When She Loved Me
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"When She Loved Me" is a song written by
Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...
for
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
and
Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...
's animated film ''
Toy Story 2 ''Toy Story 2'' is a 1999 American computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The second installment in the ''Toy Story'' franchise and the sequel to '' Toy Story'' (1995), it was directed by John ...
'' (1999), and recorded by Canadian singer
Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...
. The song reveals the backstory of Jessie, a toy cowgirl, as she reflects upon her defunct relationship with her original owner, by whom she was outgrown. Heard in the film during a flashback sequence, the filmmakers decided to incorporate a song into the montage during which Jessie details her backstory to Woody after multiple attempts to show the character relaying her experience verbally proved unsuccessful. Newman initially felt that the song was inappropriate, doubting that young children would be interested in it; he changed his mind after
screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...
s showed optimistic results. The song was offered to McLachlan after Newman and the filmmakers agreed that the ballad was more appropriate for a female artist. Despite some hesitation from her management, McLachlan greatly enjoyed the ballad and agreed to record it upon hearing Newman's demo, finding herself drawn towards its melancholy nature. Musically, "When She Loved Me" is an emotional
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
backed by simple
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accompaniment. Various interpretations of the song's lyrics and themes have been offered; while written primarily about the pain felt upon losing a
platonic Plato's influence on Western culture was so profound that several different concepts are linked by being called Platonic or Platonist, for accepting some assumptions of Platonism, but which do not imply acceptance of that philosophy as a whole. It ...
friend, "When She Loved Me" has also been interpreted as a
love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order ...
, while some music journalists consider the track to be a
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...
for children inevitably growing up and becoming independent from their parents. "When She Loved Me" has garnered critical acclaim from film and music critics, who found the song to be both moving and heartbreaking, praising Newman's songwriting and McLachlan's vocal performance. "When She Loved Me" won a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The song was nominated for
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and
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for Best Original Song but lost both to " You'll Be in My Heart" from Disney's ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' (1999). "When She Loved Me" has since earned a reputation as one of the saddest sequences in both Pixar and Disney films, as well as one of the saddest film songs ever written. The song has been covered by several artists, including
Steve Tyrell ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...
,
Bridgit Mendler Bridgit Claire Mendler (born December 18, 1992) is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she began her career in the animated Indian film '' The Legend of Buddha'', later starring in the films ''Alice Upside Down'' (2007), ''The Clique'' (200 ...
and the musical group Steps.


Writing and recording

Beginning with ''
Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American computer-animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the '' Toy Story ...
'' (1995), director
John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter (; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, voice actor, and the head of animation at Skydance Animation. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios ...
had long decided that Pixar films would not be
musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...
in which the characters spontaneously perform songs, but agreed that musician
Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...
would write original songs about certain "moment in the story", most of which he would sing himself. Originally, the filmmakers had considered having Jessie, a toy
cowgirl A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
, simply explain her
backstory A backstory, background story, back-story, or background is a set of events invented for a plot, presented as preceding and leading up to that plot. It is a literary device of a narrative history all chronologically earlier than the narrative o ...
