You've Got a Friend in Me - Music Box Collection



Hey everyone! Jamie from Fong Songs with another Disney cover to share with you. The wikipedia article on music boxes explains "that the tone of a musical box is unlike that of any musical instrument," which works perfectly for Unconventional Instrument Week. I chose this music box cover of You've Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story as recorded by MUSIC BOX COLLECTION, though I'm not sure whether that's one artist per se or some company that churns them out along the lines of those Rock-a-Bye Baby compilations. Apparently in Japan, cover albums in the music box or "orgel" style are their very own popular (or at least prolific) subgenre of music. This cover comes from the descriptively named HOSHINI NEGAIWO ITSUKA OUJISAMAGA ORGEL COLLECTION. The same people even put out music box cover albums of songs from Hayao Miyazaki films.

The music box as a genre somewhat fascinates and baffles me. As I understand it, one doesn't exactly "play" the music box as an instrument since in its most basic form it consists of a prefabricated metal disc or cylinder with bumps that "pluck" the notes of a sort of metal comb as they rotate. So I imagine the arrangement of such a song would be quite the involved and complex process unless they have some sort of automated process that facilitates the conversion of written music to mechanical discs. The abundance of music box recordings seems to suggest as much, though I couldn't really satisfy my curiosity regarding modern day music box recording techniques despite some obsessive googling and I suspect its less complicated than I'm making it out to be. Though I do find this particular recording quite charming, perhaps such covers are more mechanical than artistic in nature. I mean, this isn't even the only music box cover of You've Got a Friend in Me I have in my collection!

Labels: disney orgel, music box collection, toy story, you've got a friend in me

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  You've Got a Friend In Me - Sally Harmon



Happy 53rd birthday, John Lasseter!

One of the most important people in recent Disney history, Lasseter is the founder of Pixar studios and the director of Toy Story. He was also named chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios when Disney bought Pixar in 2006.

Today's cover is You've Got a Friend In Me and is a beautiful rendition played on the piano by SALLY HARMON. Harmon began playing the piano by ear at the age of three, and mastered her instrument through several years of lessons, practicing, and hard work. But she makes it sound so easy with her creative and well thought out arrangements of famous classical and pop tunes. She now tours all over the US, sharing her special talent with everyone!

You've Got a Friends in Me can be found on HEART OF THE MOVIES a collection of songs that are featured in cinema. She has recorded a few other Disney songs, so you may hear her again at Covering the Mouse!

Labels: heart of the movies, piano, sally harmon, toy story, you've got a friend in me

  ¶ 10:21 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  You've Got a Friend in Me - Yami Bolo
YAMI BOLO is a reggae artist from Kingston, Jamaica. He started recording professionally when he was twenty and has released twenty-two albums over two decades.

Bolo is still active in the music industry, touring all over the world but always returning to Jamaica.

In 2001, Yami Bolo covered You've Got a Friend in Me for REGGAE FOR KIDS, a collaboration of many popular reggae artists covering songs from the Disney library. It stands as one of the best covers of this song, mainly due to the way the lyrics relate to the reggae culture.

You've Got a Friend In Me Yami Bolo 2001

Labels: reggae, reggae for kids, toy story, yami bolo, you've got a friend in me

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  You've Got a Friend In Me - Amanda Martin & Lyle Goodman
Like many Randy Newman tunes, You've Got a Friend In Me makes a great transition over to the world of bluegrass. Taken from the album O MICKEY WHERE ART THOU?, this cover is performed by AMANDA MARTIN and LYLE GOODMAN, two nashville artists who are at the beginning of their careers.

This album was produced by Fred Molin who has produced a number of Disney albums including DISNEY LULLABYS and LIGHTNING MCQUEEN'S FAST TRACKS.

You've Got a Friend In Me Amanda Martin & Lyle Goodman 2003

Labels: amanda martin, bluegrass, lyle goodman, o mickey where art thou, toy story, you've got a friend in me

  ¶ 11:48 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  You've Got A Friend In Me - Bonerama
Greetings, Disney fans! Boyhowdy of folk coverblog Cover Lay Down here, back to lay another new find upon your ears. Today we take a trip down the delta to the Crescent City itself, where a star-studded cast of New Orleans musicians from swampy funkmeisters The Radiators and Ivan Neville to deep southern bluesman Walter "Wolfman" Washington have pulled together to lend their support to music education with the release of FUNKY KIDZ, a brand new collection of "funkified classic hits for children and adults". And there's no better place to start than the kick-off track, a fine, funky version of the Toy Story theme song You've Got A Friend of Me by BONERAMA.

