"You've Got a Friend in Me" is a song written and first recorded by Randy Newman. Originally written as the theme song for the 1995 Disney/Pixar animated film Toy Story, it has since become the theme song for its sequels, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4, making it the franchise's main theme. The song was nominated for both the 1996 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the 1996 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song but lost both to another Disney song, "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas.
Like many other Disney theme songs, "You've Got a Friend in Me" has been covered numerous times. Cover versions featured in the three Toy Story films include a duet with Newman and Lyle Lovett in Toy Story, a version by Robert Goulet and an instrumental by Tom Scott in Toy Story 2 (using pretty much the same background music used for Goulet's cover), an Italian-language version by Riccardo Cocciante, and a Spanish-language version by the Gipsy Kings in Toy Story 3.
As the name of the song implies, the song sings about how one can always rely on someone through even the roughest of times, thus, finding a friend in that someone. At first, it initially seems to be about Andy being that friend to Woody. However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that Buzz is that friend instead.
Appearances
Toy Story
It is first heard as a solo in the opening credits of the first film as Andy plays with Woody and takes him downstairs. It is sung as a duo with Lyle Lovett in the end credits, and this version is used in Disney Sing-Along Songs: Topsy Turvy. The solo and the duet version are listed as Tracks 1 and 16, respectively on the Toy Story Soundtrack.
Toy Story 2
In the second film, a scene from Woody's Roundup features a Woody marionette on the show singing this song on a guitar, and then a kid on the set hugs him. It is also sung by Wheezy (Robert Goulet) at the end of the film, and this version can be heard in its entirety during the end credits and listed as Track 3 on the Toy Story 2 Soundtrack. The soundtrack also features an instrumental version of the song, performed by Tom Scott (in the same style as Goulet's), listed as Track 20. Riders in the Sky has also performed a cover of this song on the album Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs, listed as Track 5, as well as their instrumental version, listed as Track 10 on the album.
Toy Story 3
In the third film, almost the whole original version of the song is heard during the scene of Mrs. Davis' old recordings of Andy playing with his toys. The background fades away, while the vocals are still going on, and it ends with the verse "And as the years go by, our friendship will never die", and goes right to the scene with the toys in the toy box planning their mission to get Andy, who is now almost a legal adult, to play with them. Due to Buzz briefly being reset to Spanish mode in the film, it has a Spanish version of the song, "Hay Un Amigo En Mi", performed by the Gipsy Kings, listed as Track 2 on the Toy Story 3 Soundtrack. During the end credits of the film, Buzz and Jessie perform a paso doble to the song.
Toy Story 4
In the fourth film, the original version of the song is heard during the flashbacks of Andy playing with his toys as he grows up and donated his toys to Bonnie in the third movie with Bonnie playing with the toys. It is Track on the Toy Story 4 soundtrack.
Attractions
The song has been featured in the Buzz Lightyear attractions found at all five Disneyland-style parks, and in Toy Story Midway Mania!, which is located at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida and Disney's California Adventure in California.
Other
This song was included on the Disney Sing-Along Songs video Topsy Turvy. Because the songs on the tapes aren't supposed to include opening credits to their movie, most of the footage of Andy playing with Woody at the beginning is replaced with various clips of Buzz Lightyear and Woody. The song was also nominated for AFI's 100 years...100 songs, as one of 3 songs from Pixar and one of 17 songs from an animated movie to be nominated. The songs that eventually made the cut was: "When You Wish Upon A Star" (#7), "Some Day My Prince Will Come" (#19), "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (#36), "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (#47) "Beauty and the Beast" (#62), and "Hakuna Matata" (#99).
It is also sung in the stage version of the film called Toy Story: The Musical. The first 8 lines serves as the first song in the musical and as the reprise and part one of the last song, along with the last verse of the said song and the reprise of the song "That's Why We're Here", before the bows.
Lyrics
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got troubles, and I've got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together, we can see it through
'Cause you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
Some other folks might be
A little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too, maybe
But none of them will ever love you
The way I do, it's me and you, boy
And as the years go by
Our friendship will never die
You're gonna see it's our destiny
You've got a friend in me (x3)
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Son, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got troubles, and I've got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together, we can see it through
'Cause you've got a friend in me (Yes, you do)
Yeah, you've got a friend in me
Some other folks might be
A little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too, maybe
But none of them will ever love you
The way I do, just me and you, babe
And as the years go by
Our friendship will never die
You're gonna see it's our destiny
You've got a friend in me
You just remember what your old pal said
Son, you've got a friend in me
We stick together, we can see it through
'Cause you've got a friend in me
Some other folks might be
A little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too, maybe
But none of them will ever love you
The way I do, just me and you, babe
And as the years go by (Years go by)
Our friendship will never die (Never die)
You're gonna see it's our destiny
You've got a friend in me (Yes, you do)
You've got a friend in me (That's the truth)
You've got a friend in me!
Yeah!