verbally; this concept was re-visited several times until the idea of re-working her thoughts into a song called "When She Loved Me" was suggested. Lasseter identified the addition of the song as the most significant change made to the film during production. Newman, however, doubted that "When She Loved Me" would work, initially thinking that the filmmakers were mistaken by incorporating it into the film, due to the song essentially being about the difference between feeling loved and unloved. The songwriter called the ballad a risk due to the studio's history of fearing slowing down films too much and losing the audience's interest in the process. Newman continued to doubt that children would be able to sit through the song until he observed their behavior during an initial screening. He was ultimately surprised to find that even the youngest children in the audience remained attentive during the song despite its slow tempo and mature, emotional themes. Newman joked that the song was not "the first time ixarknew better than I did", explaining, "I wrote something that must have worked or the kids would have been running up the aisle." Lasseter admitted that he is most proud of the way in which "When She Loved Me" was used in the film. Alongside "Woody's Roundup", "When She Loved Me" was one of two new songs Newman wrote for the film. Originally entitled "Jessie's Song", Newman's demo is shorter in length and features lyrics that differ slightly from the final film version. He considers "When She Loved Me" to be among his favorite film compositions, and found the film assignment easier than writing music for standard music albums because the filmmakers were "clear what they want to have said", as opposed to "pulling something out of the air". Pixar explained to him that his assignment involved writing a song "about essie'slife and her disappointment with her relationship with her owner, and they grew up", with the songwriter knowing only the length required for the song and that it was expected to be sung by a female at that time. Although Newman maintains that the song is almost exclusively about the relationship between a doll and her estranged owner, he admitted that "inevitably some of my own experience seeps in there". Unlike the songs he had written for ''Toy Story'', Newman does not sing "When She Loved Me" himself; after writing it, the filmmakers insisted that the ballad be performed by a female singer, a decision by which the songwriter was not offended, and recruited Canadian singer-songwriter
Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...
, of whom Lasseter had been "a tremendous fan". Newman compared writing for a singing voice like McLachlan's as opposed to himself to "writing for a different instrument", explaining, "I have a
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
-oriented voice ... She has a different kind of
contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...
, or whatever the hell she has.
Soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261  Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...
. It's a voice that can hold notes, so I can write with that in mind." Still a relatively new artist at the time, McLachlan claims that, when she was first sent the song, her management warned her that she might not like it. However, she ultimately began crying almost immediately upon hearing "When She Loved Me" for the first time, describing herself as "a sucker" for sad, melancholy songs. Newman's performance on the demo reminded McLachlan of "
Bein' Green "Bein' Green" (also known as "It's Not Easy Bein' Green") is a song written by Joe Raposo, originally performed by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog on both ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'' (in the episodes "Peter Ustinov" and "Peter Seller ...
", a song originally performed by American puppeteer
Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...
as the
Muppet The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...
Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...
. Despite not knowing how children would react to the song, McLachlan felt confident that mothers would "be bawling their eyes out" upon hearing it for the first time. McLachlan found the process of recording a song for an animated film to be different than what she had grown accustomed to as a recording artist owing to the number of people involved in the project recording with Newman. Newman and McLachlan recorded approximately 17 takes of the song before finally deciding upon a few with which they were satisfied. Newman and McLachlan produced the song together, with Newman arranging and orchestrating. Both Newman's piano accompaniment and McLachlan's vocals were recorded by producer
Greg Reely Greg Reely is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with acts such as Sarah McLachlan, Front Line Assembly, Fear Factory, Machine Head, Coldplay, The Tea Party, Spirit of the West and others. Credits *BAG - ''BAG'', ' ...
at
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in Vancouver, British Columbia.


Context and use in ''Toy Story 2''

Serving as a "haunting soundtrack to Jesse's ictale of abandonment", "When She Loved Me" is ''Toy Story 2'''s main song, and plays during a montage featuring images of Jessie and Emily, her former owner. Heard approximately midway through the film, the song narrates a flashback during which Jessie recalls the moment she is abandoned by Emily, reflecting upon their once-loving relationship and the good times they shared until Jessie is gradually outgrown and ultimately donated to charity in a cardboard box. The montage was animated by Tasha Wedeen. According to co-director
Ash Brannon Ashton Brannon (born October 31, 1969) is an American Emmy Award-winning writer, director, visual artist, animator, and producer. He was a story artist and directing animator on ''Toy Story'' and co-director of ''Toy Story 2''. He also directed a ...
