To follow up yesterday's Toy Story cover, I am sharing with you this cover from Toy Story 2: When She Loved Me by THE FAMILY SONG RECORDINGS.
It appears that this group has only recorded a few tracks and they are all on DISNEY AGE @ D_100 CAFE. They simply don't exist anywhere else.
Take a listen to this track. It doesn't stray to far from Randy Newman and Sarah McLaughlin's original except that they trade in the piano for a guitar which sounds really nice. I also love the Japanese accent.
Last week Brian Ibbot, creator of the awesome cover podcast Coverville, emailed me asking me if I knew of any good covers of Sarah McLaughlin's When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2. I told him I knew of a few and then realized that I haven't posted any of them here!
So tonight, please check out Coverville to find out which version I recommended to Brian, and in the mean time, enjoy this version of When She Loved Me by MICHAEL CRAWFORD from his album of Disney songs called THE DISNEY ALBUM.
There are not many sequels out there that I like better than the original. The Empire Strikes Back, Spider-Man 2 and X2: X-Men United are a few of them. Toy Story 2 also has to be on this list because when I walked out of the theatre I couldn't believe how good it was. This week is Sequel Week and I'm posting a song from Toy Story that was covered for Toy Story 2.
The elements were all right to make this a good movie. The characters were strong, the animation was way better, the new characters were there for a reason and it featured When She Loved Me, one of my favourite modern Disney songs.
But I think the biggest reason this movie was so good was the story. Most Disney sequels are just a re-hash of the first film. For example, The Little Mermaid told the tale of a mermaid who longed to have legs and live on land. The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea was about Ariel's daughter who longed for fins and to live under the sea. Toy Story 2 was not like this at all. Instead, they took a look at the other side of the toy world, the collector. It was smart, funny, dramatic and adventureous.
The end of the movie featured a squeeze toy named Wheezy who just had his squeaker returned which meant he could sing. So he sang a big band version of You've Got a Friend In Me! Wheezy was voiced by ROBERT GOULET who just died last October. The movie only contains a short clip of the song but you can find the whole version in two places: The Toy Story 2 soundtrack and here at Covering the Mouse!
Toy Story 2 isn't the first time Goulet has provided a voice for animation. You can also hear him in Gay Purr-ee and Recess: School's Out.
Today we go back to the Wild Wild West for Country Music Week with Riders in the Sky and their version of You've Got a Friend In Me from the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story
RIDERS IN THE SKY is a Western group which means they mimic the style of music played by cowboys of the late 19th century. Think Magnificent Seven or The Great Train Robbery and you've got a classic Western. The Riders have been making music since the 70s and now have over thirty albums! The personnel has changed over the years but the musical style has remained in tact.
You'll find this song on WOODY'S ROUND-UP, a companion album for Toy Story 2. The album and the movie take a closer look into Woody's past. In the film, it was revealed that Woody was part of an old Western kids show called Woody's Round-Up. Pixar hired Riders in the Sky to compose the theme song for the show as well as a few other tunes. The work was well received and they went on to record a whole album for the show. They also provided the music for the Pixar short For the Birds
Also, today is the 12th anniversary of the release of Toy Story!
Over the years, many musical artists have paid tribute to the music of Disney. This blog pays tribute to those artists.
You won't find any original Disney songs here, these are all covers, interpretations and variations on the tunes we all love.
Covering the Mouse is not associated with Disney or any major record label. If you wish to have a song removed from my site, please email me and I will be happy to comply.
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