MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Songs from Pixar movies have won big at the Grammys and the Oscars, but there's one thing they have never done until now. Stephen Thompson of NPR Music has the story.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: When you think about songs from Pixar movies, you might think of Randy Newman and a song that's become a standard - "You've Got A Friend In Me" from "Toy Story."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME")
RANDY NEWMAN: (Singing) You've got a friend in me. You've got a friend in me.
THOMPSON: Or maybe you think of "Remember Me" from "Coco," which won the Oscar for best original song.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "REMEMBER ME")
BENJAMIN BRATT: (As Ernesto de la Cruz, singing) Remember me. Remember me. Though I have to say goodbye, remember me. Remember me.
THOMPSON: This week, Pixar accomplishes something it's never done before. It's got a song at the very top of the Billboard Hot 100. "I Knew It, I Knew You" is by a familiar chart-topper by the name of Taylor Swift. She wrote the song and recorded it to roll over the closing credits of the new Pixar sequel "Toy Story 5."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I KNEW IT, I KNEW YOU")
TAYLOR SWIFT: (Singing) But I knew it, I knew you. I knew it, I knew you.
THOMPSON: This week, just in time for "Toy Story 5's" release, "I Knew It, I Knew You" debuts at No. 1, a familiar spot for Taylor Swift. It's her 15th song to top the chart, putting Swift behind only the Beatles and Mariah Carey for most in a career. And it's her 70th song to hit the Top 10, putting her behind only Drake. "I Knew It, I Knew You" isn't just the first Pixar song to hit No. 1. Pixar and Disney merged in 2006, so it's also only the third song from a Disney movie ever to top the Hot 100. The first, "A Whole New World" from 1992's "Aladdin," was sung by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "A WHOLE NEW WORLD")
REGINA BELLE: (Singing) A whole new world.
PEABO BRYSON: (Singing) A whole new world. A new fantastic...
THOMPSON: Then nearly three decades later, the cast of "Encanto" scored a massive viral hit with "We Don't Talk About Bruno."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WE DON'T TALK ABOUT BRUNO")
MAURO CASTILLO AND CAROLINA GAITAN: (As Felix and Pepa Madrigal, singing) We don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no. We don't talk about Bruno.
THOMPSON: With Pixar and Disney working hand in hand, both studios can claim the latest chart sensation, not to mention an early Oscar contender. The studios should have known all along that if you've got a friend in Taylor Swift, you're going to top the charts just about every time. Stephen Thompson, NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I KNEW IT, I KNEW YOU")
SWIFT: (Singing) I knew you through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer. Parachutes for the free fall of being younger. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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