"What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish // Urban Outfitters exclusive 7" pink vinyl

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"I used to know, but I'm not sure now, what I was made for"

"What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish was such a shining moment in the 2023 Barbie film, I can't help but tear up every time I hear it. It is such a heart-wrenching and emotional song, with perfect placement in the film. When my mom and I first saw the movie, every single person in the theater was crying as this song played. It brought all of the underlying emotions present throughout the film into the forefront in such a beautiful way at the end. It is eloquently written and masterfully performed by Billie, she conveys every emotion so impactfully.

"What Was I Made For?" served as the soundtrack to such a pivotal scene as Barbie's creator Ruth Handler gives her life, which allows her to live in the real-world. So much of Barbie's storyline in the film grapples with not only trying to understand the meaning of life on a broad scale, but also to discover the meaning of your own life. That is truly what makes this song so special, that it is able to connect women of all ages together to feel all of these emotions together. It also captures the essence of girlhood in such a powerful and unique way. I connected so deeply to "What Was I Made For" and the entire film, I absolutely adore everything about it. I don't think I'll ever be the same after hearing this song! No one else could have written a better song than Billie and Finneas for this. Billie was the perfect vessel to translate those deep-rooted, heavy emotions.

This is truly one of the best songs Billie has ever made thus far. However, that is something I've said multiple times throughout the past seven years of her career, songs like "everything i wanted" and "Happier Than Ever" come to mind as songs that I could have never imagined she would have been able to top, but she did and I'm sure she will continue to with future releases. Billie and Finneas are incredible once-in-a-generation talents that are truly only just getting started. I love getting to witness their artistic genius play out in real-time. They are continuously reaching new heights in their careers, which I am always so moved and inspired by. 

With this song, Billie also made history recently as the youngest person to ever win two Oscar's at the age of 22 and Finneas now the second youngest at 26 years old. The record was previously held by Luise Rainer, who won her second Best Actress Oscar at the age of 28 in 1938. They are among the group of only five people in history to win two Oscar's under 30. "What Was I Made For" is also the first song this decade to win both a Grammy and an Oscar, which they also achieved in 2020 for their Bond theme song "No Time To Die". The list of records they broke with this song as well as the accolades they received for it, goes on and on, which is so deserved for them. 

Not only does "What Was I Made For" work so well in the context of Barbie, it also fits in so beautifully into Billie's personal life too. She said in an interview that the process of writing this song for the Barbie character in the movie was"like I'm writing for myself and I don't even know it." It bridges the gap between the Happier Than Ever era and whatever the next chapter may be for her in such a beautiful way with the lyric, "Think I forgot how to be happy, somethin' I'm not, but somethin' I can be, somethin' I wait for, somethin' I'm made for".

The connection to Billie's own experience with often being seen as a product and not a real person is such a thought-provoking comparison to make to an inanimate doll. The objectification that comes with all of that is so well represented in this song too. Trying to discover who you are underneath the image that is projected onto you while simultaneously trying to find your place in the world is a universal experience that anyone can connect with in some way.

The music video, as well as all of the live performances she did of this song are amazing too. Her SNL performance is particularly a stunning representation of what makes this song so special.

In honor of this song making history and the Barbie era seemingly coming to a close, this felt like the perfect time to highlight the vinyl I have for this song. This 7" vinyl single was an Urban Outfitters exclusive pressing released in November 2023 and was limited to only 5000 copies. It is pressed on this perfect translucent Barbie pink vinyl, which suits the theming so perfectly. It ended up selling out really quickly, so I'm very happy to have gotten it as a Christmas gift last year! I love Billie and I love Barbie, so this has quickly become one of my very favorite pieces in my record collection. 

The entire design of this physical release is so well done too. I love the photos chosen for the front and back covers, as well as the center label. The green and yellow tones of these photos, which were taken from the music video, contrast against the hot pink vinyl and typography so beautifully. The B side of the vinyl features the instrumental version of "What Was I Made For?", which shines a light on how stunning the production by Finneas is. 

I absolutely love the entire soundtrack and plan on sharing more of my Barbie vinyl collection soon, as I have three more really beautiful pressings of the music from the film in my collection. All of the music from the score and original soundtrack brought so much life and color into the storytelling. The score also features a different stunning orchestral rendition of "What Was I Made For" that played in the background as Barbie met Ruth Handler for the first time in the Mattel headquarters. It is really beautiful, and I highly recommend checking that version out too if you haven't already. This is one of my favorite movies ever and I love having these pieces of the musical history in my collection.🎀

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the Barbie soundtrack, I would really appreciate if you would be able to do so through my affiliate link here*. Shop more Billie Eilish music here*. 

Thanks for reading! I am always open for suggestions on what you would like to see next in my vinyl series! If you would like to see previous posts like this, click here or check out the links below. I have so much Billie Eilish & Finneas vinyl in my collection, so if there is any other albums or specific pressings you want to see or hear more about, let me know! Many more in-depth reviews about her music are to come very soon and I am looking forward to sharing more of my record collection with you in the future! In the meantime, check out my review of Billie Eilish's latest album Happier Than Ever - it's one of my favorites! 

-Melissa ♡


All photos are my own!

*affiliate links are featured throughout this post. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. -- Melissa Kacar is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com


"bad idea, right?" by Olivia Rodrigo // 7" vinyl exclusive from Interscope

"Say Yes To Heaven" by Lana Del Rey // 7" picture disc vinyl





Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions by Taylor Swift // Record Store Day 2023






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