By Alexandra Pullen
Photo Credit: @taylorswift on Instagram // Beth Garrabrant.
After eight months of musical silence, Taylor Swift has officially returned to her country roots with the release of I Knew It, I Knew You, recorded for Disney’s Toy Story 5 soundtrack. Not to be confused with the Gracie Abrams track I Knew It, I Know You, the song was co-written and co-produced by Swift alongside long-time collaborator Jack Antonoff and is inspired by the storyline of Jessie, the toy cowgirl.
Swifties, alert as ever, had been conspiring about Swift’s involvement in the film franchise for a while. On 30th April 2026, the singer’s official website displayed a countdown of 48 hours, with the distinguishable blue sky and white clouds associated with Toy Story as the background. It was then deleted, but the fanbase are certainly professionals at spotting an Easter egg. A second flurry of teasers came on 29th May: Disney Pixar billboards reading ‘TS’ popped up worldwide, the seagulls on Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album cover were swapped for clouds, and even Apple Music weighed in on the fun, updating the musician’s ‘essentials’ playlist to only feature track 5s, as well as capitalising every ‘T’ and ‘S’ in her lyrics.
Finally, on Monday 1st June, Taylor Swift announced her contribution to the Toy Story 5 soundtrack on Instagram, sharing: “I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5 year old kid watching the first Toy Story movie. I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening. Sometimes you just know, right?” Swift has previously written songs for The Hunger Games, Where the Crawdads Sing, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Hannah Montana: The Movie, just to name a few.
At its core, I Knew It, I Knew You, signals a return to Swift’s country roots, the genre which started it all for her. The moment that homely and upbeat harmonica opens the song, underpinned by the simple yet consistent soft pop drum beat, it feels equally reminiscent of 2020’s betty and Swift’s debut album from 2006. Building up to its chorus, the track is incredibly catchy and well-paced, but it’s the bridge and final chorus which completely elevate it. With backing vocals from Antonoff and Sam Dew (who also has songwriting credits on Lavender Haze, Glitch and I Don’t Wanna Live Forever), the key change and increasing presence of the saxophone, a staple of sorts for Antonoff, fill out I Knew It, I Knew You. Ultimately, the song feels like a breath of fresh air, and for Swifties who were not keen on The Life of a Showgirl (myself included), it feels like a comforting transformation back to simpler times.
As we have seen on albums such as folklore and evermore, Swift has a terrific talent of writing about the tales of others while also interweaving her own life into her songs. She captures specific emotions so well because she understands and has experienced them herself. In the case of I Knew It, I Knew You, the song, of course, is intrinsically linked to the story of Jessie, and presumably her journey of reuniting with her old owner Emily (suggested by lyrics including “I memorised the sound of your bare footsteps/Running wild, it’s been a long time”). However, lines like “But love has ways of bringing things back to life” could also reflect Swift’s life, with her return to country music and her relationship with Travis Kelce breathing new life into her.
Swift’s fanbase are already considering what may come next for the singer. It’s worth noting that 19th June 2026, the release date of Toy Story 5, also marks exactly 20 years since the release of Taylor Swift’s debut single Tim McGraw. So, is I Knew It, I Knew You just a teaser for a full plunge back into the country genre? Is Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version) on the horizon? Only time will tell.
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Text Copyright 2026 © Alexandra Pullen/ADRENALINE Magazine, except song lyrics.
Madi Briggs