Shrek: Music From The Original Motion Picture - Background

Background

Shrek introduced a new element to give the film a unique feel; The film used pop music and other Oldies to make the story more forward. Covers of songs like On the Road Again and Try a Little Tenderness were integrated in the film's score. As the film was about to be completed, Katzenberg suggested to the filmmakers to redo the film's ending in order to "go out with a big laugh"; Instead of ending film with just a storybook closing over Shrek and Fiona as they ride off into the sunset, they decided to add a song "I'm a Believer" by Smash Mouth and show all the fairytale creatures in the film.

Although Rufus Wainwright's version of the song "Hallelujah" appeared in the soundtrack album, it was John Cale's version that appeared in the film; in a radio interview, Rufus Wainwright suggested that his version of "Hallelujah" did not appear in the film due to the "glass ceiling" he was hitting because of his sexuality. An alternate explanation posits that because Wainwright was an artist for DreamWorks and John Cale was not, thus licensing issues prohibited Cale's version from appearing in the soundtrack album, despite having the filmmakers wanting to have Cale's version appear in the film.