I’m 31, and Shrek was where I first heard this song. I would have been 9 years old.
Obviously it’s an amazing song with a rich history and many covers. But I’ll bet that most folks my age heard it first in Shrek.
Gen Z probably (hopefully) doesn’t associate the song with Shrek as strongly as millennials.
My favorite cover is the one by Jeff Buckley. Though the John Cale (Shrek film) and Rufus Wainwright (Shrek soundtrack) covers are both great. Honestly, I think the original by Leonard Cohen is the least good (but still good).
I’m a millennial and don’t associate any song with any movie because the majority of those songs are just licensed and have other origins. Actually written movie scores are typically very different sounding. I think this is more a thing of being stupid rather than a generational issue.
I don’t think it’s about intelligence. I knew All Star before Shrek came out, but I still think about Shrek when I hear it because I just watched that movie a lot as a kid and built up that association. Does that make me stupid?
K.D. Langs version was a very popular version for a while as an example
Because ive spoke about this with many people, though its still only anecdotal so take that into consideration, most people enjoy a version of a song that made them recognize the song. Which usually means the version of a song that was done in a genre that you already listen to.
Part of this is just what is familiar, and the covers they encounter arent in a style they enjoy anyway so the new versions have a hard time sinking in with people.
I think a good example of this(and its another Leonard Cohen song!) is Everybody knows from Christian Slater movie Pump Up the Volume* and the soundtrack from it.
The main character in the movie uses the Cohen version, or at least a snippit of it, frequently throughout the movie, but the version that is part of the soundtrack is the concrete blonde version. Yes the concrete blonde version is used in the movie, but the Cohen version is the version that is fundamentally connected to the story.
If you are listening to the soundtrack and you are decently familiar with the movie, you will(probably) be left unfulfilled by just listening to the soundtrack. But if you hear the Cohen version on its own sometime, you IMMEDIATELY are reminded of the movie.
At least thats been my experience, and most people ive shared this theory with agree with me. Admittedly more of them than i realize could just be being polite. But i urge anyone who is still reading this unintentional wall of text to watch the movie, listen to the soundtrack then just listen to the cohen version on its own
(which is one of my favourite movies from my teenage years, im quite curious what young people these days would think of it given the ties to the message in that movie and the world we live in with social media, but i digress)
The appearance on this song on the Pentatonix Christmas album is the cornerstone of my argument that Shrek is a Christmas movie. Every year I am closer to being thrown out of a family holiday meal.
I’m a millennial as well but that’s still insane to me. Even saying that about smash mouth seems insane to me - they were both well-known popular songs that just happened to play during the movie
I’m pretty sure Leonard Cohen wasn’t really your average teenager’s jam at the time Shrek came out. A lot of us knew the song, but I’m pretty sure a lot of us wouldn’t be able to tell you who sang it. Smash Mouth didn’t really get much airtime over here either before Shrek, as far as I can remember, and the movie was amongst the top grossing movies of the year IIRC, so it’s not that surprising that many people discovered them both through the movie.
I’m 31, and Shrek was where I first heard this song. I would have been 9 years old.
Obviously it’s an amazing song with a rich history and many covers. But I’ll bet that most folks my age heard it first in Shrek.
Gen Z probably (hopefully) doesn’t associate the song with Shrek as strongly as millennials.
My favorite cover is the one by Jeff Buckley. Though the John Cale (Shrek film) and Rufus Wainwright (Shrek soundtrack) covers are both great. Honestly, I think the original by Leonard Cohen is the least good (but still good).
Pretty much every cover, including Buckley’s, is based on Cale’s rendition.
This version is up there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE
Shit,I should have checked yours before I posted mine. This version is the ultimate. There’s so much power in that voice.
I found the one I was looking for, I think this is even better :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkeqIIqEDU0
I’m a millennial and don’t associate any song with any movie because the majority of those songs are just licensed and have other origins. Actually written movie scores are typically very different sounding. I think this is more a thing of being stupid rather than a generational issue.
