"What Was I Made For?" is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

by American singer

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes (song), Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her broth ...

. It was released through

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

Darkroom A darkroom is used to process photographic film, make Photographic printing, prints and carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light-sensitive photographic materials, including ...

, and

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

on July 13, 2023, as the fifth single from

the soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...

to the

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

film ''

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...

'' (2023). "What Was I Made For?" was commercially successful worldwide and reached number-one in

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Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, as well as peaking at No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It received five nominations at the

66th Annual Grammy Awards The 66th Annual Grammy Awards honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from October 1, 2022, to September 15, 2023, as chosen by the members of The Recording Academy, on February 4, 2024. In its 21st year at the Crypto.com Arena ...

, including

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

, and won for Song of the Year (becoming the first song from a film since

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

's "

My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film '' Titanic''. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon F ...

" from ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'' to win in this category) and Best Song Written for Visual Media. It won the

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of a ...

at the

81st Golden Globe Awards The 81st Golden Globe Awards was an awards ceremony for 2023 in film, film and 2023 in American television, American television productions of 2023. It was broadcast live on January 7, 2024, from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California ...

and it also won the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

at the

96th Academy Awards The 96th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the gala, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonl ...

Background and release

In an interview with ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' in early July 2023,

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Amy Winehouse's album '' Back to Black'' (2006), as well as two for Record ...

, who served as the music producer of ''

Barbie the Album ''Barbie the Album'' is the soundtrack album for the 2023 film ''Barbie'', directed by Greta Gerwig. It was released by Atlantic Records on July 21, 2023, the same day as the film's North American theatrical release. The album was produced by M ...

'', announced that there were 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. Eilish previously sparked speculation about a possible appearance when she posted a picture of a Barbie

neon sign In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in Decem ...

on her

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on June 27. On July 6, 2023, Eilish announced the single on her social media. In an accompanying announcement, she said that the song "means the absolute" world to her. The singer hoped that the track would "change lives" and told her fans to "get ready to sob". A snippet of the single appeared in a trailer for the film on July 10, 2023. Eilish also teased the single and music video on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

on July 12. The song was released the following day on July 13. In the film itself, which premiered the same month, the song plays during a scene where Barbie meets the spirit of her creator

Ruth Handler Ruth Marianna Handler (née Mosko; November 4, 1916 – April 27, 2002) was an American business magnate and inventor. She is best known for inventing the Barbie doll in 1959 and being co-founder of toy manufacturer Mattel with her husband Ell ...

Production

For the song, Eilish again teamed up with her brother and long-time collaborator

Finneas O'Connell Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), also known mononymously by his first name (sometimes stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, he has written and pro ...

. The songwriting process began with director

Greta Gerwig Greta Celeste Gerwig ( ; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on various mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing ...

showing Eilish and O'Connell a

rough cut In filmmaking, the rough cut (also known as the first cut or editor's cut) is the second of three stages of offline editing. The term originates from the early days of filmmaking when film stock was physically cut and reassembled, but is still ...

of the film at

Warner Bros. Studios Warner Bros. Studios may refer to: * Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios located in Burbank, California * Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, Warner Bros. Studios located in Leavesden, England * Old Warner Brothers Studio, now known as ...

. In an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', Eilish stated that the single was the first song that she and O'Connell had written after a prolonged

writer's block Writer's block is a non-medical condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Writer's block has various degrees of severity, from difficulty in coming ...

Critical reception

“What Was I Made For?” was met with widespread critical acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, many of whom regarded it as one of the best songs of 2023. Writing for ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'', Tom Breihan noted metaphors in the lyrics that parallels ''

'''s plot and compared the song to "

Happier Than Ever ''Happier Than Ever'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, released by Darkroom and Interscope Records on July 30, 2021. Eilish co-wrote the album with her brother and frequent collaborator Finneas O'Connell, ...

", but lamented that "It seems like it’s building to a grand, cathartic finale, but that finale never arrives". Jon Mendelsohn of ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' called the chorus "melancholy yet hopeful". Walden Green of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' saw the song as a "sly commentary on pop stars 'created' for the profit of record labels". Jon Campbell of

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

and

Gothamist ''Gothamist'' is a New York City–centric blog operated by New York Public Radio. From 2003 to 2018, Gothamist LLC was the operator, or in some cases franchisor, of eight city-centric websites that focused on news, events, food, culture, an ...

noted the melodic similarity of the verse to the chorus of Stephen Sondheim's Send in the Clowns.

Year-end lists

Music video

The music video for "What Was I Made For?" was released alongside the single on July 13, 2023. The video, directed by Eilish herself, was shot in entirely one take, and portrays Eilish in a yellow dress (the color Stereotypical Barbie wears at the end of the 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".

Accolades

Personnel

All credits are adapted from CD liner notes of ''

''. *

Billie Eilish O'Connell Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Conne ...

– songwriter, vocal production, engineering, vocals *

– songwriter, producer, engineering, piano, synths, electric bass, percussion, vocal arrangement *

– additional production, orchestral arrangement *

Andrew Wyatt Andrew Wyatt Blakemore (born May 15, 1971) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York, he began his career playing in New York bands such as The A.M. and Black Beetle. He gained wider ...

– additional production, orchestral arrangement *

Rob Kinelski Robert Michael Kinelski (born January 27, 1981) is an American audio engineer, mixer, and record producer. He is best known for his work with Billie Eilish, Finneas, Lil Dicky, Big Sean, Karol G, Joji, Beyoncé, and NewJeans, among others. In 2 ...

– mixing * Eli Heisler – assistant mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Barbie 2023 singles 2023 songs 2020s ballads Atlantic Records singles Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songs Best Original Song Golden Globe–winning songs Billie Eilish songs Interscope Records singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles MTV Video Music Award for Best Video with a Social Message Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Switzerland Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Andrew Wyatt Song recordings produced by Finneas O'Connell Song recordings produced by Mark Ronson Songs from Barbie (film) Songs written by Billie Eilish Songs written by Finneas O'Connell UK singles chart number-one singles Darkroom Records singles Internet memes