, the scene is "an example of perfect animation casting". In addition to the sequel having more female animators than ''Toy Story'', Brannon found it helpful that a woman animated Jessie, elaborating, "Tasha animated When She Loved Me"and I don't think anybody could have done her better." Specific lighting effects and
filters Filter, filtering or filters may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream * Filter (video), a software component that ...
were used throughout the sequence to complement its mood, including sun-kissed lighting. Earlier in the film, Woody is stolen from a
yard sale A garage sale (also known as a yard sale, tag sale, moving sale and by many other namesSome rarely used names include "attic sale," "basement sale," "rummage sale," "thrift sale," "patio sale," "lawn sale," and "jumble sale".) is an informal ...
by
Al McWhiggin This is a list of characters from Disney/Pixar's ''Toy Story'' franchise which consists of the animated films ''Toy Story'' (1995), ''Toy Story 2'' (1999), ''Toy Story 3'' (2010) and ''Toy Story 4'' (2019), and '' Lightyear'' (2022). This list als ...
, a toy collector, in order to complete his collection of
vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...
''Woody's Roundup'' toys. A Japanese
toy museum A toy museum is a museum for toys. They typically showcase toys from a particular culture or period with their history. These are distinct from children's museums, which are museums for children, and are often interactive – toy museums may be ...
is willing to purchase Woody and the rest of the retired ''Woody's Roundup'' cast for a lucrative sum, each of whom have become collector's items since the show's cancellation. Most of the toys long to travel to the museum in order to avoid spending the remainder of their lives in storage, but Woody is hesitant and the museum will only accept the toys as a complete set. Jessie is particularly adamant that it would be best to relocate to the museum. While Woody explains that he is eager to return home to his rightful owner
Andy Andy may refer to: People *Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pia ...
, preferring to be loved while risking damage and abandonment as opposed to being immortalized in a museum, Jessie finally reveals that she herself once had an owner much like Andy and, like Woody, by whom she was treasured, before ultimately being discarded. Before the song begins, Woody tells Jessie about his relationship with Andy, which prompts her to share her own embittered experience with Emily, the only person she had ever truly cared about. Seated on a window sill, Jessie perfectly interprets Woody's feelings for Andy: "when ndyplays with you it's like, even though you're not moving, you feel like you're alive, 'cos that's how he sees you." Describing Emily as her "whole world", Jessie proceeds to explain to Woody both the joys and tragedies associated with being loved by a child, having once been Emily's favorite toy before her interests change as she grows older, turning towards music and makeup instead, and increasingly neglecting Jessie in the process, including forgetting her underneath her bed. Emily's cowgirl-themed possessions are gradually replaced with makeup and music albums. Before the scene ends, it offers Jessie (and audiences) a moment of false hope by showing the doll being rediscovered, retrieved from underneath Emily's bed and held as though she is about to be played with once again, only to be placed inside a cardboard box and left on the side of a road to be donated to charity. Jessie believes all toys eventually "outlive their usefulness"; to her, the idea of relocating to Japan "means that she will provide pleasure again and have some purpose in life." Sky TV described the scene as "Jessie's wistful trip down Memory Lane". The song also develops Jessie and Woody's relationship; Jessie finds the courage to tell Woody her story, explaining her apprehension towards the idea of having an owner, while Woody becomes a compassionate listener by learning about how she had become a collectible in the first place. Jessie's sadness is used "as the anchor to keep Woody in place", making him torn between which decision to make upon listening to Jessie's story. Later in the film, Jessie must make a choice of her own to either forsake immortality in favor of being loved by a child once again.
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, the childr ...
summarized the song's use in the film as "girl meets toy, girl loves toy, girl grows up, toy is left out for recycling." ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...
'''s Aaron Cutler identified "When She Loved Me" as one of the "few moments of melancholia" amidst an otherwise "sweet and light" film. Describing the song as "a fundamental Disney moment", Lasseter himself explained, "It's like Walt isneyonce said, for every laugh there should be a tear and for every tear a laugh." During this song, the audience learns about the origins of Jessie's " deep abandonment issues". '' Paste'' contributor Tim Grierson expressed that the toy "isn't just singing ... she's expressing a very human fear of abandonment that's backed up by decades of
andy Andy may refer to: People *Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pia ...
