Who produced “Who I’d Be” on the cast album?

Jeanine Tesori with co-producer and sound designer Peter Hylenski.

When was the track released?

March 24, 2009, on Decca Broadway as part of the Original Broadway Cast Recording.

Who performs on the recording?

Brian D’Arcy James with Daniel Breaker and Sutton Foster.

Is there an official audio upload to reference?

Yes - a “Provided to YouTube” upload features the OBCR track.

Any notable covers or later versions?

Live and studio covers include Bradley Jaden’s 2024 single and multiple orchestral or karaoke versions.

Who I'd Be Lyrics – Shrek

Who I'd Be Lyrics

[Shrek]
I guess I’d be a hero, with sword and armor clashing
Looking semi dashing, a shield within my grip
Or else I’d be a viking, and live a life of daring
While smelling like a herring, upon a viking ship.
I’d sail away, I’d see the world, I’d reach the farthest reaches
I’d feel the wind, I’d taste the salt and sea.
And maybe storm some beaches.
That’s who I’d be. That’s who I’d be.

Or I could be a poet, and write a different story,
One that tells of glory, and wipes away the lies
And to the skies I’d throw it, the stars would do the telling
The moon would help with spelling, and night would dot the ‘i’s
I’d write a verse, recite a joke, with wit and perfect timing.
I’d share my heart, confess the things I yearn, and do it all while rhyming.
But we all learn. But we all learn.

And ogre always hides, an ogre's fate is known
And ogre always stays in the dark and all alone

So yes I’d be a hero and if my wish were granted
Life would be enchanted, or so the stories say.
Of course I’d be a hero, and I would scale a tower
To save a hot-house flower, and carry her away
But standing guard would be a beast, I’d somehow overwhelm it,
I’d get the girl, I’d take a breath, and I’d remove my helmet.

We’d stand and stare, we’d speak of love, we’d feel the stars ascending
We’d share a kiss, I’d find my destiny
I’d have a hero’s ending, a perfect happy ending.

That’s how it would be
A big bright beautiful world

But not for me.

[fiona]
An ogre always hides. An ogres fate is known. An ogre always stays

[donkey]
In the dark you're alone

[fiona]
All alone

(all at the same time)

[shrek]
So yes i'd be a hero, and if my wish were granted
Life would be enchanted or so the stories say.
Of course I'd be a hero and i would scale a tower to save a
hot-house flower and carry her away!
[fiona]
There are rules and there are strictures. I belive the story books I read by candle light
[donkey]
Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go
[all]
A perfect happy ending, thats how.... It.. Should be!

Last Update: August, 27th 2025

Song Overview

Who I’d Be lyrics by Brian D’Arcy James — Brian D’Arcy James leads the “Who I’d Be” lyrics with Daniel Breaker and Sutton Foster framing the ache and the lift.

“Who I’d Be” is Act 1’s heart reveal - a power ballad that lets Shrek say the quiet parts out loud. On the Shrek: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording), the track blooms from wistful daydream into three-voice counterpoint, with Brian D’Arcy James carrying the melody, Daniel Breaker cutting in with comic warmth, and Sutton Foster floating above with her own wish. The cast album landed March 24, 2009 on Decca Broadway, a campaign that positioned the show as polished studio pop-theatre rather than a mere souvenir.

Review & Highlights

Scene from Who I’d Be by Brian D’Arcy James — Scene from “Who I’d Be”.

The Who I’d Be lyrics make longing sound muscular. Verse one sketches fantasy jobs - warrior, Viking, poet - but the band never overplays it. Piano lays the path, low strings breathe, and a patient drum pulse keeps the speech-song honest. Then the sky opens: Fiona’s countermelody steps in, and Donkey threads a reprise wink. The effect is cinematic without losing the book’s bite.

Highlights: that held breath on “I’d remove my helmet,” the chill of “A big, bright, beautiful world - but not for me,” and the way Breaker’s ad-libs nudge the sincerity so it never turns syrupy. You come for melody; you stay for how precisely these lyrics aim at self-story.

Verse 1

Images first - salt air, far reaches, steel and sails. Shrek’s diction stays plain on purpose, making the fantasy feel borrowed from other people’s books.

Chorus

The hook refuses triumph. When the word ending lands, the orchestration swells then steps back, like someone opening a door and thinking better of it.

Exchange/Bridge

Fiona’s belief system and Donkey’s loyalty fold in. The cassette splices across time - his dream, her rules, his jokes - so the three share the same ache from different angles.

Final Build

Counterpoint turns confession into community. You hear a path forming even if the characters don’t.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Brian D’Arcy James performing Who I’d Be — Performance on the cast album - close-miked, clear, aching.

