Our Town (James Taylor song)

Last updated
"Our Town"
Single by James Taylor
from the album Cars: The Soundtrack
Language English
Released2006
Recorded2005
Genre
Length4:07
Label Walt Disney
Songwriter(s) Randy Newman
Producer(s) Randy Newman
James Taylor singles chronology
"September Grass"
(2003)
"Our Town"
(2006)
"It's Growing"
(2008)
Audio
"Our Town" on YouTube

"Our Town" is a song used in the 2006 Disney/Pixar animated film Cars . It was written by longtime Pixar contributor Randy Newman and recorded by James Taylor.

Contents

Story

The song is a ballad that recounts the economic decline of the fictional town of Radiator Springs after the creation of Interstate 40.

Awards and nominations

At the 49th Grammy Awards, the song won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The same night, Newman's work for Cars won for Music in an Animated Feature Production at the 34th Annie Awards. [1] The song was also nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Song.

International version

As the track is a background song, not key for the understanding of the plot, "Our Town" was left untranslated in most foreign dubbings. However, it numbers a few translations in various language versions.

All official versions of "Our Town"
Language versionPerformerTitleTranslation
German OleSoul"Unsere Stadt""Our Town"
English James Taylor "Our Town"
Spanish (European) Toni Cruz "Tu ciudad""Your Town"
Portuguese

(European)

Manuel Rebelo "O Meu Lar""My Town"

Related Research Articles

<i>Toy Story</i> 1995 Pixar film

Toy Story is a 1995 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the franchise of the same name, it was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. It was directed by John Lasseter and produced by Bonnie Arnold and Ralph Guggenheim, from a screenplay written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow and a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft. The film features music by Randy Newman, and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs and Edwin Catmull. The film features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, and Erik von Detten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Newman</span> American musician (born 1943)

Randall Stuart Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, conductor and pianist known for his non-rhotic Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs, and various film scores. His hits as a recording artist include "Short People" (1977), "I Love L.A." (1983), and "You've Got a Friend in Me" (1995) with Lyle Lovett, while other artists have enjoyed success with cover versions of his "Mama Told Me Not to Come" (1966), "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (1968) and "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (1972).

<i>Toy Story 2</i> 1999 Pixar film

Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The second installment in the Toy Story franchise and the sequel to Toy Story (1995), it was directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Ash Brannon and Lee Unkrich, and produced by Helene Plotkin and Karen Robert Jackson, from a screenplay written by Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, and Chris Webb, and a story conceived by Lasseter, Stanton, Brannon, and Pete Docter. In the film, Woody is stolen by a toy collector, prompting Buzz Lightyear and his friends to rescue him, but Woody is then tempted by the idea of immortality in a museum. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, and Laurie Metcalf reprise their roles from the first Toy Story film and they are joined by Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Estelle Harris, Wayne Knight, and Jodi Benson, who play the new characters introduced in this film. This is the last Toy Story film to feature Varney as the voice of Slinky Dog before his death the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riders in the Sky (band)</span> American Western music and comedy group

Riders in the Sky is an American Western music and comedy group which began performing in 1977. The band has released more than 40 full length albums, starred in a single-season self-titled television series on CBS, wrote and starred in an NPR syndicated radio drama Riders Radio Theater, and appeared in television series and films including as featured contributors to Ken Burns' Country Music. Their family-friendly style also appeals to children, exemplified in their recordings for Disney and Pixar. They have won two Grammy Awards and have written and performed music for major motion pictures, including "Woody's Roundup" from Toy Story 2 and Pixar's short film, For the Birds. The band also recorded full length companion albums for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.

<i>Cars</i> (film) 2006 Pixar film

Cars is a 2006 American animated sports comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Joe Ranft, produced by Darla K. Anderson, and written by Dan Fogelman, Lasseter, Ranft, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin, and Jorgen Klubien, and was the final film independently produced by Pixar after its purchase by Disney in January 2006. The film features an ensemble voice cast of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Michael Wallis, George Carlin, Paul Dooley, Jenifer Lewis, Guido Quaroni, Michael Keaton, Katherine Helmond, John Ratzenberger and Richard Petty, while race car drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mario Andretti, Michael Schumacher and car enthusiast Jay Leno voice themselves.

<i>Cars</i> (soundtrack) Soundtrack album to the 2006 animated film

Cars (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2006 Disney/Pixar animated film of the same name. Released by Walt Disney Records on June 6, 2006, nine songs from the soundtrack are from popular and contemporary artists. The styles of these songs vary between pop, blues, country, and rock. The remaining eleven pieces are orchestral scores composed and conducted by Randy Newman. The soundtrack was released three days before the film's release into theaters.

"If I Didn't Have You" is a song written by singer-songwriter Randy Newman, that appears during the end credits of the 2001 Disney·Pixar animated film, Monsters, Inc. Sung by John Goodman and Billy Crystal, the song won the 2001 Academy Award for Best Original Song. This was Newman's first Oscar. Previously, Newman had been nominated fifteen times in the Best Score and Best Song categories, but had never won. Arguably "the film's lone song", the tune serves as the major motif for the film.

<i>Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites</i> 2002 compilation album by Riders in the Sky

Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on August 27, 2002 on a single CD. The album is produced by Joey Miskulin. It features covers of the songs from the Disney/Pixar film Monsters, Inc., as well as original material. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children at the Grammy Awards of 2003, making it the second such award for the band itself.

<i>WALL-E</i> 2008 film by Andrew Stanton

WALL-E is a 2008 American animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, produced by Jim Morris, and written by Stanton and Jim Reardon. It stars the voices of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, with Sigourney Weaver and Fred Willard. The film follows a solitary robot named WALL-E on a future, uninhabitable, deserted Earth in 2805, left to clean up garbage. He is visited by a robot called EVE sent from the starship Axiom, with whom he falls in love and pursues across the galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soweto Gospel Choir</span> South african gospel group

The Soweto Gospel Choir is a South African gospel group.

