I Knew It, I Knew You

In February 2026, Taylor Swift was approached by Walt Disney Music to contribute music to Disney and Pixar's animated film Toy Story 5.^[1][2] She requested to see an early version of the film and, after attending a screening, conceived "I Knew It, I Knew You" and wrote it upon returning home.^[1][2][3] Swift said that the song was inspired by the story of the character Jessie in the Toy Story franchise and that she had wanted to write music for the franchise's characters since watching the first Toy Story film at age five.^[4] She wrote and produced the track with her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff.^[5] Swift is the only musician to write music for the Toy Story franchise besides Randy Newman, who endorsed her contribution.^[6]

"I Knew It, I Knew You" incorporates fourteen credited musical instruments: acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar, piano, percussion, strings, drum kit, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, saxophone, celesta, Hammond organ, and Mellotron.^[7][8] Antonoff played nine of them,^[7] with further contributions from his Bleachers bandmates Michael Riddleberger, Sean Hutchinson, Mikey Freedom Hart, Evan Smith, and Zem Audu, and from the string player Bobby Hawk.^[9][8] "I Knew It, I Knew You" was recorded by Antonoff, Laura Sisk, Oli Jacobs, and Jack Manning at Electric Lady Studios in New York City and Tamarind Studios in Los Angeles. Sisk mixed the song at Sharp Sonics Studios (Los Angeles), while Ruairí O'Flaherty mastered it at Sterling Sound Studios (Los Angeles).^[8]

The writer-director of Toy Story 5, Andrew Stanton, stated that upon his first listen, he felt that the song fit within the franchise like a "long-lost family member".^[4] According to the film's visual effects supervisor Thomas Jordan, only a "very small group" knew about "I Knew It, I Knew You" before the week of its announcement, and Pixar created a "decoy version" of Toy Story 5 without the song for press and unaware crew members.^[1] Tom Hanks, who voices the character Woody, said that the cast was unaware of Swift's involvement until hours before the announcement.^[10]

On April 30, 2026, Swift's official website briefly displayed a 48-hour countdown with a sky-blue background and white clouds, resembling imagery associated with the Toy Story franchise.^[29] It was removed after approximately ten minutes and expired without an announcement.^[30][31] That same day, Swift's official fan engagement team shared a cloud-themed post on social media.^[29] On May 29, Pixar billboards for Toy Story 5 displaying the initials "TS" against cloud imagery appeared in cities worldwide,^[32][33] and the cover artwork for Swift's album 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023) was altered on streaming platforms, replacing the seagulls in the background with five clouds.^[34][35] The following day, Pixar posted a video of Jessie dancing on top of the "TS" billboard, accompanied by a caption that references Swift's single "Shake It Off" (2014).^[34][36]

Further promotions included the cover artwork for Swift's album 1989 (2014) being updated with a Toy Story-style font; cloud imagery illuminating the Empire State Building;^[35] clouds appearing in TikTok searches for Swift's name; and her "essentials" playlist on Apple Music being updated to feature only the fifth tracks from her albums, with every "T" and "S" in the lyrics capitalized.^[37] A new countdown appeared on Swift's website and on billboards in New York City and Los Angeles on June 1;^[38] the website version was accompanied by an illustration of a house and barn, with Jessie appearing in the scene and the "TS" billboard placed on a hill beneath a cloudy sky.^[39][40] When the countdown ended at 14:00 Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00), "I Knew It, I Knew You" was announced as an original song by Swift for Toy Story 5, along with its release date.^[40][4]

"I Knew It, I Knew You" plays during Toy Story 5's closing credits.^[41] It was released through Walt Disney Records on June 5, two weeks before the film's release on June 19.^[11][4] The label also partnered with Republic Records and MCA Nashville to promote the single to US country radio and contemporary hit radio on the same day.^[42] Acoustic and piano renditions were released for digital download on June 7.^[43] "I Knew It, I Knew You" is set to be released to Italian radio airplay through Universal Music on June 12^[44] and issued physically on June 19 in three CD single editions (original, acoustic, and piano) and two 10-inch vinyl editions (both containing the original and instrumental versions).^[38][4][45]

Swift performed "I Knew It, I Knew You" live for the first time at Toy Story 5's world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on June 9, 2026.^[46] After the screening, the stage was revealed, with Swift seated at a grand piano, where she performed a piano-acoustic rendition of the song.^[47][48] She then spoke about the importance of Pixar films before Newman appeared at a second piano and joined her for a duet of Toy Story's theme song "You've Got a Friend in Me" (1996).^[46][47] Swift's performance of "I Knew It, I Knew You" received a standing ovation from the audience.^[49][50] Billboard's Katie Atkinson praised Swift's vocals during the performance and wrote that the piano arrangement added emotional weight to the song.^[46]

Music critics praised "I Knew It, I Knew You", calling the track catchy and highlighting its songwriting and Swift's vocal delivery. Alyssa Bailey of Elle deemed it an "emotionally moving" song whose lyrics capture Jessie's journey,^[24] while West praised its vivid and nostalgic storytelling that recalled Swift's earlier songwriting style, which he characterized as turning "small moments into universal stories".^[22] Chris Willman of Variety considered the track "sprightly and upbeat" and commended its "patented" bridge,^[21] and Rolling Stone's Jaeden Pinder described it as "blissful" and praised the refrain as catchy.^[5] Miller regarded the production as smooth and warm, adding that the song's bassline contributed to its earworm quality, particularly in the bridge and its accompanying key change.^[18] McCormick described "I Knew It, I Knew You" as "catchy and cheery and effusively upbeat", commending its "breezily simple yet lush" musical arrangement, Swift's vocal delivery, and the tightly packed couplets and internal rhymes in the lyrics.^[17] Snapes wrote that the song contained some of Swift's "loveliest" and tightest songwriting, praising her vocal delivery and the organic instrumentation.^[20]

Various publications dubbed "I Knew It, I Knew You" a contender for the Academy Award for Best Original Song;^[b] The Hollywood Reporter's awards analyst Scott Feinberg reported that it received praise from members of the Academy and other film-industry figures at the film's premiere.^[41][53]

"I Knew It, I Knew You" broke various records across radio and music streaming services. It became the most-streamed country song in a single day by a female artist on Spotify and the most-streamed soundtrack single in its first day on Apple Music. The track also achieved the highest first-day streams of 2026 on Amazon Music and became the biggest country single of 2026 on Apple Music.^[13][3] It became the first song by a female artist in Mediabase history to be added by every US country radio station in its first week. RJ Curtis, the executive director of Country Radio Broadcasters, opined that the song was well-crafted for country radio due to its storytelling, melody, and "catchy hook that is quickly familiar and feels nostalgic."^[54]

The music video for "I Knew It, I Knew You" was released on Apple Music and Spotify Premium on June 5, 2026,^[55] and on YouTube and Disney+ two days later.^[56][57] The video consists of footage from the Toy Story films, with a particular focus on Jessie.^[55][58] It begins with her first meeting Woody and later shows her alongside the other toys.^[59] It also includes flashbacks to her former owner leaving her in a donation box as a red car drives away,^[59] scenes with her newest owner Bonnie,^[60] and moments of adventure with Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bullseye, and the other characters.^[61] Other sequences show Jessie riding a horse, surviving dangerous encounters, and developing a romance with Buzz Lightyear.^[62] The video ends with footage from Toy Story 5, showing a young red-haired girl playing with Jessie in a tire swing before falling into a pile of leaves.^[59][63]

Credits shown below were adapted from the song's liner notes.^[8]