The 1989 Indigo Girls hit "Closer to Fine" got an unexpected pop culture signal boost recently. Margot Robbie sings it as Barbie in the trailer for the sure-to-be summer blockbuster bearing the iconic doll's name.
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It's quite the curveball for a trailer backed by the escapist pop of the early Beach Boys and a soundtrack anchored by the modern sounds of Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish. And as we'll cover shortly, it's an odd fit for other reasons.
Regardless, its presence in the film hopefully ups streams of and searches for one of the greatest songs from the '80s and '90s folk-rock boom.
A Future Americana Staple
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The success in 1988 of such folk-rock singer-songwriters as Tracy Chapman, whose "Fast Car" has reentered the pop culture zeitgeist via Luke Combs, inspired Epic Records to sign Indigo Girls, the Atlanta-based duo of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. A self-titled mainstream debut album —the act's second overall— followed in Feb. 1989. The multi-platinum LP begins with "Closer to Fine," making it many future fans' introduction to the duo. Conversely, the song went on to become the group's usual set closer for live shows.
Thematically, "Closer to Fine" takes a stab at the biggest question of them all: the meaning of life. Ray and Saliers' answer is that there isn't a clear answer, and that's okay. "And the less I seek my source for some definitive / Closer I am to fine," goes the lyrics. If anything, the drive to find what'll probably never be completely-satisfying solutions is part of what makes life enriching.
Musically, Indigo Girls made a future Americana staple that stalled right outside of pop's Top 50. Irish band Hothouse Flowers contribute background vocals, and there's memorable pennywhistle accompaniment. In all, it's a celebration of both the mysteries of life and the global appeal of folk music.
On Paper, It's a Strange Fit for 'Barbie'...But it Makes Sense
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As several YouTubers have unearthed, the Barbie trailers have been loaded with Easter eggs that recognize Barbie history and perhaps spoil plot points. Less-subtle signs in the main trailer point to a Toy Story-esque existential crisis that necessitates Barbie and Ken's exploration of the real world.
Barbie singing this particular song as she's leaving her world for ours seems out of sequence. Surely "Closer to Fine" would work better for a closing musical number that sums up lessons learned far from the safe confines of Barbie's Dream House. To be fair, director and writer Greta Gerwig is way too clever for glaring continuity errors, so either there's more context or there's irony in that Barbie's sought-after non-answer is already on her endless and nostalgic playlist.
Regardless, Robbie's Barbie has fantastic folk-rock taste that'll introduce more ears to one of the Indigo Girls' signature songs.
