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The director of Shrek wanted a cover of The Monkees‘ “I’m a Believer” to appear in the film. Smash Mouth covered the song for the film even though they initially refused to do so. Subsequently, The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz explained why he had no idea one of his band’s signature songs was going to appear in the film.

A wax figure of Shrek smiling
A wax figure of Shrek | DeFodi Images / Contributor

Smash Mouth didn’t want to cover The Monkees’ ‘I’m a Believer’ for ‘Shrek’

During a 2021 interview with The Ringer, Shrek co-director Andrew Adamson said he loved The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.” He tried to convince Smash Mouth to contribute a cover of the song to the movie.

Smash Mouth’s manager, Robert Hayes, said the band didn’t like the idea that Eddie Murphy’s Donkey would sing part of the song. Subsequently, they saw a rough cut of the film. “Even after that, the band just couldn’t wrap their heads around recording another cover and allowing an animated donkey to sing along,” Hayes recalled. Ultimately, Hayes persuaded Smash Mouth to record the cover during some downtime.

Why no one was required to tell The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz the song was going to appear in ‘Shrek’

During a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dolenz discussed the cover. “The record company controls the licensing and mechanicals for all the material that you do,” Dolenz explained. “In movies and TV, they don’t even have to ask, unless you wrote the song. Like I had no idea ‘I’m a Believer’ was going to be in Shrek.”

In The Ringer, Hayes discussed the impact Shrek had on Smash Mouth. “The band continues to make a significant amount of money annually from ‘I’m a Believer,'” Hayes said. “And the real beauty here is that each year, because of Shrek, there is a new group of kids that are introduced to the songs of Smash Mouth.”

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The Monkees’ ‘I’m a Believer’: Smash Mouth Member Has a Theory for Why Their Cover Was in ‘Shrek’

How ‘I’m a Believer’ and Smash Mouth’s cover of it performed on the pop charts in the United States

The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” became a massive hit. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, staying on the chart for 15 weeks altogether. The tune appeared on The Monkees’ album The Monkees. The album was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks, staying on the chart for 102 weeks in total.

On the other hand, Smash Mouth’s “I’m a Believer” was a modest hit. It reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks. The band included the cover on their album Smash Mouth. The album reached No. 48 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of 10 weeks on the chart.

“I’m a Believer” is an indelible part of Shrek even if Dolenz wasn’t informed the song would appear in the movie.

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