Though Randy Newman originally wrote the song for his own rolling piano pop style, You've Got A Friend in Me plays out as a terrific New Orleans second line number, full of trombones and barrelhouse swing, and ballsy New Orleans brass band Bonerama (Best Rock Band, Big Easy Awards 2007) has the chops to pull it off with aplomb. And I can vouch for the fact that the song is equally awesome in the ears of kids and adults alike, as my daughters and I have been bopping along to this one for weeks, ever since I snagged a copy of the pre-release.

But though the kids would never hear it, there's something bittersweet about re-grounding what was originally a song about buddy-buddy friendship in a post-Katrina world. By framing the song in the kind of funky pomp and circumstance we typically associate with a New Orleans funeral, Bonerama asks us to hear the lyric as an offer of friendship to New Orleans itself. And anyone familiar with the current lot of the Big Easy, a city which remains depressed and half-deserted, can't help but hear the weariness of such an offer, despite the high energy of the performance.

The end result is a recasting of the song in a different, more courageous kind of friendship than the original. If asked to choose, I'd have to say this is the most powerful version of this song I've heard. Which makes it only that much more incredible that the rest of the album manages to stand up to the high standards set by this track.

Funky Kidz hit the streets March 4th -- the only day of the year which is also a military command, and thus the perfect day to launch this exquisite hi-stepping street parade -- and it's already been touted by musical critics from kidbloggers to Jambase as the best thing to hit the kid's music rack for years. And if the music wasn't enough incentive, a portion of the proceeds go to ASAP Productions, an organization which fosters music education in New Orleans and across the US. So what are you waiting for? Adults and children alike can and should head on over to Funky Kidz Music, where you can sample the other tracks, including some seriously funky covers of songs from Dumbo (When I See an Elephant Fly) and Song of the South (Zip A Dee Doo Dah) before you buy.

For a second full-sized track from Funky Kidz, plus twice-weekly megaposts of the best from the world of coverfolk, c'mon over to Cover Lay Down, where the most recent installment of our popular Covered in Kidfolk series featured Walter "Wolfman" Washington and the Roadmasters' amazing delta blues cover of Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land. It's not Disney, but like Toy Story, it's associated with a tall, earnest cowboy named Woody, so perhaps it's not too much of a stretch to mention it, eh?

You've Got A Friend In Me Bonerama 2008

Labels: bonerama, funk, funky kidz, toy story, you've got a friend in me

  ¶ 12:42 PM 3 Comments Links to this post

  You've Got a Friend In Me - Robert Goulet
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.

You've Got a Friend In Me Robert Goulet 1999

Labels: big band, jazz, robert goulet, toy story, toy story 2, you've got a friend in me

  ¶ 7:36 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

  You've Got a Friend In Me - Riders in the Sky
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!

You've Got a Friend In Me Riders in the Sky 2000

Labels: country, riders in the sky, toy story, toy story 2, woody's round up, you've got a friend in me

  ¶ 5:05 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  You've Got a Friend In Me - Mannheim Steamroller
When someone says Mannheim Steamroller, what comes to your mind? Probably Chirstmas music, right? While MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER has released over two dozen albums, the only time they get radio play seem to be at Christmas with their versions of Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Deck the Halls and other Christmas favourites.

Mannheim Steamroller is really one man, Chip Davis, who began experimenting with synthesizers and electric bass to create what he calls 18th Century Classic Rock. He formed his own record label in the 70s (because no other label would touch his music) and continues to release albums to this day.

In 1999, he recorded a whole album of Disney music. MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER MEETS THE MOUSE is an album of experimentation and creativity. The arrangements of the classics songs are often different, weird and sometimes a bit unrecognisable. But Mannheim's unique, signature sound is there and paints a new picture for these songs.

On the album in You've Got a Friend In Me from Toy Story. This version of the song removes Randy Newman's playful pop sound and turns it into a jazzy, laid back piece of muzac. It is a very different take on the song. Do you like it? Let me know what you think!

You've Got a Friend In Me Mannheim Steamroller 1999

Labels: electronic, mannheim steamroller, mannheim steamroller meets the mouse, toy story, you've got a friend in me

  ¶ 7:10 AM 3 Comments Links to this post