Newman's previous scarred protagonists." ''On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scorin''g author Fred Karlin agreed that the song "gives Jessie's statement not only a specific emotionality, but also a universal one." Daly described "When She Loved Me" as the "weepiest moment" in the ''Toy Story'' trilogy, while
Michael Mallory Michael Mallory (born 1955) is a writer on the subjects of animation and post-war pop culture, and the author of the books ''X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe'', ''Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror'' ''The Science Fiction ...
of the ''
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'' believes that both the song "encompasses the film's key message". By exploring the doll's character, film critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
wrote that the song proves that Jessie "does get the blues", despite her "spunky and liberated" personality. Contributors to the book ''Toy Story: How Pixar Reinvented the Animated Feature'' found "When She Loved Me" to be the "tragic inverse" of the series' theme song " You've Got a Friend in Me" due to its melancholy tone and outlook. Set nearly in the center of the original ''Toy Story'' trilogy, ''
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'' contributor Simon Kinnear identified the scene as "the point where the series truly grows up, shifting from a tale of childhood imagination to a mature reflection on growing up." The ''
Nashville Scene ''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...
'' opined that although "The scene is shot from a toy's point of view ... the primal fear it expresses--of fading from a child's memory as he or she grows older--is only too parental." Similar, ''Consequence of Sound'' contributor Allison Shoemaker wrote "The sequence manages to convey not only the ache of being left behind by someone you love, but the inevitable tragedy of growing up (and getting old). We all leave our childish things behind."


Music and lyrics

"When She Loved Me" is a
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
song with light
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
influences that lasts a duration of three minutes and five seconds (3:05) in length. Written in the key of
F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor. The F major scale is: : F major is ...
, "When She Loved Me" is performed "tenderly" and "very freely" at a tempo of 75
beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...
. A
piano ballad A ballade (from French '' ballade'', , and German ''Ballade'', , both being words for "ballad"), in classical music since the late 18th century, refers to a setting of a literary ballad, a narrative poem, in the musical tradition of the , or to a o ...
, the song uses simple background accompaniment. Its melody has been described as "sad" and "aching". Sean Daly of the ''
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'' described the ballad as a song that "captures the beauty of growing up and, for parents, the beauty of letting go." Newman himself described the song as a "slow ... and sort of grown-up emotional" track about the difference between feeling loved and unloved.
CD Universe CD Universe.com is an e-commerce site that sells music CDs, mp3 downloads, movies, and video games worldwide. CD Universe also offers a wide selection of miscellaneous items such as stuffed animals, jigsaw puzzles, board games, etc. History C ...
compared the ballad to the works of composer
Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...
and singer
Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...
. According to Ellen A. Kim of Hollywood.com, "When She Loved Me" is a simple, somber song that McLachlan performs with "aching wistfulness". Similarly, Mary Colurso of AL.com called the track a "wistful ballad".
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, the childr ...
observed that, unlike Newman's previous film compositions that use tempo to convey emotion, Newman instead enlists McLachlan "to sing the eternal ache of being abandoned". Ben Pobjie, a writer for
Medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation * Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium ...
, observed that the singer's "silken Canadian pipes turn a desperately sad song into a real wrist-slitter," comparing it to Newman's own "I Will Go Sailing No More" from the first film. According to Brad Green of Urban Cinefile, the ballad is a lament about "
platonic Plato's influence on Western culture was so profound that several different concepts are linked by being called Platonic or Platonist, for accepting some assumptions of Platonism, but which do not imply acceptance of that philosophy as a whole. It ...
