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( July 2010 ) `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' Single by Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett from the album Toy Story Released April 12, 1996 Format Cassette, CD single, digital download Genre Country, pop, soundtrack Length 2 : 39 Label Walt Disney Songwriter ( s ) Randy Newman Producer ( s ) Randy Newman Randy Newman singles chronology `` It 's Money That Matters '' / `` Falling in Love '' ( 1988 ) `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' ( 1996 ) `` We Belong Together '' ( 2010 ) `` It 's Money That Matters '' / `` Falling in Love '' ( 1988 ) `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' ( 1996 ) `` We Belong Together '' ( 2010 ) Lyle Lovett singles chronology `` Do n't Touch My Hat '' ( 1996 ) Do n't Touch My Hat 1996 `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' ( 1996 ) You 've Got a Friend in Me1996 `` Private Conversation '' ( 1997 ) Private Conversation1997 `` 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 ( 1999 ) and Toy Story 3 ( 2010 ) as well as a musical leitmotif throughout the whole Toy Story franchise. The song was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, but lost both to `` Colors of the Wind '' from Disney 's 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, an Italian language version by Riccardo Cocciante, and a Spanish language version by the Gipsy Kings in Toy Story 3. Contents 1 The song in Toy Story 2 Personnel 3 Release history 4 Cover versions 5 References 6 External links The song in Toy Story The song is played during the opening credits for Toy Story and Toy Story 3, establishing the importance of Woody and Andy in the first film and the importance of all his toys in the third. Toy Story 3 also uses it for irony and dramatic effect, as the opening credits harken back to the first film and the song abruptly fades out with `` As the years go by / Our friendship will never die '', before showing that Andy 's remaining toys in the present day are boxed up and unused. When they were unused, Andy was 17 years old. In the two sequels, the song is listened to by the characters as part of the story. Two of these are cover versions done at the end of the film for thematic reasons : at the end of Toy Story 2, the character Wheezy starts to sing it to the other toys ; during the end credits of Toy Story 3, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie ( now a couple ) perform a pasodoble to a Spanish version of the song, deliberately played by Jessie to get Buzz to dance. The most significant use of the song was in the third act of Toy Story 2, where an episode of Woody 's Roundup ( the 1950s puppet show he was based on ) shows the puppet Woody singing the song, directed at the young audience and featuring a small child hugging the puppet. Woody sees this and has an epiphany, realizing that his mission as a toy is to be there for a child. ( In - universe, the song was presumably written for Woody 's Roundup. ) The Woody 's Roundup version was performed by Tom Hanks, with acoustic guitar backing ; Wheezy 's version was sung by Robert Goulet ( though the character was voiced by Joe Ranft ) ; and the Spanish version, `` You 've Got a Friend in Me ( Para el Buzz Español ) '', was performed by the Gipsy Kings. Personnel Randy Newman - vocals, piano Lyle Lovett - vocals Release history Format Release date Catalog Demo Unreleased # ? ? ? ? ? Cassette April 12, 1996 # 60367 CD Cover versions Michael Bublé covered `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' on his 2013 album, To Be Loved. The track became a U.S. Adult Contemporary chart hit, spending 14 weeks on the chart and peaking at number 10. References ^ Jump up to : `` You 've Got a Friend in Me > Overview ''. Allmusic. Macrovision. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 30. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) External links Best Song Academy Award Nominations - Newman Toy Story 10th Anniversary Edition at the Wayback Machine ( archived May 7, 2005 ), Pixar press release, May 2, 2005. ( Archived from the original on May 7, 2005 ) Randy Newman Studio albums Randy Newman ( 1968 ) 12 Songs ( 1970 ) Sail Away ( 1972 ) Good Old Boys ( 1974 ) Little Criminals ( 1977 ) Born Again ( 1979 ) Trouble in Paradise ( 1983 ) Land of Dreams ( 1988 ) Bad Love ( 1999 ) Harps and Angels ( 2008 ) Dark Matter ( 2017 ) Live albums Randy Newman Live ( 1971 ) Compilations Lonely at the Top : The Best of Randy Newman ( 1987 ) Guilty : 30 Years of Randy Newman ( 1998 ) The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1 ( 2003 ) The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2 ( 2011 ) Musicals Randy Newman 's Faust ( 1995 ) Films scored Cold Turkey ( 1971 ) Ragtime ( 1981 ) The Natural ( 1984 ) Parenthood ( 1989 ) Awakenings ( 1990 ) Avalon ( 1990 ) The Paper ( 1994 ) Maverick ( 1994 ) Toy Story ( 1995 ) James and the Giant Peach ( 1996 ) Michael ( 1996 ) Cats Do n't Dance ( 1997 ) A Bug 's Life ( 1998 ) Pleasantville ( 1998 ) Toy Story 2 ( 1999 ) Meet the Parents ( 2000 ) Monsters, Inc. ( 2001 ) Seabiscuit ( 2003 ) Meet the Fockers ( 2004 ) Cars ( 2006 ) Leatherheads ( 2008 ) The Princess and the Frog ( 2009 ) Toy Story 3 ( 2010 ) Monsters University ( 2013 ) Cars 3 ( 2017 ) Soundtrack albums Avalon ( 1990 ) Meet the Parents ( 2000 ) Cars ( 2006 ) The Princess and the Frog ( 2009 ) Songs `` Mama Told Me Not to Come '' `` Sail Away '' `` He Gives Us All His Love '' `` Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear '' `` Political Science '' `` You Can Leave Your Hat On '' `` Louisiana 1927 '' `` Rednecks '' `` Short People '' `` I Love L.A. '' `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' `` When She Loved Me '' `` We Belong Together '' `` It 's a Jungle Out There '' Related Discography Brill Building Nilsson Sings Newman Family Alfred Newman David Newman Emil Newman Joey Newman Lionel Newman Thomas Newman Toy Story Films Toy Story ( 1995 ) Toy Story 2 ( 1999 ) Toy Story 3 ( 2010 ) Toy Story 4 ( 2019 ) Characters Sheriff Woody Buzz Lightyear Jessie Television Buzz Lightyear of Star Command The Adventure Begins Toy Story of Terror ! Toy Story That Time Forgot Video games Toy Story Disney 's Animated Storybook : Toy Story Toy Story 2 : Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue Toy Story Racer Buzz Lightyear of Star Command Toy Story Mania ! Toy Story 3 : The Video Game Toy Story : Smash It ! Kingdom Hearts III Shorts Toy Story Treats Toy Story Toons Hawaiian Vacation Small Fry Partysaurus Rex Attractions Buzz Lightyear RC Racer Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin Toy Story Midway Mania ! Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop Toy Story Land Woody 's All - American Roundup & Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue Woody 's Roundup Village Music `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' `` When She Loved Me '' `` We Belong Together '' Woody 's Roundup : A Rootin ' Tootin ' Collection of Woody 's Favorite Songs Miscellaneous Toy Story : The Musical Lego Toy Story Debian naming convention Portal Pixar music Albums The Incredibles Cars WALL - E Up Brave Songs `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' `` When She Loved Me '' `` If I Did n't Have You '' `` Real Gone '' `` Life Is a Highway '' `` Our Town '' `` Down to Earth '' `` We Belong Together '' Other albums Woody 's Roundup : A Rootin ' Tootin ' Collection of Woody 's Favorite Songs Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites Gipsy Kings Nicolas Reyes Paul Reyes Canut Reyes Patchai Reyes Andre Reyes Diego Baliardo Paco Baliardo Tonino Baliardo Chico Bouchikhi Jorge Trasante Studio albums Allegria ( 1982 ) Luna de Fuego ( 1983 ) Gipsy Kings ( 1988 ) Mosaïque ( 1989 ) Este Mundo ( 1991 ) Love and Liberté ( 1993 ) Estrellas ( 1995 ) Compas ( 1997 ) Somos Gitanos ( 2001 ) Roots ( 2004 ) Pasajero ( 2006 ) Savor Flamenco ( 2013 ) Live albums Live ( 1992 ) Compilation albums Allegria ( 1990 ) Greatest Hits ( 1994 ) The Best of the Gipsy Kings ( 1995 ) Love Songs ( 1996 ) ¡ Volaré ! The Very Best of the Gipsy Kings ( 1999, re-released in 2000 ) Songs `` Djobi Djoba '' `` Bamboléo '' ( Originally by Simón Díaz ) `` Volare '' ( Spanish Version ) `` You 've Got a Friend in Me '' ( Spanish Version ) `` Un Amor '' `` Tú Quieres Volver '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=You%27ve_Got_a_Friend_in_Me&oldid=797119771 '' Categories : Songs about friendship 1996 songs Pixar songs 1996 singles Toy Story Randy Newman songs Lyle Lovett songs Songs written by Randy Newman Walt Disney Records singles Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from July 2010 All articles needing additional references Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Webarchive template wayback links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Ελληνικά 日本 語 Português Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 25 August 2017, at 02 : 20. 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Question: who sang the theme song for toy story
Answer: Randy Newman