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In search of tunes for your 'Barbenheimer' pregame? Look no further

<em>Barbie </em>and <em>Oppenheimer </em>will duke it out on the big screen when both films premiere this Friday, July 21.
Courtesy of Mattel Inc., Universal Pictures
Barbie and Oppenheimer will duke it out on the big screen when both films premiere this Friday, July 21.

This summer, a cinematic showdown the likes of which the world has never seen will take place. In one corner, there's the fabulous, pink-laden extravaganza that is Greta Gerwig's Barbie, and in the other corner, the dark, ominous epic that is Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.

Both have moviegoers frothing at the mouth, with some opting to watch both films back-to-back. A "Barbenheimer" double-feature special, if you will. In fact, AMC told The Hollywood Reporter nearly two weeks ago that 20,000 of their Stubs members had already bought tickets to see both movies on the same day.

Some of us will be getting all dolled up in neon colors and taking cute selfies, and others will be ... brooding intensely in the dark? (I'm not really sure what an Oppenheimer pregame looks like). However you're preparing for "Barbenheimer," your friends at World Cafe have curated two themed mixes to help set the mood.

One's giving glamor with a touch of existential crisis, full of very Barbie-coded artists, like Nicki Minaj, Magdalena Bay and Prince. The other is a touch heavier on the existential dread with songs about atomic bombs and nuclear war, of which there's a surprising number to choose from. (Prince also makes an appearance on this playlist. I mean, the range.)

Enjoy the playlists below, and have fun at the movies!

Copyright 2023 XPN

Miguel Perez
Miguel Perez is a radio producer for NPR's World Cafe, based out of WXPN in Philadelphia. Before that, he covered arts, music and culture for KERA in Dallas. He reported on everything from the rise of NFTs in the music industry to the enduring significance of gay and lesbian bars to the LGBTQ community in North Texas.
Bruce Warren is assistant general manager for programming of WXPN in Philadelphia. Besides serving as executive producer of World Café, Warren also contributes to Paste magazine and writes for two blogs: Some Velvet Blog and WXPN's All About The Music Blog.