, unconditional and enchantingly innocent love", themes he believes are seldom explored in mainstream pop music. The term " heartbreaking" is often used to describe the song;
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deemed the track "bittersweet". Described as "a heart-wrenching lament about being left behind", the song's lyrics begin, "When somebody loved me, ev'rything was beautiful." McLachlan movingly sings the line "I was left alone. Still I waited for the day when she'd say I will always love you." Despite having been written about "that fragile bond between child and favorite toy", the song's lyrics are open to
universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...
interpretations. Richard Walters, editor of the book ''The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Teen's Edition: Tenor'', believes that the song "takes on a different meaning" in the event that it is separated from the plot of the film and performed by a male vocalist. Thomas S. Hischak, author of ''The Disney Song Encyclopedia'', wrote that "When she Loved Me" is a "heart-tugging
torch song A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...
" about losing a friend as opposed to losing a romantic interest. However, Hischak said that the "simple but moving" song can also be interpreted as a love song out of context. ''On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring'' author Fred Karlin agreed that the ballad "works in the most general way to express emotions anyone can relate to", despite originally being a personal statement by one of the film's main characters. J.W. Pepper & Son described the ballad as a "tender love song". Film critic
Peter Bradshaw Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''. Early life and education Bradshaw was educated at Haberdasher ...
, writing for ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', wrote that he only "realised that the song is a
parable A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, w ...
for the parents' fear of abandonment by their children who won't want to play with them when they grow up" after becoming a father himself.


Reception and recognition

"When She Loved Me" has garnered critical acclaim. The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' film critic
Michael Mallory Michael Mallory (born 1955) is a writer on the subjects of animation and post-war pop culture, and the author of the books ''X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe'', ''Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror'' ''The Science Fiction ...
wrote that "only the stoniest of viewers will remain unaffected by hisshow-stopping moment". Mallory concluded, "there are Oscar winners out there who would be hard-challenged to match the performance in that scene". Agreeing that the song is a "showstopping moment", ''The Guardian'' film critic
Peter Bradshaw Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''. Early life and education Bradshaw was educated at Haberdasher ...
deemed the ballad "a tear-jerker to be classed with the imprisonment of Dumbo's mom" in Disney's ''
Dumbo ''Dumbo'' is a 1941 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The fourth Disney animated feature film, it is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl, ...
'' (1941). Mark Caro, writing for the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'', warned audiences that they "may embarrass hemselveschoking back tears over the plight of a computer-animated piece of plastic" upon hearing "When She Loved Me". Barbara Vancheri of the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' called the song irresistible, while film critic Roger Ebert described the track as "winsome". A critic for ''The Guardian'' described the film's use of "When She Loved Me" as "a fabulous moment". Glen Chapman of
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
described "When She Loved Me" as "rather beautiful". A writer for the ''Nashville Scene'' deemed the scene the film's "most affecting moment". While Steve Persall of the ''St. Petersburg Times'' crowned it "one of Randy Newman's finest love songs",
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
considers "When She Loved Me" to be among Newman's most "outstanding" film contributions. P. Nelson Reinsch of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television ...
'' wrote that the scene "starts out saccharine but becomes truly beautiful in its kitschy truth regarding the inexorable passage of childhood." In a retrospective analysis of Newman's music, ''Paste'''s Tim Grierson believes that, despite sounding "seeming ymawkish", the elements of "piercing emotion" that the musician continues to incorporate into his film scores has prevented "When She Loved Me" from "drift nginto pure sap." Jim Lane of '' News Review'' called the singer's performance "sublime", in addition to deeming the track "the most heartbreaking song ever composed for a motion picture." Reviewing the film's special edition re-release in 2006, IGN's Todd Gilchrist wrote that he struggles to identify "other moments in movie history that evoke the same kind of involuntary but completely deserved tears as" "When She Loved Me", continuing that the song's "bittersweet combination of ebullient love and palpable loneliness makes me sad just thinking about it." The critic also appreciated Disney's decision to have McLachlan record it over Newman. In November 1999, ''
The Courier-Journal ''The Courier-Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Net ...
'' contributor Judith Egerton predicted that the song would be nominated for an Academy Award. In 2000, "When She Loved Me" was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed ...
at the
72nd Academy Awards The 72nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1999 and took place on March 26, 2000, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST ...