Hay un amigo en mí
Hay un amigo en mí
Cuando salgas a volar
Hay un amigo en mí
Sí, un amigo en mí
Hay un amigo en mí
Hay un amigo en mí
Hay un amigo en mí
Cuando salgas a volar
Hay un amigo en mí
Sí, un amigo en mí
Hay un amigo en mí
Hay muchos que pueden ser
Un poco más listos
Mas nunca habrá quien pueda ser
Un amigo fiel
Y tú lo sabes
Los años pasarán
Lo nuestro no morirá
Lo vas a ver
Mejor tener
Un buen amigo en mí
Hay un amigo en mí
Un buen amigo en mí
Hay un amigo en mí
Other Versions
| Performer(s) | Title(s) | Translations(s) | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albanian | |||
| نامق خليل (Nameq Khalil) | "أنا أنا الصديق" | "I'm, I'm the Friend" | Arabic |
| Zé da Viola | "Amigo, Estou Aqui" | "Friend, I'm Here" | Brazilian Portuguese |
| Валди Тотев (Valdi Totev) | "Имаш Приятел Ти" (Imash Priyatel Ti) | "You've Got a Friend" | Bulgarian |
| Michel Comeau | "T'as Trouvé un Ami" | "You Found a Friend" | Canadian French |
| Cantonese | |||
| Tony Cruz | "Hay un Amigo en Mí" | "Got a Friend in Me" | Castilian Spanish |
| Massimo Savić | "Ja tvoj sam prijatelj" | Croatian | |
| Pavel Bobek | "Máš ve mně přítele" | Czech | |
| Otto Brandenburg | "Du er min bedste ven" | Danish | |
| Huub van der Lubbe | "Ik Ben Jouw Beste Friend" | "I'm Your Best Friend" | Dutch |
| Pepe Ahlqvist | Finnish | ||
| Arno Hintjens | "Je Bent Een Vriend Van Mij" | "I Got a Friend For Me" | Flemish |
| Charlélie Couture | "Je Suis Ton Ami" | "I'm Your Friend" | French |
| Klaus Lage | "Du Hast'n Freund in Mir" | "You Got a Friend in Me" | German |
| Τζίμης Πανούσης & Αλκίνοος Ιωαννίδης | "Εγώ κι εσύ μαζί" | "You and I together" | Greek |
| דני בסן (Danny Bassan) | Hebrew | ||
| Hindi | |||
| Tamás Berki | Hungarian | ||
| Icelandic | |||
| Indonesian | |||
| Riccardo Cocciante | "Come Amico in Me" | "Got a Friend in Me" | Italian |
| ダイアモンド☆ユカイ (Diamond Yukai) | Japanese | ||
| Korean | |||
| Ricardo Murguía | "Yo Soy tu Amigo Fiel" | "I'm Your Faithful Friend" | Latin American Spanish |
| Judita Urnikytė | "Turiu Geras Draugas" | "I Have a Good Friend" | Lithuanian |
| "Ku Kawanmu Sejati" | "By Your True Friend" | Malay | |
| Mandarin | |||
| Miguel Ângelo | "Sou Teu Amigo, Sim" | "I'm Your Friend, Yes" | Portuguese |
Other Singers
- Carsten Loly - Norwegian
- ??? - Persian
- Stanislaw Sojka - Polish
- Daniel Radu - Romanian
- ??? - Russian
- ??? - Serbian
- Peter Lipa - Slovak
- Mikael Roupé - Swedish
- มาโนช ยิ้มแย้ม (Manot Yimyaem) - Thai
- Fatih Erkoç - Turkish
- Дмитро Гарбуз (Dmitry Garbuz) Ukrainian
- "Я твій навіки друг" (Ya Tviy Naviky Druh)
- "I'm Your Forever Friend"
Trivia
- This is the only Toy Story song that has been in all four movies.
- Even though Dutch and Flemish are essentially the same language, the way "You've Got a Friend in Me" has been translated into these languages is vastly different. The Flemish version ("Je bent een vriend van mij") is almost a literal translation, while the Dutch version ("Ik ben jouw beste vriend") changes some lyrics to make them fit the music a little better. Also, the Dutch singer, Huub van der Lubbe, sounds nothing like Randy Newman, while the Flemish singer, Arno Hintjens, resembles the original tone and voice a lot more.
- The movie version of the Newman/Lovett duet has the same arrangement as the Newman solo, but the album version has a slower arrangement.
Cover versions
- Pixar posted two music videos to their official YouTube channel which consist of an "official" and a "hyper" remix of this song. (Both are by someone credited as "DJ Synd".)
- More recently, Pixar posted a new remix of the song, based on the Robert Goulet version. This version was remixed by DJ Sam Spiegel, a.k.a. Squeak E. Clean.
- Riders in the Sky performed a cover of this song on the album Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs. The album won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children.
- Randy Newman arranged the song (along with "Strange Things" and other themes from the films) for the Buzz Lightyear attractions (Like Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters) at Disney parks. One of the places it can be heard is on The Official Album of the Disneyland Resort. In the rides, it can be heard in the exit queue.
- Jennifer Hammond arranged this song and other themes from the films for the Toy Story Midway Mania! attraction (in a more carnival-style). It or another version of it can be heard at the official Toy Story website, under "Games" and "Toy Story Mania!".
- Under Walt Disney Records, Steve Tyrell's Disney Standards album released February 28, 2006 includes You’ve Got a Friend in Me as a duet with Dr. John.
- American rock band The Fray has also performed their own rendition of the song during the 2007 Disney Grad Nite event. They have also covered it at other live shows.
- The song was covered by Playhouse Disney mascots Ooh and Aah on the album Disney Music Block Party.
- An orchestral version arranged by Yoko Shimomura was used as the Toy Box field theme in Kingdom Hearts III.
- American ska punk band Suburban Legends – themselves a regular live entertainment staple at the Disneyland Resort since 2002 – released a cover of the song on their 2013 Disney cover EP, Dreams Aren't Real, But These Songs Are Vol. 1.
Chart performance
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary | 40 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
| UK Singles Chart | 119 |
Release history
| Format | Release date | Catalog |
|---|---|---|
| Cassette | April 12, 1996 | #60367 |
| CD |
You've Got a Friend in Me on Wikipedia
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