For the Dancing and the Dreaming

Album: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is sung by Stoick, a cartoon Viking voiced by Gerald Butler in How to Train Your Dragon 2. Also credited are Craig Ferguson who plays Gobber the Belch, Stoick's closest friend and Mary Jane Wells, who voice matches Cate Blanchett, (Valka, Stoick's wife).
  • The song was written by The Pogues' Shane MacGowan and Sigur Ros lead vocalist Jónsi. "I'd been talking about the song feeling timeless," the film's writer/director Dran DeBlois told Mojo magazine. "I kept referencing the lyrical poignancy of 'Fairytale...,' 'Rain Street,' and 'Misty Morning, Albert Bridge.' I said, 'We need someone who can write lyrics like Shane.' Our composer, John Powell, offered, 'Then why not ask Shane?' To our surprise, he was keen."

    "This is part of the text I sent Shane," he added. "'At a key moment... Stoick (Gerard Butler) whistles, then clumsily sings an old Viking ditty to his long-lost wife, Valka (Cate Blanchett)... a playful courting song, in which the man promises the sun and moon to his lady, if she'll have him...' Shane's a remarkable poet and he nailed it."
  • Jónsi previously wrote and performed the song "Sticks & Stones" for the original How to Train Your Dragon movie.

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