I don’t think it’s about intelligence. I knew All Star before Shrek came out, but I still think about Shrek when I hear it because I just watched that movie a lot as a kid and built up that association. Does that make me stupid?
Did anybody ever tell you the world is gonna roll you? You ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
Jeff Buckey made the best one indeed
None better than K.D. Lang
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None better than K.D. Lang
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Links to an ad for me… :(
The cover artists have beautiful voices, but none of the covers convey the raw emotion that Cohen does.
There’s like a thousand covers of this song.
K.D. Langs version was a very popular version for a while as an example
Because ive spoke about this with many people, though its still only anecdotal so take that into consideration, most people enjoy a version of a song that made them recognize the song. Which usually means the version of a song that was done in a genre that you already listen to.
Part of this is just what is familiar, and the covers they encounter arent in a style they enjoy anyway so the new versions have a hard time sinking in with people.
I think a good example of this(and its another Leonard Cohen song!) is Everybody knows from Christian Slater movie Pump Up the Volume* and the soundtrack from it.
The main character in the movie uses the Cohen version, or at least a snippit of it, frequently throughout the movie, but the version that is part of the soundtrack is the concrete blonde version. Yes the concrete blonde version is used in the movie, but the Cohen version is the version that is fundamentally connected to the story.
If you are listening to the soundtrack and you are decently familiar with the movie, you will(probably) be left unfulfilled by just listening to the soundtrack. But if you hear the Cohen version on its own sometime, you IMMEDIATELY are reminded of the movie.
At least thats been my experience, and most people ive shared this theory with agree with me. Admittedly more of them than i realize could just be being polite. But i urge anyone who is still reading this unintentional wall of text to watch the movie, listen to the soundtrack then just listen to the cohen version on its own
Cohen is a massively talented songwriter and poet, but IMHO, most of his songs have covers that are a lot more pleasing to listen to than his.
Yes, but there’s something about Cohen’s cracky voice in “Everybody Knows” that sends shivers up my spine.
He does that for me In Halleluia.
Agreed. He’s like a Canadian Bob Dylan in that sense.
Aside from Jimi’s version of All Along the Watchtower (and maybe Mr. Tambourine Man by The Byrds), what Dylan songs fit this description?
It’s ok not to like the guy’s voice or whatever, but let’s not rewrite history here. Dylan was a legend and stood entirely on his own (and alone).
Good poet, terrible vocals?
That’s like every Dylan track…
While I dont like 90% of their catalogue, the Pentatonix version is amazing.
The appearance on this song on the Pentatonix Christmas album is the cornerstone of my argument that Shrek is a Christmas movie. Every year I am closer to being thrown out of a family holiday meal.
Except Hallelujah isnt a Christmas song. Its just been co-opted by christians who went “that word is in our book!”
Its as much of a christmas song as Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode.
Or Independence Day by Martina McBride is about gun rights and patriotism.
adds Personal Jesus to Christmas Day playlist
Add the Marilyn Manson version instead.
The Johnny Cash version right?
I’m a millennial as well but that’s still insane to me. Even saying that about smash mouth seems insane to me - they were both well-known popular songs that just happened to play during the movie
It would be ridiculous to say that All Star is from Shrek.
It’s from Mystery Men.
(Only partly /s. Especially given the music video)
All Star got radio play where I grew up.
Hallelujah didn’t.
At least in 2001. No idea if Hallelujah got air play in the 80s; I wasn’t there.
Cohen isn’t really a radio star. He’s a cult musician with an absolutely amazing discography.
That’s gonna depend on the station you were listening to
Buckleys version had tons of radio play in the late 90s.
I’m pretty sure Leonard Cohen wasn’t really your average teenager’s jam at the time Shrek came out. A lot of us knew the song, but I’m pretty sure a lot of us wouldn’t be able to tell you who sang it. Smash Mouth didn’t really get much airtime over here either before Shrek, as far as I can remember, and the movie was amongst the top grossing movies of the year IIRC, so it’s not that surprising that many people discovered them both through the movie.