Some of the artists who lent their musical talents to “Shrek 2” include: Counting Crows performing “Accidentally In Love”; Pete Yorn, who sings “Ever Fallen in Love”; the group eels doing “I Need Some Sleep”; the British duo Frou Frou performing “Holding Out For a Hero”; Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds singing “People Ain’t No Good”; and Tom Waits, who is heard as Captain Hook, crooning “Little Drop of Poison.” A young artist named Butterfly Boucher did a rendition of “Changes,” by the legendary David Bowie. When Bowie heard it, he was so impressed that he decided to sing on the track, much to the filmmakers’ surprise and delight.
Several of “Shrek 2’s” cast members are also heard singing, including Jennifer Saunders, who not only performs “Fairy Godmother Song” but also her character’s own version of “Holding Out For a Hero”; and Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas, who pair up for Donkey and Puss In Boots’ duet on “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
The film’s opening song, “Accidentally In Love,” performed by the band Counting Crows, accompanies the montage of Shrek and Fiona on their honeymoon. The group’s lead singer, Adam Duritz, who co-wrote the song with bandmates Dan Vickrey, David Immergluck, Matthew Malley and David Bryson, remarks, “They brought me in and told me the song had to be fun and uplifting and happy, and my first thought was, ‘Who gave you my number?,’ because I pretty much mope. But I really wanted to be part of it because I’ve got lots of children in my life, and this movie is going to be a real touchstone for them, in the same way other movies were for me growing up.”
Duritz reveals that the timing was also right in his personal life. “I was falling in love at the time, so that infected the song. ‘Accidentally In Love’ is kind of the theme of the movie. The story is about two people who fall in love who weren’t necessarily supposed to. That’s not the way the story is supposed to go—the ogre and the princess don’t fall in love. But love is love, however the story is supposed to be written.”
Douridas agrees that the song is the perfect complement to the story. “I think the song eloquently speaks to the notion that Shrek never expected this to happen. And that’s the way the deepest love happens…when you’re not looking for it. It’s like ‘life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.’ I think it’s just that celebration of love that you never expected.”
Aron Warner offers, “I think in the first movie Shrek learned to love himself and in ‘Shrek 2,’ he learns how to love somebody else. And he has to learn that when you love somebody, sometimes you have to be willing to give up more than you receive.”
Adamson concludes, “The heart of the film is about being strong enough to ignore other people’s judgment and be able to define your own ‘happily ever after.’ That’s really what I hope people take away from this—a sense of independence and the freedom to create their own happiness…with lots of laughs.”
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