Zooey Deschanel is most widely known as the delightful lead character of Jess Day on New Girl. Throughout her storied career as an actress, Deschanel has also starred in Elf, 500 Days of Summer, Our Idiot Brother and much more. In addition to acting, Deschanel also has a passion for music, which she’s expressed as one-half of the indie duo She & Him alongside Matthew Ward. She’s also a poetic songwriter whose work has appeared in a variety of films and TV shows.
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“Before I met Matt, I was an extremely frustrated songwriter,” Deschanel said in a 2022 interview with The Sun. “Matt was the exact right person to be my producer. Now I think it would be hard to trust my songs with anybody else.” Check out three songs you didn’t know Deschanel wrote for film and TV.
1. “Hey Girl” from New Girl
Written by Zooey Deschanel, Michael Andrews, Elizabeth Meriwether, Dave Finkel and Brett Baer
Deschanel isn’t just the star of New Girl, she’s also responsible for its theme song. She teamed up with New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether to pen the cheerful opening number alongside Michael Andrews, Dave Finkel and Brett Baer. The song sets the tone for the show, as well as Deschanel’s quirky character, and features more verses than what fans hear when she sings the famous closing line of the chorus, Who’s that girl? It’s Jess.
2. “So Long” from Winnie the Pooh
Written by Zooey Deschanel
Deschanel lent her talents to the soundtrack of the 2011 animated film, Winnie the Pooh, in numerous ways. In addition to performing six of the tracks with her She & Him bandmate Matthew Ward, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez and Jim Cummings, Deschanel also served as the sole songwriter on the eighth track, “So Long.” The whimsical, jazzy song earned the actress a nomination for Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 2012 Grammy Awards.
3. “Yes Man” from Yes Man
Written by Zooey Deschanel, Kenny Harris, Jillian Iva and Becky Kupersmith
Deschanel stars opposite Jim Carrey in this 2008 comedy about a man who has to say, “Yes,” to anything people ask him. The actress also had a heavy hand in the soundtrack that’s performed by indie rock band Eels. She co-wrote several songs, including the title track of the film. Yes man/Let’s go for a ride/There’s so many lanes that we could try/There are so many rules no need to obey, the band sings in the rock-leaning track.
(Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