, becoming Newman's 13th nomination in the category, and his second Academy Award-nominated song from the ''Toy Story'' film series, having achieved a previous nomination for his musical contributions to the ''Toy Story'' soundtrack. The song's nomination was considered to be unusual at the time because, unlike most animated films that had garnered Best Original Song nominations before it, ''Toy Story 2'' is not a musical. Most critics were expecting Newman to finally win his first Academy Award for "When She Loved Me".
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...
magazine '' The Advocate'' joked that the song was "the first Oscar-nominated girl-girl love song", referring to the relationship between Jessie and Emily. Ultimately, the song lost to
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...
' " You'll Be in My Heart" from Disney's animated film ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
'' (1999). "When She Loved Me" had been nominated for a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
for Best Original Song, which it also lost to "You'll Be in My Heart". "When She Loved Me" went on to win the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the
43rd Grammy Awards The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 2001, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Several artists earned three awards on the night. Steely Dan's haul included Album of the Year for '' Two Against Nature''. U2 took ...
in 2001. The song also won the
Golden Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...
for Best Original Song at the
4th Golden Satellite Awards The 4th Golden Satellite Awards, given by the International Press Academy, were awarded on January 16, 2000. Special achievement awards Mary Pickford Award (for outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry) – Maximilian Schell Outst ...
in 2000. ''GamesRadar+'' ranked "When She Loved Me" the sixth greatest Pixar moment. Actors
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
and
Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) and Mike Baxter on the ABC/ ...
, the voices of Sheriff Woody Pride and
Buzz Lightyear Buzz Lightyear is the main character in the ''Toy Story'' franchise created by Disney and Pixar mainly voiced by Tim Allen. He is a Superhero toy action figure based on the in-universe media franchise consisting of a blockbuster featur ...
, respectively, were moved to tears upon watching "When She Loved Me" for the first time, as Hanks explained, "we ... were looking at each other going, 'That's some powerful stuff' - to be reduced to that and to a level of emotion like that on a cartoon about talking toys and their adventures, it's profound". Tim Grierson of '' Mel Magazine'' crowned "When She Loved Me" "an all-time great tearjerker". ''The Guardian'''s Dorian Lynskey believes that the song has "made more people cry than any other song ewman haswritten." Similarly, Sam Adams, a critic for '' The A. V. Club'', joked that "There are two kinds of people: People who weep during the 'When She Loved Me' montage, and people who lie about it." Singer-songwriter
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...
identified "When She Loved Me" as a song that continues to make him cry whenever he hears it.


Live performances and cover versions

McLachlan and Newman performed "When She Loved Me" live at the 72nd Academy Awards in March 2000, where it had been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song has since been covered by several artists, many of whom tend to adjust the song's interpretation into that of a love song during their own renditions. Actor and singer
Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith, (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian. Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' a ...
recorded the song for ''The Disney Album'' (2001). Newman himself recorded an abridged,
instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...
version of "When She Loved Me" on piano for his album '' The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. 1'' (2003). ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television ...
''' Chris Ingalls called Newman's decision to include an instrumental version of the ballad on the album "a smart move" that "allows the listener to hear the sad, aching melody unadorned." The ''
Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976. The newspaper ...
'' wrote that Newman's "spare piano treatment carries this midlevel weeper to a state of grace". In 2006, musician
Steve Tyrell ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...
recorded the song for his
cover album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
''The Disney Standards'', which Christopher Loudon of ''
JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...
'' described as a "gorgeously reflective" rendition. Actress and singer
Kerry Butler Kerry Butler is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work in theatre. She is best known for originating the roles of Barbara Maitland in ''Beetlejuice'', Penny Pingleton in ''Hairspray'', and Clio/Kira in '' Xanadu'', the latt ...
covered "When She Loved Me" for her Disney-themed album ''Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust'' (2008), one of the more contemporary-sounding selections on the album of Disney songs. Actress and singer
Bridgit Mendler Bridgit Claire Mendler (born December 18, 1992) is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she began her career in the animated Indian film '' The Legend of Buddha'', later starring in the films ''Alice Upside Down'' (2007), ''The Clique'' (200 ...
covered the song for the compilation album ''
Disneymania 7 ''Disneymania 7'' is the seventh and final installment in the '' Disneymania'' series. It features a variety of contemporary performers performing Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational m ...