<i>WALL-E</i> (soundtrack) 2008 soundtrack album by Thomas Newman

WALL·E is the soundtrack album to the 2008 Disney-Pixar film of the same name composed and conducted by Thomas Newman. WALL·E is the second Pixar film to be scored by Thomas Newman after Finding Nemo (2003). It was also the second Pixar film not to be scored by Randy Newman or Michael Giacchino. Released by Walt Disney Records on June 24, 2008, it was mainly composed by Thomas Newman and orchestration is credited to Carl Johnson, JAC Redford, Thomas Pasatieri, and Gary K. Thomas. Newman previously scored Finding Nemo and most of all other Pixar films have been scored by either Newman's cousin Randy, Michael Giacchino or Patrick Doyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Down to Earth (Peter Gabriel song)</span> 2008 single by Peter Gabriel featuring The Soweto Gospel Choir

"Down to Earth" is a song co-written and performed by English rock musician Peter Gabriel for the 2008 animated Disney-Pixar film WALL·E. It was released on June 10, 2008, by Walt Disney Records and Real World Records. Composed by Gabriel and Thomas Newman, with lyrics by Gabriel, and featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir, the song is the 37th song on the soundtrack album to WALL·E, in which it is featured over the end credits.

<i>Toy Story 2</i> (soundtrack) 1999 soundtrack album by Randy Newman

Toy Story 2: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 1999 Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 2. The score for the film is composed by Randy Newman, who previously composed for its predecessor, Toy Story. It was released by Walt Disney Records on November 9, 1999. Although out of print in the U.S., the CD is available in the U.S. as an import and all but one song is available digitally.

<i>Ratatouille</i> (soundtrack) 2007 film score by Michael Giacchino

Ratatouille (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2007 Disney/Pixar film of the same name composed by Michael Giacchino. The film marked Giacchino's second Pixar film after The Incredibles, which was also directed by Bird and also the second Pixar film not to be scored by Randy Newman or Thomas Newman. The album features original score cues, with an original song "Le Festin" written by Giacchino and performed by Camille, and was released by Walt Disney Records on June 26, 2007.

<i>The Princess and the Frog</i> (soundtrack) 2009 soundtrack album by Various Artists

The Princess and the Frog (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack of the 2009 Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog. It was released by Walt Disney Records on November 23, 2009, just a day before the limited release of the film in New York City and Los Angeles. It contains ten original songs and seven score pieces, all but one of which were composed, arranged and conducted by composer Randy Newman, who previously worked with the film's executive producer John Lasseter on Pixar's films Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Cars. "Never Knew I Needed" was written and performed by Ne-Yo. The song had an accompanying music video which featured rotation on Disney Channel. The song was also sent to rhythmic radio on October 27, 2009. The songs are performed by various artists most of which lend their voices to characters in the film. The score features African-American-influenced styles including jazz, zydeco, blues and gospel.

<i>Toy Story 3</i> (soundtrack) 2010 soundtrack album by Randy Newman

Toy Story 3 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to Disney/Pixar's 2010 film of the same name. The score was composed by recurrent Pixar composer Randy Newman, who also scored for the previous instalments in the franchise. The score album, featuring an original song "We Belong Together" performed by Newman, and instrumental tracks were released on June 14, 2010 by Walt Disney Records. The track "You've Got a Friend in Me" from the first instalment is also featured in the album, performed by The Gipsy Kings.

<i>Cars</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise

Cars is an animated film series and Disney media franchise set in a world populated by anthropomorphic vehicles created by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft and Jorgen Klubien. The franchise began with the 2006 film, Cars, produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was followed by Cars 2 in 2011. A third film, Cars 3, was released in 2017. The now-defunct Disneytoon Studios produced the two spin-off films Planes (2013) and Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014).

"When She Loved Me" is a song written by American musician Randy Newman and recorded by Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan for Pixar's animated film Toy Story 2 (1999). The song is sung by the character Jessie, a toy cowgirl, as she reveals her backstory by reflecting upon her defunct relationship with her original owner, by whom she was outgrown. Heard in the film during a flashback sequence, the filmmakers decided to incorporate a song into the montage during which Jessie details her backstory to Woody after multiple attempts to show the character relaying her experience verbally proved unsuccessful.

Cars 3 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album for the 2017 American computer-animated sports comedy-adventure film Cars 3 that features compilation of incorporated and original songs. The album was released by Walt Disney Records on June 16, 2017, coinciding with the film's theatrical release. A separate film score album, Cars 3 (Original Score), composed by Randy Newman, was also released by Walt Disney Records on the same date, also coinciding with the film's theatrical release. The film, directed by Brian Fee and produced by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures, is the third installment of the Cars film series and the sequel to Cars 2 (2011). In May 2017, Walt Disney Records officially announced the release of two soundtracks: separately for the songs and score, unlike for the previous films, where both the songs and original scores by Newman and Michael Giacchino, had compiled into a single album. Fee said that both the score and the soundtrack "really help support the story we are telling".

<i>Monsters, Inc.</i> (soundtrack) 2001 soundtrack album by Randy Newman

Monsters, Inc. is the soundtrack to the 2001 Disney/Pixar film of the same name. The original score is composed by Randy Newman, marking his fourth collaboration with Pixar following Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), and Toy Story 2 (1999). Along with Newman's score, the album features an original song, "If I Didn't Have You," sung by John Goodman and Billy Crystal. It was released on October 23, 2001, by Walt Disney Records.

References

  1. "'Cars' wins best animated feature award". USA Today. February 12, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2014.