Normani And Megan Thee Stallion Just Dropped A Remake Of Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend’ And We STAN

It’s Megan Thee Stallion‘s first big single since “Hot Girl Summer,” and Normani‘s first appearance post-“Motivation” craze, the pair just released The ‘Birds of Prey’ soundtrack. The video for ‘Diamonds’ updates Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” and we STAN. 

Ahead of the upcoming DC Comics Harley Quinn spin-off film, Birds Of Prey, Megan Thee Stallion and Normani shared “Diamonds,” the song that will be featured on the soundtrack for the Margot Robbie-starring film.

After weeks of both artists teasing the single with screenshots and behind-the-scenes pics, the highly-anticipated track and music video were finally released Thursday. It immediately set the internet aflame, and for good reason. Sampling the melody of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic rendition of “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend,” “Diamonds” is a modern-day take on what has become an iconic number.

The song’s music video features exclusive footage from the Margot Robbie-led film, out February 7th alongside the soundtrack.

The soundtrack, which will accompany Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), also includes contributions from Halsey, K.Flay, Doja Cat, CYN and Charlotte Lawrence. The soundtrack features brand-new tracks from Summer Walker, Lauren Jauregui and Black Canary, Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s character in the film.

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) stars Robbie as supervillain Harley Quinn…

Alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz and Ewan McGregor as Roman Sionis, the supervillains re-claim their power in an all new female empowerment super-hero film. The film was directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson based on characters from DC Comics.

The music video is full of Birds of Prey imagery

It’s set in an eerie fun house, the artists carry a mallet and baseball batt (Harley Quinn’s signature weapons), and their attire is an even darker and sexier spin on Harley’s ragtag, colorful wardrobe. Of course, footage from the film itself intercuts with scenes of Megan and Normani performing and fighting bad guys.

’Diamonds’ pulls from a number of iconic music videos.

Pulling inspiration from classic sources including Marilyn Monroe’s performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in Howard Hawks’s 1953 comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as well as Madonna’s “Material Girl” video (directed by Mary Lambert)—which also directly references the Monroe’s iconic scene—Normani and Megan are updating the Marilyn moment.

For “Diamonds”, Normani riffed off a scene that has been hyper-analyzed by scholars of Hollywood (and music video) history. 

And it works, because rather than present herself as a simple Marilyn Monroe simulacrum, Normani samples and remixes the original source material with the robust choreography that made her a star in the first place. And, of course, she’s reinforced by the fierceness and fearlessness of Megan Thee Stallion.

The video is all about girl power

Case in point: The “Diamonds” video from Normani and Megan Thee Stallion are full of fashion tributes to some of the industry’s most powerful women, but if you only watch the video once, you might miss them. In addition to Meg’s furious new rap verses and Normani’s husky hook delivery, the track’s flashy accompanying music video adds another layer to the song’s original meaning. Meg is furiously fighting off tuxedo-ed men, and for most of the visual the dynamic duo is seen on the run in a fabulous escape, à la Lady Gaga and Beyoncé in “Telephone.” Diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but they no longer need to be gifted by a man.

Normani and Thee Stallion’s unforgettable looks, are throwback to statement-making women.

Marilyn Monroe remains an icon for her performance of “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” from 1953. Celebrities including Madonna, Nicole Scherzinger, and Kylie Minogue have recreated the scene in their own performances, but Normani gives you a 2020 take on Monroe’s dress with a leotard and matching satin pink gloves, all while being iced out from neck to toe. Plus, her dancers even got a sailor moon version of the original “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” video.

Birds of Prey is slated to arrive in theaters on February 7, 2020.