Taylor Swift returns to country with 'I Knew It, I Knew You,' a Jessie-inspired ballad for Toy Story 5

Taylor Swift has released "I Knew It, I Knew You," a new song written for the upcoming Pixar film Toy Story 5. The track arrived on digital services at midnight on Friday, June 5, and marks a deliberate return to Swift's country music origins. Co-written and co-produced with her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, the song is written from the perspective of the cowgirl toy Jessie, exploring themes of reunion and healed heartbreak.

A month of teasing

Rumors of Swift's involvement with the fifth Toy Story installment began in late April, when her official website briefly displayed a 48-hour countdown set against a backdrop resembling the iconic cloudy wallpaper from Andy's room. The countdown was removed without explanation. On May 29, billboards featuring a large "TS" in the Toy Story font appeared in various locations worldwide. Pixar and Disney later shared videos of the placards on Instagram, showing Jessie dancing on a catwalk with a caption referencing Swift's song "Shake It Off." A second countdown appeared on Swift's site on June 1, this time depicting Jessie on a farm, and concluded with a link to pre-order three collector's edition CDs of the single.

The song

"I Knew It, I Knew You" is an upbeat, sprightly track that lyrically traces a reunion between Jessie and a former owner. The chorus includes the lines, "I remembered I loved you / Came back when it mattered / I saw you, standing there in the light of the window / Wearing that same smile." The song serves as a narrative counterpoint to "When She Loved Me," the mournful Sarah McLachlan-performed ballad from Toy Story 2 that detailed Jessie's abandonment by her first child, Emily. Where that earlier song focused on loss, Swift's track finds ecstasy in a rematch.

Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time. Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once.

Swift recorded three versions of the track: the standard digital release, plus acoustic and piano editions available exclusively on CD through her website.

The collaborators

Jack Antonoff returns to the producer's chair with Swift for the first time since 2024's The Tortured Poets Department. Although Antonoff began working with Swift after she had largely moved away from country, the pair previously collaborated on the country-leaning track "Betty" from her 2020 album Folklore, which was also co-produced by Aaron Dessner. Swift became the youngest person inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in January 2026, joining a class that included Alanis Morissette, Kenny Loggins, and Kiss songwriters Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

It's incredible just how meaningful it's been having Taylor write and perform this song. Her connection to Jessie and the immediate way she understood what the character was going through was undeniable.

The film

Toy Story 5, directed and written by Andrew Stanton, stars Tom Hanks and Tim Allen reprising their voice roles as Woody and Buzz Lightyear, with Joan Cusack returning as Jessie. The plot follows Andy's old toys as they adjust to a new electronic tablet capturing the attention of their current owner, Bonnie. The film and its soundtrack will both be released on June 19, which also marks the 20th anniversary of Swift's debut single "Tim McGraw."