Taylor Swift Helps The ‘Toy Story’ Franchise Reach A New Chart Peak
The Toy Story 5 soundtrack debuts on three Billboard charts following the success of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album opens at No. 1 on the Kid Albums list, giving Randy Newman his first leader on that ranking, while also starting at No. 2 on the Soundtracks roster and No. 67 on the Billboard 200.
In mid-June, Taylor Swift returned to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with a brand new smash. "I Knew It, I Knew You" debuted atop Billboard's ranking of the most popular songs in America, giving the singer-songwriter her milestone fifteenth leader. "I Knew It, I Knew You" helped her advance and place third among all artists with the most No. 1 hits in history.
Swift wrote and recorded "I Knew It, I Knew You" for Toy Story 5, and the arrival of her single helped to generate even more excitement for the latest installment in the massively successful Pixar franchise, which has already earned more than $600 million globally.
A few weeks after "I Knew It, I Knew You" conquered various Billboard charts, the Toy Story 5 soundtrack hits No. 1 on a tally and appears to bring the series to a new all-time high on the most important albums ranking in the nation.
The Toy Story 5 soundtrack launches on a trio of Billboard charts this week, and it opens inside the top 10 on all but one of them. Toy Story 5 conquers the Kid Albums tally, comes in second place on the Soundtracks roster – stuck behind only the unbeatable KPop Demon Hunters – and begins its time on the Billboard 200 at No. 67.
A quick look at the three Billboard charts where Toy Story 5 arrives seems to suggest that no artist has been officially credited on the project, as in the spot where the names of musicians typically go, only the word “soundtrack” appears. Sometimes Billboard does not attach a full-length or EP to any one act, but rather stipulates it as a compilation.
It turns out, actually, that Randy Newman earns credit, even though the chart doesn't make it seem so. Toy Story 5 is now counted in his discography on the Billboard tallies, and it's a major win for the Oscar-winning composer. Newman earns his first No. 1 on the Kid Albums chart and his third placement. Toy Story 4 previously marked his sole top 10 when it debuted and peaked at No. 7 in 2019. Last August, the first Toy Story launched on the Kid Albums rundown at No. 13, and it has never placed any higher.
Newman also reaches a career high on Billboard's Soundtracks chart. Toy Story 5 nearly nets the songwriter his first No. 1, but instead it becomes his only top 10. Toy Story 4 spent one week at No. 20 in the summer of 2019 before slipping away.
Looking at the Billboard 200, the list of the most-consumed albums in the U.S., Toy Story 5 lands somewhere in the middle among Newman's dozen appearances. Aside from his work in the movies, Newman also enjoyed a career as a singer-songwriter, and multiple projects – including his one top 10, Little Criminals (No. 9) – peaked in loftier positions than where Toy Story 5 begins its run this time around.
No. 67 does appear to mark a new all-time high on the Billboard 200 when looking not at Newman's discography, but all five Toy Story soundtracks. Only the first Toy Story album also broke into the highest half of the 200-space rundown, as it topped out at No. 94. Toy Story 2, Toy Story 4 and Toy Story 3 peaked at Nos. 111, 122 and 145, respectively.
The franchise-best performance enjoyed by Toy Story 5 comes thanks, at least in large part, to Swift's involvement. This week, "I Knew It, I Knew You" slips from the No. 1 space on the Billboard Hot 100 after two weeks in charge, making room for Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" to return to the summit.