Randy Newman And Disney: You’ve Got A Friend In Him

Randy Newman has long been established as one of America’s great songwriters, equally capable of heartbreaking ballads and fearless satire. Over the decades he also became an in-demand film composer, writing scores for Hollywood hits including Ragtime (1981), Three Amigos (1986), and Maverick (1994), but few could have anticipated that the writer of acerbic and decidedly adult state-of-the-nation albums such as Sail Away (1972) and Good Old Boys (1974) would go on to write some of Disney’s most beloved songs.

Since coming on board for 1995’s blockbuster Toy Story, Newman’s wit, wisdom and musicality has given an extra dimension to movies including James & The Giant Peach (1996), A Bug’s Life (2006), Monsters Inc (2001), Cars (2006) and The Princess & The Frog (2009), not to mention the three hugely successful Toy Story sequels. “I went to Disneyland recently, and [my music] was all over the place,” Newman told Hollywood Reporter in 2019. “It really is an anomaly for me. I loved it, actually. But it’s a real surprise.” Here’s our pick of the five best songs written by Newman for Disney movies.

Buy the zoetrope vinyl Toy Story: Songs to Infinity and Beyond now.

You’ve Got A Friend In Me (Toy Story, 1995)

Toy Story sparked a revolution in movie making. It was not only the first entirely computer-animated feature-length movie, but the debut feature from the Disney-affiliated Pixar Animation Studios. But director John Lasseter knew that state-of-the-art animation wouldn’t be enough to truly win over audiences. At its heart, Toy Story was a sentimental coming-of-age story that resonated with kids and parents alike, but was also packed with knowing jokes targeted at a grown-up audience. Pixar needed a songwriter who could hit the same emotional notes and Newman was their man, as Lasseter told the LA Times in 2001, “Everything that Randy has done has been very intelligent. He never spoke down to his audience in either the songs or the score… He was our first and only choice because of that exact thing; he never speaks down to the audience. It’s always from an adult point of view.”

Newman’s score and songs for Toy Story were pitch-perfect, with old-timey jazz flourishes and kindly vocals giving a human warmth to the pioneering animation. The stand-out was “You’ve Got A Friend In Me”, which also soundtracked the movie’s opening scene of a child, Andy, playing with his most cherished toy, a cowboy doll named Woody. Newman was typically modest when telling The Ringer what inspired the song in 2019, “I always find out what they want. And they said, ‘Emphasize the special friendship between Woody and Andy.’” Brief in hand, Newman crafted a big-hearted song that emphasized the reassurance and comfort that true friendship brings (“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, we stick together and see it through”), set to a jaunty, upbeat melody. His skill as a writer is such that the song transcends the relationship between a child and a toy – it could just as easily be about the bond between a parent and child.

That universal appeal was key to “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” becoming one of Disney – and Newman’s – best-loved songs. Not only has it appeared throughout Toy Story’s sequels, sung by various characters, but it has been covered by artists including Brian Wilson and Michael Bublé. The song also earned Newman an Academy Award nomination (along with a nod for Best Score). Most importantly though, it won hearts worldwide while establishing Newman as the musical voice of Pixar.

The Time Of Your Life (A Bug’s Life, 1998)

The seed for Pixar’s follow-up to Toy Story was planted during a conversation among the studio’s story team during the summer of 1994. Still relatively constrained by the limits of computer animation, they reasoned that insects – just like toys – had potential as characters due to the simplicity of their form. After looking to the Aesop fable The Ant And The Grasshopper for inspiration, the storyline developed and before long, A Bug’s Life had the go-ahead.

A Bug’s Life represented another leap forward in terms of budget and sophistication for Pixar, but core storytelling values remained key for director Lasseter, as he told Animation Magazine in 2009, “What makes the movie succeed is the story and the characters that entertain an audience.” Lasseter knew from Toy Story how vital music was in making characters relatable and forging a connection with an audience and called on Newman once more to provide the score and songs.

