagram. He wrote:
“If anyone is curious about specifics, I have a lot of textural stuff throughout the film with two major spots where I do some soloing. One, in particular, is pretty cool because it’s the big song that Ryan Gosling sings, and Slash plays on it as well!”
The Mammoth WVH frontman gave more details about the track by adding:
“There’s a specific moment in this song that’s only in the movie where I’ve got this fun solo with some tapping and stuff, lol. Such a cool opportunity. Honored to be a part of it.”
The ‘Barbie’ movie will be released on July 27—meanwhile, you can watch the ‘Just Ken’ music video below.