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. The song was a moderate success in the United States, peaking at 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"What Was I Made For?"
Cover art for "What Was I Made For?": a side-view photo of Billie Eilish in a yellow shirt and with a Barbie-inspired ponytail
Single by Billie Eilish
from the album Barbie: The Album
ReleasedJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
GenrePop[1]
Length3:42
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"Hotline (Edit)"
(2023)		 "What Was I Made For?"
(2023)
Barbie singles chronology
"Speed Drive"
(2023)		 "What Was I Made For?"
(2023)		 "Choose Your Fighter"
(2023)
Music video
"What Was I Made For?" on YouTube

Background and release

In an interview with Time in early July 2023, Mark Ronson, who served as the music producer of Barbie: The Album, announced that there are more surprise guests on the soundtrack than had yet 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.[2] Eilish previously sparked speculations about a possible appearance when she posted a picture of a Barbie neon sign on her Instagram on June 27.[3]

On July 6, 2023, Eilish announced the single on her social media.[4] In an accompanying announcement, she said that the song "means the absolute" world to her.[5] The singer hoped that the track would "change lives" and told her fans to "get ready to sob".[6] A snippet of the single appeared in a trailer for the film on July 10, 2023.[7] Eilish also teased the single and music video on Twitter on July 12.[8] The song was released the following day on July 13.[9]

Production

For the song, Eilish again teamed up with her brother and long-time collaborator Finneas O'Connell.[10] 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.[11]

I did not think about myself once in the writing process. I was purely inspired by this movie and this character and the way I thought she would feel, and wrote about that. And then, over the next couple days, I was listening and I was like, girl, how did this … honestly, and I really don’t mean this to come off a conceited way at all, but I do this thing where I make stuff that I don’t even know is … like I'm writing for myself and I don't even know it.

— Billie Eilish, on the songwriting process for "What Was I Made For?"[11]

Music video

The music video for "What Was I Made For?" was released alongside the single on July 13, 2023.[12] The video, directed by Eilish herself, portrays Eilish in a yellow dress (a color Stereotypical Barbie wears at the end of the 2023 Barbie film) and a blonde wig styled with bangs and a high ponytail similar to the hairstyle of the original 1959 Barbie. Eilish sits at a school desk in an empty, monochromatic space. From a Barbie-themed case, she removes and examines doll clothing resembling outfits Eilish has worn publicly in the past, which she organizes on a miniature hanging rack. As the song progresses, a brief earthquake, a strong wind, and rain threaten to disrupt her efforts. When the rain ends, Eilish quickly stuffs the doll clothes back into their case and walks away, taking the doll case with her. Shortly after the song's ending, Eilish returns briefly to collect a forgotten accessory before exiting once more.

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".[13]

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".[9] Jon Mendelsohn of American Songwriter called the chorus "melancholy yet hopeful".[14] Walden Green of The Fader saw the song as a "sly commentary on pop stars 'created' for the profit of record labels".[15]

Accolades
Awards and nominations for "What Was I Made For?"
Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2023 MTV Video Music Awards Song of Summer Nominated [16]
BreakTudo Awards Anthem of the Year Pending [17]

Personnel

All credits are adapted from CD liner notes of Barbie: The Album.[18]

  • 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
Chart performance for "What Was I Made For?"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[20] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[21] 10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[22] 29
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] 10
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[24] 47
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[25] 45
Croatia (HRT)[26] 24
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[27] 6
Denmark (Tracklisten)[28] 13
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[29] 15
France (SNEP)[30] 25
Germany (Official German Charts)[31] 9
Global 200 (Billboard)[32] 2
Greece International (IFPI)[33] 7
Hong Kong (Billboard)[34] 25
Hungary (Single Top 40)[35] 15
Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[36] 7
Indonesia (Billboard)[37] 23
Ireland (IRMA)[38] 1
Italy (FIMI)[39] 61
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[40] 8
Latvia (EHR)[41] 33
Latvia (LAIPA)[42] 9
Lithuania (AGATA)[43] 12
Luxembourg (Billboard)[44] 3
Malaysia (Billboard)[45] 3
Malaysia International (RIM)[46] 2
MENA (IFPI)[47] 15
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[48] 14
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[49] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[50] 2
Norway (VG-lista)[51] 4
Philippines (Billboard)[52] 7
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[53] 16
Portugal (AFP)[54] 18
Singapore (RIAS)[55] 3
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[56] 6
South Africa (Billboard)[57] 17
South Korea BGM (Circle)[58] 23
South Korea Download (Circle)[59] 137
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[60] 5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[61] 1
UK Singles (OCC)[62] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[63] 14
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[64] 30
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[65] 16
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[66] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[67] 16
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[68] 75

Certifications
Certifications for "What Was I Made For?"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[69] Gold 40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[70] Gold 15,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[71] Gold 25,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[72] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] Gold 400,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[74] Gold 1,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates and formats for "What Was I Made For?"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Various July 13, 2023
[75]
Italy July 17, 2023 Radio airplay Universal [76]
United States August 1, 2023 Contemporary hit radio
  • Darkroom
  • Interscope
 [77]
United Kingdom August 17, 2023 Cassette
[78]

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