“Our Town,” written by Randy Newman, plays over the end credits of Pixar’s Cars.
The song reflects the film’s central theme: a once-busy community has been left behind as transportation patterns change. Its lyrics look back on a town’s past and express affection for a place that has lost much of its former activity. That perspective fits Radiator Springs and the film’s broader interest in historic Route 66 communities.
Randy Newman composed the score for Cars and wrote several songs for the soundtrack. “Our Town” was performed by James Taylor and earned Newman an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. The song was also nominated for a Grammy Award.
“Life Is a Highway,” performed by Rascal Flatts, is strongly associated with Cars because it accompanies the road-trip sequence and became the film’s best-known upbeat song. “Real Gone,” performed by Sheryl Crow, opens the movie. Those songs are common answers when the soundtrack is remembered generally, but the end-credit song is “Our Town.”