"What Was I Made For?" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. It was released through Atlantic, Darkroom, and Interscope Records on July 13, 2023, as the fifth single from the soundtrack to the fantasy comedy film Barbie (2023). The song was commercially successful worldwide and reached number-one in Australia, Ireland, Malaysia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as peaking at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
It received five nominations at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, and won for Song of the Year (becoming the first song from a film since Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic to win in this category) and Best Song Written for Visual Media. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 81st Golden Globe Awards and also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 96th Academy Awards.
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 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 on her Instagram 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 on July 12. The song was released the following day on July 13. In the film itself, which premiered the same month, the song accompanies a scene in which Barbie meets the spirit of her creator Ruth Handler.
Production For the song, Eilish again teamed up with her brother and long-time collaborator Finneas O'Connell. 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.
Critical reception “What Was I Made For?” was met with widespread critical acclaim from music critics, many of whom regarded it as one of the best songs of 2023. 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". Jon Mendelsohn of American Songwriter called the chorus "melancholy yet hopeful". Walden Green of The Fader saw the song as a "sly commentary on pop stars 'created' for the profit of record labels". Jon Campbell of WNYC and Gothamist noted the melodic similarity of the verse to the chorus of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns".
Year-end lists +Select year-end rankings of "What Was I Made For?"PublicationListRank BBC The Best Songs of 2023 Billboard The 100 Best Songs of 2023 (Staff Picks) Business Insider Best Songs of 2023 Entertainment Weekly 10 Best Songs of 2023 Los Angeles Times The 100 Best Songs of 2023 NME The 50 Best Songs of 2023 Rolling Stone The 100 Best Songs of 2023 Slant Magazine 50 Best Songs of 2023 The Guardian The 20 Best Songs of 2023 The Hollywood Reporter The 10 Best Songs of 2023 The Washington Post The Best Singles of 2023 USA Today Best Songs of 2023 Variety The Best Songs of 2023
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 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 +Awards and nominations for "What Was I Made For?" Year Award Category Result 2023 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Song in a Feature Film Las Vegas Film Critics Society Best Song MTV Video Music Awards Song of Summer RTHK International Pop Poll Awards Top Ten International Gold Songs Variety's Hitmakers Film Song of the Year 2024 Academy Awards Best Original Song Astra Film Awards Best Original Song Brit Awards International Song of the Year Chicago Indie Critics Best Original Song Critics Association of Central Florida Best Original Song Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Song Denver Film Critics Society Best Original Song DiscussingFilm Critic Awards Best Original Song GAFFA Awards (Sweden) International Song of the Year Georgia Film Critics Association Best Original Song Gold Derby Film Awards Best Original Song Golden Globe Awards Best Original Song Grammy Awards Record of the Year Song of the Year Best Pop Solo Performance Best Song Written for Visual Media Best Music Video Guild of Music Supervisors Awards Best Song Written and/or Recording Created for a Film Hawaii Film Critics Society Best Song Hit FM Music Awards Top Ten Singles Houston Film Critics Society Best Original Song iHeartRadio Music Awards Best Lyrics Best Music Video TikTok Bop of the Year Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Best Song Written for a Film MTV Video Music Awards Video for Good Music City Film Critics Association Best Original Song New Mexico Film Critics Best Original Song Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Song North Carolina Film Critics Association Best Original Song North Dakota Film Society Best Original Song Online Film Critics Society Technical Achievements: Original Song Online Film & Television Association Best Original Song Palm Springs International Film Festival Chairman's Award Santa Barbara International Film Festival Variety's Artisans Award Satellite Awards Best Original Song Society of Composers & Lyricists Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production World Soundtrack Awards Best Original Song Žebřík Music Awards Foreign International Composition of the Year Foreign International Video Clip of the Year
Personnel All credits are adapted from CD liner notes of Barbie the Album.
Billie Eilish O'Connell – songwriter, vocal production, engineering, vocals 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
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "What Was I Made For?" Chart (2023–2024) Peakposition Croatia International Airplay (Top lista) 24 Denmark (Tracklisten) 13 Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 16 France (SNEP) 25 Greece International (IFPI)7 Hong Kong (Billboard) 25 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 7 Indonesia (Billboard) 23 Italy (FIMI) 61 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan) 8 Latvia Streaming (LaIPA) 9 Lithuania (AGATA) 12 Luxembourg (Billboard) 3 Malaysia (Billboard) 3 Malaysia International (RIM) 2 MENA (IFPI) 15 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 2 Norway (VG-lista) 4 Philippines (Billboard) 7 Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100) 16 Singapore (RIAS) 3 South Africa (Billboard) 17 South Korea BGM (Circle) 23 South Korea Download (Circle) 137 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 5 Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100) 75 + Chart (2026) Peakposition Norway Airplay (IFPI Norge) 36
Monthly charts + Monthly chart performance for "What Was I Made For?" Chart (2024) Peakposition Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 22
Year-end charts + 2023 year-end chart performance for "What Was I Made For?" Chart (2023) Position Australia (ARIA) 62 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 63 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 75 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 62 Germany (Official German Charts) 93 Global 200 (Billboard) 111 Hungary (Single Top 40) 60 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 54 Israel (Galgalatz) 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 80 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 65 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 53 UK Singles (OCC) 45 US Billboard Hot 100 81 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard) 8
+ 2024 year-end chart performance for "What Was I Made For?" Chart (2024) Position Australia (ARIA) 89 France (SNEP) 193 Global 200 (Billboard) 44 Iceland (Tónlistinn) 76 Portugal (AFP) 97 UK Singles (OCC) 63 US Billboard Hot 100 46 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 33 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 6 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 31 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard) 6
+ 2025 year-end chart performance for "What Was I Made For?" Chart (2025) Position Canada AC (Billboard) 74
Certifications
Release history + Release dates and formats for "What Was I Made For?" Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Various July 13, 2023 Italy July 17, 2023 Radio airplay Universal United States August 1, 2023 Contemporary hit radio August 7, 2023 Hot adult contemporary radio United Kingdom August 17, 2023 Cassette United States November 11, 2023 7" vinyl
Notes
See also List of number-one singles of 2023 (Australia) List of number-one singles of 2023 (Ireland) List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2020s
References
External links