On Thursday night, Taylor Swift released her new anthem for Toy Story 5, returning to her country roots with a song called "I Knew It, I Knew You.".
To celebrate the new song's release, which was confirmed on Monday, the pop star shared a home video of herself dressed as a cowgirl as a child. She also wrote a lengthy message to fans, saying that writing a new song for Joan Cusack's character, Jessie, felt like "coming home.".
«"Writing this song was both a musical departure and a homecoming for me," Swift shared on Instagram. "Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge, but at the same time, it felt completely natural. And being a fan of @toystory from age 5 until now... it's an adventure I plan to be on until infinity and beyond.".
She added: "Thank you to the brilliant Andrew Stanton for introducing me to this film all those years ago when he was writing the script for this new film. Thank you to the incomparable [Randy Newman] for the magnificent soundscape of songs and soundtracks that he painstakingly created over many years. You created the world of Toy Story the Musical, and we are lucky to live in it.".
Swift went on to note that she and her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff "wrote this song with such adoration for these characters who made us laugh and helped us learn lessons and think outside the box throughout our childhoods.".
Below you can read her full statement and listen to a snippet of her new song.
Rumors that Swift was planning to release a song for Toy Story 5 began in early May, when a mysterious countdown appeared on the singer's website at 2:00 PM ET on May 2. The apparent countdown was set against a backdrop of a white cloud and pale blue wallpaper—a pattern similar to the one seen in Andy's bedroom in the Toy Story franchise.
The countdown soon disappeared, but the incident sparked a growing theory about a Taylor Swift/Toy Story connection, leading to Taylor's fans over-analyzing her clothing choices, a carefully worded denial from the film's director, and the appearance of rather vague billboards around the world.
Then, on Monday, Swift confirmed that she had written a song for the next Toy Story film, revealing the title of the track.
«"I've always dreamed of writing songs for these characters, who I've adored since I was five and watched the first Toy Story movie," she wrote on social media at the time. "I instantly fell in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it early on, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from watching it. Sometimes it's just that way, right?"«
Director and screenwriter Andrew Stanton celebrated the collaboration in a statement, noting, "It's incredible how meaningful it was for us to have Taylor write and perform this song. Her connection to Jessie and how quickly she understood what she was going through was undeniable. The song is so deeply connected to Toy Story. So much so that upon first listening, it immediately felt like it had always been there, like a long-lost family member. It was destiny.".
As we mentioned, the song "I Knew It, I Knew You" is inspired by "the continuing journey of the brave cowgirl Jessie" from Toy Story 5, which began in Toy Story 2.
The article "Taylor Swift Returns to Her Country Roots with 'Toy Story 5' Anthem: 'Felt Like... Home'" first appeared on TheWrap.