When Shrek swings the bathroom door open and a husky voice sings, “Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me,” you know this isn’t going to be your average fairy tale. No other “once upon time” has ever introduced us to an ogre fixing his wedgie to Smash Mouth’s “All Star” in its opening sequence. It’s common for animated classics such as Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King to open with a grand musical number inviting viewers into its world, but Smash Mouth’s 1999 hit set a different tone for Shrek, a new kind of fairy tale featuring a grouchy ogre who falls in love with the damsel in distress he’s attempting to save. More than 20 years later, the Shrek franchise has spawned new life through memes, a Broadway musical and fans pining for a new installment. 

But no matter how many times the movie has evolved, it’s the soundtrack that keeps fans returning to the original film for a dose of much-needed nostalgia. Not only does Shrek reimagine classic fairy tales and a mythical monster, but its needle drops also give each song new meaning. From the ballad “Hallelujah” to the disco bop “Funkytown,” the Shrek soundtrack’s popular hits helped tell a story that challenged what we know about fairy tales.

DreamWorks released Shrek in 2001, two years after the end of the Disney Renaissance era. Rather than solely relying on original music, the production team opted for big needle drops that would distinguish the film from its competitors. “Shrek was the first animated picture to have, in its dialogue and in its music, pop references,” Shrek music supervisor Marylata Elton shared with The Ringer last year. “What ended up [happening] is that Shrek became the pop culture itself.” Or, as YouTube music commentary channel Sideways said in a video essay about Shrek, “The pop music serves as a subversive commentary on the necessity of musical theater numbers that question the diegesis of the film.” 

Some might think Shrek is gross for showering in mud and farting in swamps. He could care less as “All Star” by Smash Mouth highlights the ogre’s main character energy.

DreamWorks/Everett Collection

In other words, Shrek hates clichés. He lives in a swamp that intentionally isolates him from mobs of pitchfork-wielding townspeople, but he also despises the naivety of the other fairy tale creatures. You won’t find him belting a song about a hero’s journey or a duet about forbidden love because that would be too on the nose. Shrek is fully aware of how he’s perceived: Ogres are known for being hideous and monstrous, not the romantic lead. Because of that, the film isn’t selling a fairy tale; it’s promoting self-actualization. Each needle drop helps verbalize what the characters can’t in the moment, without completing their inner journey for them, as most musical numbers tend to do.

For instance, when Fiona unwillingly agrees to marry Lord Farquaad, “Hallelujah,” performed by Rufus Wainwright, captures Shrek and Fiona’s inability to express their love for each other. In Shrek 2, “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. is used to highlight the absurdity and commercialization of Far Far Away, where businesses like The Gap, Versace and Burger King make Shrek feel like a fish out of water.

As Shrek comes to the rescue, Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) tries to get Fiona to fall in love with her son Prince Charming by performing Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero” in Shrek 2. 

One could argue that hearing pop songs in a fictional universe ruins the magic. After all, we treat fairy tales as a form of escapism. However, Shrek’s soundtrack bridges the gap between fantasy and real life. For example, Fiona sings to birds just like Snow White did, but she can also get down to Top 40 hits. You wouldn’t normally expect that from a damsel in distress, and that’s why a modern soundtrack works for Shrek. Familiar character tropes are reinvented outside of their fantasy world, which is essentially the purpose of Shrek’s character arc. 

The soundtrack lets younger viewers teeter within the space between children’s and adult entertainment. Shrek doesn’t infantilize children with sanitized Kidz Bop covers or naive ballads; it gives them permission to listen to music that adults do, like Donkey rapping Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “I Like Big Butts” in the film’s final scene. Although most of the franchise’s songs are covers, the films also include recognizable songs from artists such as Neil Diamond, Leonard Cohen, Joan Jett, Bonnie Tyler and Ricky Martin, introducing a young generation to an expansive catalog of music and pop culture moments.

Today, the film’s core audiences are older Gen Z and younger millennials. That’s why it’s no surprise that the soundtrack has stood the test of time. It brings back the comfort and joy of the halcyon days of our childhood. As we enter the third year of a global pandemic, face another struggling economy and watch war unfold on TikTok, we’re seeing even more reboots and Y2K fashion coming back into trend. “All Star” has the same nostalgic power that “Mr. Brightside” and “Stacy’s Mom” have. Queue any of these early-aughts anthems at a party and the crowd will go wild. They evoke memories of the days when the internet connection croaked and people carried CD players like they were Prada bags.

After Shrek and Fiona fall in love and the fairy tale creatures are free from Lord Farquaad’s terror, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) sings along to Smash Mouth’s cover of “I’m a Believer” to celebrate the joyous occasion.

At President Biden’s 2021 inauguration, the now-disbanded ’90s group New Radicals reunited for a performance of their 1998 hit “You Get What You Give.” Like Smash Mouth and Counting Crows, New Radicals came up in the decade of alternative rock groups with a pop sheen to their sound. Their nostalgic performance ushered a symbolic return to the past after a tumultuous and divisive four years of the previous presidency. In a way, listening to the Shrek soundtrack in 2022 offers a similar respite. The ice we skate is getting pretty thin; the water’s getting warm so we might as well swim. In the midst of an impending climate crisis and threats of nuclear war, escapism won’t save us — but the Shrek soundtrack can help us get by when the world feels like it’s on fire... at least for now.

Listen to the Shrek soundtracks here.