At its core, this is a self-definition battle - fantasy against inheritance.

“Even though he hates the prejudice he’s faced with, Shrek doesn’t fight it and repeats the mantras he’s heard all his life.”

That’s why the verses dream big while the refrain snaps back to fate. The tension is the point.

The song also toys with dramatic irony.

“He’s saved the princess, overwhelmed the dragon... just not for himself.”

The hero script is already in his hands - he just hasn’t let himself read it as his.

There’s a breath that says more than a paragraph.

“There’s a brief pause... almost as if Shrek is hesitating and doesn’t want to continue the song.”

That micro silence carries years of training - hide your face, swallow the want.

The cross-reference to the opener is deliberate.

“A big, bright, beautiful world - but not for me.”

The callback pulls the curtain on the family lore that fenced him in at seven. The melody remembers what the body can’t forget.

Fiona’s entrance mirrors him line for line.

“These lines are a perfect parallel to what Shrek said about himself.”

Two people in separate spaces, singing the same fear - the staging turns them into a split-screen confession.

Donkey’s return keeps the comedy, but the motive has shifted.

“A more genuine reprise of ‘Don’t Let Me Go’... now he sees that Shrek needs a genuine friend.”

The quips land, but they land softer - service instead of hustle.

Message

Stories shape skin. The Who I’d Be lyrics argue that identity hardens around the stories we accept about ourselves - until someone else sings with us and the shell cracks.

Emotional tone

Yearning, then defiant. It starts wide-eyed, grows doubtful, and ends with the kind of shared sound that feels like a hand being taken.

Production

Studio balance favors intelligibility. Vowels ride forward, consonants click, and the strings lift without stealing oxygen from the text. It’s Broadway pop with orchestral patience.

Instrumentation

Piano and low strings set the bed, brass mark the heroic flashes, winds color the edges. The groove stays 4/4, iambic stress tucked inside the bar like footsteps.

Creation history

Tracked for the OBCR at Legacy Recording Studios in January 2009 and released March 24, 2009 by Decca Broadway. The show’s filmed stage capture followed in 2013, bringing the number to DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming.

Key Facts

Shot of Who I’d Be by Brian D’Arcy James — Picture from the “Who I’d Be” album upload.

Artist: Brian D’Arcy James feat. Daniel Breaker & Sutton Foster
Writers: Jeanine Tesori - music; David Lindsay-Abaire - lyrics
Producers: Jeanine Tesori, Peter Hylenski
Release Date: March 24, 2009
Album: Shrek: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Label: Decca Broadway
Length: 4:00
Track #: 9
Genre: Broadway, cast recording
Instruments: piano, strings, brass, reeds, rhythm section
Music style: theatrical power ballad with pop phrasing
Language: English
Orchestrations: Danny Troob; associate orchestrations John Clancy

Questions and Answers

Who produced “Who I’d Be” on the cast album?: Jeanine Tesori with co-producer and sound designer Peter Hylenski.
When was the track released?: March 24, 2009, as part of the OBCR on Decca Broadway.
Who performs on the recording?: Brian D’Arcy James leads as Shrek, with Daniel Breaker and Sutton Foster joining as Donkey and Fiona.
Is there an official audio upload to reference?: Yes - the “Provided to YouTube” release carries the album cut.
Any notable covers or later versions?: Yes - live singles and studio takes abound, including Bradley Jaden - Who I’d Be (Live) in 2024 and various orchestral or karaoke editions.

Awards and Chart Positions

The album anchored strong numbers - debuting at number 1 on Billboard’s Top Cast Albums and peaking at number 88 on the Billboard 200. It also earned a nomination for Best Musical Show Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Within the production’s awards run, orchestrations by Danny Troob and John Clancy were Tony-nominated, and Brian D’Arcy James won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

How to Sing Who I’d Be?

Vocal range & placement: Lyric baritone lead with mix access up top, living roughly A2 to G4 on the album. Keep chest engaged but resist weight on sustained E4–G4 phrases.

Breath & line: Map the long sentences by image - breathe after concrete nouns, not just bar lines. The key pause after “I’d remove my helmet” needs real silence before the swell.

Text & tempo: Sit the iambs on the 4/4 grid. Let consonants ride the subdivision but never stab - this isn’t a patter piece.

Color choices: Verse 1 - open and plain. Refrain - darker core. Trio section - narrower vowels so the blend locks. Treat Donkey’s interjections as spotlights, not speed bumps.

Acting beats: Play the wish, not the wound. The ache lands because he believes the dream as he sings it.

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