‘What are ye doin’ in ma swamp?!’ Shrek is not only one of the most critically acclaimed animated features of the 21st century, it’s a pop-culture cornerstone for millennials all over the world.
How, and why, did we all become so emotionally invested in a computer-animated ogre and his quest to find love? Because his soundtracks SLAP. Just like ogres and onions, the Shrek soundtracks are a multi-layered phenomenon. From heartfelt ballads to all-out punk-pop, there’s something for everyone on every one of them.
For many children, this seemingly disparate compilation was a perfect first foray into a world of ‘real’ music, a tasting platter of genres from which even the most discerning of five-year-olds could find something to their liking. Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’ will always be the most iconic bop, but let’s not forget the filtered vocals of Eels, the Scottish charm of The Proclaimers, or Halfcocked’s punchy Joan Jett cover. Oh and Tom Waits, Nick Cave and David Bowie! The film has become so synonymous with its musicality it has literally been made into a musical. Come on.
One of the most iconic moments has to be, however, when that little purple witch sings Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ – the magical trick being she uses her wand as a mic – priceless. It’s become the source material of memers and dreamers; it has technically adopted the song, Bonnie Tyler now only sees it at weekends in Tik Tok cringe compilations.
In many ways, Shrek is one of the best visual albums of our time. It fits the music to emotions to scenes incredibly well. There’s a reason that these things stick in your mind well into adulthood. Matching film to music is difficult but vital. It breathes life into a script, supports it like scaffolding. Get it wrong and you’ve got a happy tune in a sad part, you jar the viewer; get it right and the film speaks in a completely different language to you. It hits you on an emotional, highly personal level, not something that just looks and sounds pretty.
Standing the test of time in a way that no other animated soundtrack has, the good people at Dreamworks gave us a genius, ‘all killer, no filler’ mix of tunes with which a whole generation fell deeply in love. It’s almost like a fairytale. As background noise for a birthday party or school disco, this golden anthology of repurposed pop blew every single ‘NOW’ album out of the water really. This was like a TATE modern music curation for a toddler.
Listen to the Shrek soundtracks on Spotify and Apple Music.