NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks with the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, about their 1989 hit “Closer to Fine” being featured prominently in the new Barbie movie.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
As you have probably heard by now, Barbie is having a moment. She is not the only one. She is sharing the spotlight with a legendary singer/songwriter duo and their 1989 hit, “Closer To Fine.”
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “CLOSER TO FINE”)
INDIGO GIRLS: (Singing) And I went to the doctor. I went to the mountains. I looked to the children. I drank from the fountains.
KELLY: You know it. That’s the Indigo Girls.
AMY RAY: We were both like, Barbie (laughter)? They want to use Indigo Girls in a Barbie movie (laughter)?
KELLY: That’s right. “Closer To Fine” is featured prominently in the new “Barbie” movie directed by Greta Gerwig.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, “BARBIE”)
MARGOT ROBBIE AND RYAN GOSLING: (As Barbie and Ken, singing) Closer I am to…
(As Barbie and Ken, screaming).
RYAN GOSLING: (As Ken) I’m coming with you.
MARGOT ROBBIE: (As Barbie) OK.
KELLY: It is such an exciting time for Amy Ray and Emily Saliers – the Indigo Girls – that we had to call them up to talk about it. We caught Amy at home in Georgia, Emily on vacation in Europe.
EMILY SALIERS: So I saw it in a theater where I couldn’t even figure out how to order a popcorn, sat there in an assigned seat. We grabbed the last three tickets and couldn’t sit together – my wife, my friend and I – and there were Danish subtitles. So it was completely surreal. And I knew that the song would be in the scene where Barbie is driving out of Barbieland and into the real world, and then Ken pops up in the back seat and shocks her. And they’re singing this song. So I knew it was going to be in that scene, but it ended up being in three different scenes. So it was absolutely a total shock, first of all, to be seeing it premiering in that environment and, second of all, to have it appear that many times in the movie. And most of all, I loved the movie. I loved it.