AP News, April 17th, 2007
Eddie Murphy's Donkey is no longer a solo act. In "Shrek the Third," Murphy's character sings again, this time a duet with co-star Antonio Banderas, the voice of Puss in Boots.
Murphy and Banderas team for a cover of Sly and the Family Stone's 1970s soul hit "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)" in "Shrek the Third," part three in the animated adventures of ogres Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and their pals Donkey and Puss.
The soundtrack on Geffen Records hits stores May 15, three days before the DreamWorks Animation film lands in theaters.
Other performers on the soundtrack lineup DreamWorks provided to The Associated Press on Tuesday include Fergie singing a cover of Heart's "Barracuda" and eels doing the original song "Royal Pain" written specifically for the movie.
Eels also appear on the soundtrack with the band's previously released "Losing Streak."
Classic rock and pop tunes include Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle," the Ramones' "Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?" and Paul McCartney and Wings' "Live and Let Die."
The latter song is used in a deathbed scene for King Harold, Shrek's father-in-law, whose demise sends the ogre on a quest to groom teenage cousin Artie (Justin Timberlake) to rule in his place as King Arthur.
Murphy, who had a brief second career as a pop singer in the 1980s and '90s, is a veteran singer for the animated franchise's previous installments, doing covers of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer" in "Shrek" and Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" in "Shrek 2."
His and Banderas' cover of "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)" is appropriate for Donkey and Puss, whose characters switch bodies in "Shrek the Third" after a magic spell goes awry.
Co-stars Maya Rudolph, the voice of Rapunzel, and Rupert Everett, the voice of Prince Charming, also do a duet on a song called "Final Showdown."
Among the film's other tunes: "What I Gotta Do" by Macy Gray, "Best Days" by Matt White, "Other Ways" by Trevor Hall and "Joker and the Thief" by Wolfmother.
"We always try and find music that sets a mood and helps tell our story without hitting the listener over the head," said "Shrek the Third" producer Aron Warner. "Although we pull from all over the musical map, there's a certain integrity that the artists and the songs share."
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