Newman leaned into ’40s jazz and classic Western themes for his score to A Bug’s Life – perhaps a nod to the movie’s echoes of The Magnificent Seven (1960), itself a remake of the 1954 epic Seven Samurai – resulting in some of his most thrilling and overlooked film work. But he also delivered a gold standard song with the Grammy-nominated “The Time Of Your Life.” With a laidback, jazzy playfulness reminiscent of Newman classics “Political Science” or “Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear,” the song introduces the hero of the tale, Flik, a brave but clumsy inventor eager to make his mark. Newman drolly points out Flik’s flaws (“Without any evidence, he was full of confidence”), before pointing out his ability to bring his fellow insects together (“Then they had the strength they’d need”).

If I Didn’t Have You (Monsters Inc, 2001)

Newman could’ve been forgiven for thinking he’d never take home an Oscar. Prior to Monsters Inc, the composer had the dubious honour of being the most nominated person in the awards’ history to never win, with 15 nods and no victories. When “If I Didn’t Have You” won the Best Original Song at the 2002 ceremony, Newman responded with a dry wit familiar to his many fans, beginning his acceptance speech with, “Thank you. I don’t want your pity. I want to thank first of all the music branch for giving me so many chances to be humiliated over the years…”

As Newman had proven by performing “If I Didn’t Have You” with Monsters Inc star John Goodman earlier in the ceremony, the award was anything but a pity prize. The song is a follow-up of sorts to “You’ve Got A Friend In Me,” another example of Newman’s ability to write joyful celebrations of friendship. This time though, it’s a duet, sung by Monsters Inc’s heroes – Sulley (a shaggy blue bear-like monster voiced by Goodman) and Mike, a green eyeball on legs voiced by Billy Crystal. The song finds the odd couple reflecting on their friendship, realizing that they could each have untold riches at their disposal but would be all the poorer for not having one another in their lives. “Like Woody and Buzz, they’re friends, but they’re different,” Newman told Animated Views in 2009. “So, the themes may be a little corkier. For them, I tried to use some unusual instruments like bass harmonica and bass accordion and a little bit of jazz. The song reflects their friendship essentially. It’s just another scuffle that I seem to can’t help writing.”

Down In New Orleans (The Princess & The Frog, 2009)

When directors John Musker and Ron Clements were pitching The Princess & The Frog – a musical set in New Orleans based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale The Frog Prince – they only had one composer in mind. “Randy was our first and only suggestion,” Musker told ReviewSTL.com. “His feel for Americana, and in particular the music of New Orleans, a place he spent boyhood summers, made him an ideal choice.” Newman was typically off-hand, telling Variety, “I’ve been dredging those 30 months I spent in New Orleans for all I could in my life,” but threw himself into the project, writing the score along with six original songs, two of which were nominated for Best Original Song Oscars – the swinging, Anika Noni Rose-sung ode to empowerment “Almost There” and “Down In New Orleans,” a swaggering slice of Big Easy R&B sung by Dr John.

“Down In New Orleans” provides the perfect introduction, following the movie’s heroine Tiana as she commutes to her day job waiting tables in the Crescent City, dodging would-be romeos and ragtag horn sections as she goes. Dr John is the perfect choice, the veteran voodoo blues man revelling in the glories of his city while backed by glorious, Allen Toussaint-style syncopated horns. The song is reprised at the movie’s close, this time sung by Anika Noni Rose (as Tiana) at which point the New Orleans dreamer’s hopes have come true.

I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away (Toy Story 4, 2019)

While we must mention the tender “When She Needed Me” (Toy Story 2, 1999) and the toe-tapping Oscar winner “We Belong Together” (Toy Story 3, 2010), it feels fitting to end our look at Newman’s best Disney songs with a song from the latest movie in the Toy Story series. “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” is a charming, upbeat ditty which focuses on Toy Story 4’s newcomer Forky, a white plastic spork who keeps trying to throw himself into the trash, though a certain cowboy has other ideas.

“Woody is trying to keep Forky from throwing himself away,” Newman told The Hollywood Reporter. “Just as in ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’, where I wanted to emphasize the friendship, it’s not a romantic creation. It’s not like I suffered and agonized to come up with this song. I mean, I always suffer and agonize when I’m composing, but there was nothing from my life particularly.” Though he is, as ever, prone to downplaying the impact of his songwriting on the movies it lights up, it’s clear Newman has already left an enormous imprint on the sound of Disney.

Buy the zoetrope vinyl Toy Story: Songs to Infinity and Beyond now.