What the Shrek? All Star's Bewildering Return (Article)

HOW DID TRACK 9 OF THE SHREK SOUNDTRACK RESURGE 15 YEARS AFTER ITS RELEASE?

Latifa Tasipale investigates.

I was sitting in a 2 hour Government lecture, eating a peanut butter sandwich and proudly showing my friend, Thomas, the new MuSoc website I’d created. 5 minutes later, as the teacher was explaining representative democracy, the MuSoc Gmail pings:

“Can you please review All Star – Smash Mouth.” A classic trolling from Thomas, the request had me choking on my sandwich crust. I nudged him, closed my laptop, and attempted to concentrate while Smash Mouth whispered in my ear; somebody once told me…

The bizarre request made me think – How had a song from 15 years ago, made famous by the bond between ogre and mule, made such a forceful comeback? As young children, the song was an anthem. It was probably featured on So Fresh Compilation: The Hits of Summer 2001, or the annual Barbie Summer Pool Hits CD. It was definitely also sung by 7 year olds at birthday parties and at the end of term school disco in the hall.

15 years pass, and once more, the song has infiltrated every corner of millennial existence; I was constantly tagged in memes, the L-shaped-finger-to-forehead had made a comeback, and the song blared menacingly at parties, pulling angsty youth from the chip bowl to the dance floor.

It were as if some crazy, middle aged psychologist wanted to test the power of the meme-osphere by devising a cruel, social experiment. The same psychologist must’ve also excavated Shannon Noll from the rubble of the 2003 Australian Idol incident, and resurrected Bag Raiders‘ Shooting Stars, a song which has swung back onto party playlists and Facebook feeds, with strange intergalactic-esque video edits.

The power of the throwback has been appropriated by meme makers to prove the impossible, is indeed, possible. The craziest thing is, I am a part of ‘the youth’ and I still don’t think I’ll understand why this song has made a comeback. For the risk of sounding like grandma, I really don’t understand meme culture. It’d be fascinating to actually trace back meme trends to their original meme makers. I always wonder if the trend makers in modern humour are 8 year old kids dabbling with Photoshop or a Bachelor of Media Communications student putting theories on social media into practice. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll ever come face to face with these elusive, cultural influencers.

I think it’d be unfair to pose such a provocative question in the article’s byline without at least attempting to deconstruct the music. I think musically, this song is truly strange; it’s like if my Uncle and his three friends decided to write music that sounded like a pop punk Teenage Dirtbag for a middle-aged, male audience. That’s the best way I can describe it.

That aside, the music is undeniably catchy. The lil’ whistle interlude makes me frustrated at my lacking whistle skills. Further, the G-Up incited in, “Well the years start coming and they don’t stop coming,” is particularly enticing, a lyric that has me desperately gripping for fellow comrades to wrap my arms around (while we head-bang in unison. Gross).

The song must also be credited for its sweet, sweet positivity. The repeated affirmation that I’m a rockstar really works a treat after a night of sticky drinks spilled down my back and being pushed around on the dance floor. Further, the encouragement that the unconventional path to your destination isn’t so bad is a nice message.For what it’s worth, even if my Uncle wrote a song like this with his best mates, it’d definitely go down nicely at the family BBQ.

For the losers, or those brushed off as too ‘dumb’ or ‘naive’ to be taken seriously, Smash Mouth provides a quasi-anthem for the outcasts. Perhaps it’s why the mysterious figure responsible for sourcing the music on the Shrek soundtrack selected this tune as Track 9; facing ridicule and the pressures of social norms, Shrek stands proud in his onion-layered glory and fights for love.

Wait. Did I really just talk about social norms, Shrek and Smash Mouth?

I hate myself.

So to end this article, I want to clarify the final lyric:

And all that glitters is gold

Only shooting stars break the mold

Never trust someone that tells you it’s “Only shooting stars wait for the morning.” It’s dumb astronomy and they’ve probably never seen Shrek.