“Real Gone” plays during the opening montage of Lightning McQueen's racing life in Pixar's Cars.
The song is performed by Sheryl Crow and appears near the beginning of the 2006 film. Its energetic rock sound accompanies footage establishing McQueen as a confident rookie competing in the Piston Cup season.
The soundtrack also includes “Life Is a Highway,” performed by Rascal Flatts, which is strongly associated with Cars and is therefore a common mix-up. “Our Town,” by James Taylor, serves a different emotional purpose later in the film, during the sequence about Radiator Springs.
The soundtrack combines original songs with score music by Randy Newman. “Real Gone” helps establish the film's fast, modern racing atmosphere before the story shifts toward the slower community life of Radiator Springs.