Sometimes, you just have to lean into it. And that was James Wan’s precise reaction when asked about “Ocean to Ocean”, Pitbull’s… interesting… remix of Toto’s “Africa.” The song appears both on the soundtrack and in a moment in the film, and Wan has a pretty clear explanation as to why.
“[Putting] the song in the sequence where Aquaman and Mera walk out of the water in slow motion, I felt: For f—-’s sake, let’s have fun with it! It’s something out of Fast and Furious,” he told Business Insider. He explained that Pitbull was signed on early for the film, and that his song fit perfectly with the sequence it was used in, which was “very tongue-in-cheek, and we just wanted to have fun with it. And we wanted a cheeky song at that point of the movie. I just wasn’t sure what song it was going to be.”
Since its release, Pitbull’s “Ocean to Ocean” has fascinated me. I have not enjoyed this song, but I have listened to it. Many times. It is both better and much worse than I would have guessed. Transfixing, like the deep black vortex of a whirlpool, and equally as dangerous. It’s also deeply, blisteringly silly. Which is to say, James Wan is right. We should celebrate “Ocean to Ocean.” Here’s to you, Pitbull. For fuck’s sake, let’s have fun with it.