Weezer, "I'm A Believer" 05/21/2010
By Brendan Harte Gilsenan
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This spring, the final installment to the Shrek franchise will end how it began: with a cover of the Monkee’s “I’m A Believer”. While the 90’s “All Star”-famed Smash Mouth (oh yeah… remember them?) was called upon to record the tune for the series’ first film, this time around the duty has been handed off to Rivers Cuomo and the gang.
This is not the first time Weezer has been slated to record a song for a Shrek film. In 2004 the band was intended for inclusion on Shrek 2’s soundtrack with a song that would eventually land on their Make Believe track list, “My Best Friend”. Perhaps a blessing in disguise, the song was eventually passed on in favor of the Counting Crows’ “Accidentally In Love”. To this day “My Best Friend” holds its place among the worst of the worst in released Weezer material. Weezer’s recording of “I’m A Believer” is a far better representation of what the band has to offer.
While Smash Mouth ska-ed up the song in order to suit their sound, Weezer stayed more true to the original, yet still made it their own. Although there is nothing groundbreaking, nor particularly memorable in the cover, it is indeed a fun recording with lots of energy.
The foursome added that classic Weezer crunch to the song, aiding it in achieving a sound more in line with their older material than that of recent years (save for The Red Album). The track is a to-the-point power-pop song, much along the lines of the band’s first hit, “Buddy Holly”. With “I’m A Believer” Weezer delivers a fun reinterpretation of this classic, and a quality addition to the final Shrek soundtrack.
✭✭✭
This spring, the final installment to the Shrek franchise will end how it began: with a cover of the Monkee’s “I’m A Believer”. While the 90’s “All Star”-famed Smash Mouth (oh yeah… remember them?) was called upon to record the tune for the series’ first film, this time around the duty has been handed off to Rivers Cuomo and the gang.
This is not the first time Weezer has been slated to record a song for a Shrek film. In 2004 the band was intended for inclusion on Shrek 2’s soundtrack with a song that would eventually land on their Make Believe track list, “My Best Friend”. Perhaps a blessing in disguise, the song was eventually passed on in favor of the Counting Crows’ “Accidentally In Love”. To this day “My Best Friend” holds its place among the worst of the worst in released Weezer material. Weezer’s recording of “I’m A Believer” is a far better representation of what the band has to offer.
While Smash Mouth ska-ed up the song in order to suit their sound, Weezer stayed more true to the original, yet still made it their own. Although there is nothing groundbreaking, nor particularly memorable in the cover, it is indeed a fun recording with lots of energy.
The foursome added that classic Weezer crunch to the song, aiding it in achieving a sound more in line with their older material than that of recent years (save for The Red Album). The track is a to-the-point power-pop song, much along the lines of the band’s first hit, “Buddy Holly”. With “I’m A Believer” Weezer delivers a fun reinterpretation of this classic, and a quality addition to the final Shrek soundtrack.
