“Real Gone,” performed by Sheryl Crow, is the opening song in Pixar's Cars.
The track plays over the film's opening racing sequence, introducing Lightning McQueen as he competes in the Piston Cup and establishing the movie's energetic road-and-racing identity. Its lyrics and driving rhythm fit the film's emphasis on speed, travel, and independence.
Cars contains several prominent music cues, which can cause mix-ups. Rascal Flatts perform “Life Is a Highway,” a major song associated with the film's journey, while “Our Town” is performed by James Taylor. “Route 66” appears in the soundtrack in a version by Chuck Berry.
The soundtrack combines newly recorded songs with music tied to American road culture. Sheryl Crow's “Real Gone” is specifically the opening song, not the better-known song heard during the characters' road-trip montage.