Taylor Swift says she wrote and produced “I Knew It, I Knew You” for “Toy Story 5” in less than eight hours after an 11 a.m. screening, co-writing the end credits song with Jack Antonoff. In a June 19 interview, she also described the “songwriter zoomies” rush
Taylor Swift watched “Toy Story 5” at 11 a.m., then by 7 p.m. she was already deep into the end credits song that would later debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
In a new interview that aired June 19 on “Good Morning America,” the 14-time Grammy winner described writing “I Knew It, I Knew You” in less than eight hours—an all-day creative sprint that she framed as being swept up by momentum after seeing the film early in the day.
“I got so inspired, got the songwriter zoomies,” Swift says in a clip from the studio. “I think this is one of the most fun days of my life.”
She told the show she called longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff quickly after the screening. The pair co-wrote the end credits song together.
“I called him up and I just really quickly blurted out: ‘I got to see the new “Toy Story!” I have to tell you all about the film. but we need to write this song!. We need to write this song!’” Swift said during the sit-down with “Good Morning America.” She added that the excitement turned hectic fast: “I was so excited; it was a frenetic form of excitement.”.
For Swift, the rush wasn’t a one-off. She also once recalled writing “Love Story” in just 20 minutes and writing “Willow,” an “Evermore” track, in less than 10 minutes.
“I Knew It. I Knew You” is built around plastic cowgirl Jessie. voiced by Joan Cusack. whose story in “Toy Story 5” turns toward her now-grown-up former owner. Emily. and the closure Jessie has been waiting for. Swift described the character’s journey as a shift from heartbreak to something steadier—an arc she said helped her pinpoint what she wanted to write.
“We’ve seen her have her heart broken; we watched the car pull away,” Swift said. “In this film, watching her have a different arc … there’s lessons she’s learned that made me feel I knew exactly what I wanted to write for her.”
In the earlier 1999 film “Toy Story 2,” Jessie is abandoned by her owner and finds a new family with Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). In “Toy Story 5,” Swift said Jessie’s perspective changes as the character looks back at Emily.
Cusack, who plays Jessie, has said she didn’t know about Swift’s “beautiful” “Toy Story 5” song until a few days before it dropped.
Swift brought the project to the public at the “Toy Story 5” Los Angeles premiere earlier this month, where she performed “I Knew It, I Knew You.” She was joined by musician Randy Newman, who has scored and written tunes for all four previous “Toy Story” films.
She also explained why the song resonates with her personally, drawing a line between the way friendships and memories can stretch across time.
“In life, you have friendships, you have memories with people, you form bonds, and then sometimes a path takes you a different way,” Swift said. “Sometimes you see somebody again down the road and you’re like ‘Man, it’s been a while! But you’re the same person I had all these memories with.’”
The story of “I Knew It, I Knew You”—written at breakneck speed after an 11 a.m. screening. designed for Jessie’s closure. and built with Antonoff—arrived with a kind of inevitability that’s hard to miss. Swift’s description of the day as “songwriter zoomies” wasn’t just a joke; it matched the timeline she laid out. from inspired viewing to a finished chart-topper before the clock even hit the evening.
Taylor Swift Toy Story 5 I Knew It I Knew You Jack Antonoff Good Morning America Billboard Hot 100 Joan Cusack Jessie Randy Newman Tom Hanks Tim Allen Los Angeles premiere end credits song