“You’ve Got A Friend In Me” — Randy Newman (Toy Story Theme)

(Just before we get started properly, I’ve just noticed when I press “publish” on this article, it will be my 300th story on Medium. That feels like a bit of a milestone. My thanks to the lovely people who are kind enough to read what I write around here.)

Randy Newman has been writing songs since the early 1960s, but probably none of them as famous as “You’ve Got A Friend In Me”, the theme tune for the ‘Toy Story’ movie franchise.

More than a theme, “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” infuses the ‘Toy Story’ movies as it’s used in different versions and as background music at various other points too. You don’t just hear it over the titles.

It’s a musical theme we return to over and over again, in a range of different treatments and from a range of different directions, in the same way as the animated characters return to their own timeless themes of love, friendship and heartbreak over the course of the movies.

“You’ve Got A Friend In Me” might be Randy Newman’s most famous song, but he’s no slouch in the songwriting department.

He’s had 20 Oscar nominations and won two Oscars for his work in films like ‘Monsters, Inc’ and ‘A Bug’s Life’…although, ironically, neither of his Oscar wins was for “You’ve Got A Friend In Me”. On top of that, Randy Newman has picked up three Emmys and seven Grammys over the years.

Excellent though his other songs are, I don’t think Randy Newman has written a…