Saddle up, Swifties — Taylor Swift is back to her country music roots on “I Knew It, I Knew You,” her new song for the Toy Story 5 movie.
Written with beloved cowgirl character Jessie in mind, “I Knew It, I Knew You” arrived at midnight Friday (June 5) and — both sonically and lyrically — finds the pop superstar tapping into her original genre. The theme will be featured on the franchise’s fifth movie soundtrack, which drops June 19, the same day Toy Story 5 hits theaters.
“I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie,” Swift wrote to Instagram on Monday (June 1), when she first announced the song, which she co-wrote and co-produced Jack Antonoff. “I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening. Sometimes you just know, right?”
Starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen — who will reprise their iconic voice roles as Woody and Buzz Lightyear, respectively — as well as Joan Cusack returning to voice Jessie, Toy Story 5 will show how Andy’s old toys come to grips with a new electronic tablet taking over the attention of their current owner, Bonnie.
Swift revealed just five days prior to the track’s release that she was involved in Toy Story 5, only after mysterious “TS” billboards using the movie franchise’s signature font appeared in different locations around the world. The 14-time Grammy winner’s website also changed to show a Toy Story-themed countdown leading up to the announcement on Monday.
Toy Story 5 director and screenwriter Andrew Stanton said in a statement, “It’s incredible just how meaningful it’s been having Taylor write and perform this song.”
“Her connection to Jessie and the immediate way she understood what the character was going through was undeniable,” he added. “The song is so deeply connected to Toy Story. So much so that on first listen, it instantly felt like it had always belonged there, like a long-lost family member.”
Listen to Swift’s new track “I Knew It, I Knew You” for Toy Story 5 below.
