It’s been more than a week since the world premiere of Toy Story 5 treated attendees to a surprise first performance of Taylor Swift’s original song “I Knew It, I Knew You.” After the film ended and the audience heard the song play over the end credits, the screen rose to reveal Swift sitting at a piano, marking her first live performance of the song.
But that wasn’t the only surprise. After her performance, Swift introduced the film’s composer, Randy Newman, and together they performed the beloved and iconic song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”
In an interview with Variety, Newman revealed how this spontaneous duet came about. “They asked me if I was okay with Taylor Swift doing this, and I said, ‘Nobody’s going to tell her no,'” Newman explained. “We had about an hour or an hour and a half[to rehearse].” The composer wasn’t worried about Swift not knowing the lyrics, as she calls herself a lifelong fan of the series. “She knew the song. There was nothing to do,” he said. But Newman acknowledged one concern. Since most of the song was written in E-flat major, she was worried that one of the keys would be too high for her. He suggested an alternative to Swift. “I said, ‘Do you want to do it in a different key? “But she said no.”
Newman is a Pixar icon, having composed music for A Bug’s Life, Cars, and Monsters, Inc. And all the “Toy Story” movies. But he admitted that for a moment he thought he might not be asked to appear in the fifth installment. “I thought maybe Tommy would get the job, but I’m glad he did and it all worked out,” he said of his cousin and fellow composer Thomas Newman.
It made sense for the team to have Randy Newman back. They noted that his music was as much a part of the series’ DNA as the toys themselves. Director Andrew Stanton, who had declared himself “Team Randy” even before the composer appeared on the previous film, echoed similar sentiments. “He has the right level of romanticism and cynicism,” Stanton told Variety.
Toy Story 5 focuses on the collision of technology and toys. The movie begins with 50 new technologically advanced Buzz Lightyear toys washed up on a deserted island and abandoned. They end up taking part in a larger rescue mission as they escape from the island. For their musical motif, Newman created the cue “Making Land”, which had “a real military feel with brass and percussion”. He also incorporated a male choir reminiscent of a marine choir. “It’s part of their whole makeup,” Newman explained. The choir was the perfect sound for the escape scene using machines and cranes. Newman recalled being influenced by the 1957 film Lucky Jim, which featured a choir singing, “Oh, Lucky Jim, I envy him.” “That may have had some effect,” he said.
For Bonnie, Newman primarily used symphonic string instruments to highlight screen time and her journey as she grappled with ideas about the meaning of true friendship.
For the film’s newest character, Lilypad, voiced by Greta Lee, Newman originally envisioned an aggressive electric sound. However, in the end, Lilypad was given her own equipment noises by the film’s sound team.
Newman composed more than 25 new cues for the film, but did not incorporate any elements of Swift’s songs into the score or Jesse’s theme, which he described as “up-tempo cowboy music.” He explained, “When she wrote the song, it was late in the process.”
The soundtrack will be released on June 19th. Preview the score below.
