In Pixar’s Cars, Randy Newman wrote and performed the Oscar-nominated song “Our Town.”
“Our Town” plays over the closing portion of the film and reflects Radiator Springs’ transformation after Lightning McQueen chooses to remain connected to the community. The song’s lyrics focus on memory, change, and the decline and renewal of a once-busy town.
Randy Newman wrote the film’s original score and songs. “Our Town” received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 79th Academy Awards, although it did not win. The award went to “I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth.
Newman had already become one of Pixar’s most important musical collaborators through Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and Monsters, Inc. He also wrote “When She Loved Me” for Toy Story 2 and later contributed music to additional Pixar films.