'' (2010), to which
Walt Disney Records Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by its ...
had personality invited her to contribute. Although Mendler was allowed to choose the song she wanted to record, Disney recommended that she cover "When She Loved Me", which she found very beautiful and agreed to record immediately upon listening to it. Although the artist had heard the song before, she did not remember much about it or its film until re-listening to the track in its entirety. Her first professional recording independent from an acting project, Mendler opted to offer a more upbeat interpretation of the ballad by incorporating
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
s into its arrangement while respecting McLachlan's original. To help her replicate the power and emotion of the song and its scene, the producers dimmed the lights during Mendler's recording session. The cover was released shortly before ''Toy Story 3''. Jill Sheets, a writer for the
teen magazine Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts. The teen magazine industry ...
''Relate Magazine'', praised Mendler's vocal performance and called her rendition "stunning". British pop group Steps recorded a cover of "When She Loved Me" for their
Christmas album Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...
'' Light Up the World'' (2012). While Jeremy Williams-Chalmers of '' The Yorkshire Times'' praised the "unquestionable dexterity" of the three female singers' vocals, he found that the track "hardly fits with either the group's signature sound or the album's implicit Christmas joviality." Singer
Jane Monheit Jane Monheit (born November 3, 1977"Jane Monheit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 33. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2001. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 2017-05-07.) is an American jazz and pop singer. Early life Monheit was bo ...
recorded "When She Loved Me" for her album ''The Heart of the Matter'' (2013). Stage actress and singer
Samantha Barks Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series '' I'd Do Anything'' in 2008. She has released three studio albums: ''Looking in Your ...
covered the ballad on her self-titled debut studio album in 2016, renaming it "When He Loved Me". She promoted it with live performances at
Feinstein's/54 Below 54 Below is a cabaret and restaurant in the basement of Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Owned by Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel, 54 Below has hosted shows by such performers as Patt ...
in support of the album, with Suzanna Bowling of the ''Times Square Chronicles'' writing that her "emotions poured forth" with her rendition. Mexican music group Belanova released a Spanish cover of the song in 2016, entitled "Cuando Ella Me Amaba". Their version was included on the compilation album '' We Love Disney (Latino)''. Describing their rendition as "more heartbreaking" than the original, AXS contributor Lucas Villa observed that the group's "signature electro-pop sound" has been replaced with more
acoustic instruments Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the adve ...
to emphasize
front woman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
Denisse Guerrero Denisse Guerrero Flores (born August 8, 1980, Los Mochis, Sinaloa) is a Mexican musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the electropop band Belanova. The band has released five albums since signing to Virus Records an ...
's voice, which Villa felt "beautifully reflects the pain and pining in Jessie's sad story", concluding, "The emotion translates well with Belanova's haunting rendition." The song was covered by Japanese-Canadian band
Monkey Majik Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
in 2017 for the Japanese Disney cover compilation, "Thank You Disney". In 2019, contestant Walker Burroughs performed "When She Loved Me" live on a Disney-themed episode of the reality television competition ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'', accompanying himself on piano. The performance was well-received by all three judges, with
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...
saying "You really transported me into a different time and place" and
Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...
calling it "as close to a perfect performance that I can ever think of.” ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'''s Robbie Daw dubbed it "the first perfect performance of the night." Burroughs ultimately advanced to the top eight of the competition following his performance.
The King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 19 ...
covered the song using an arrangement by Philip Lawson. It was released in 2019 and featured on their album Love Songs. On their 2020 album ''The Corner of Broadway and Main Street, Volume 2'', ''a cappella'' ensemble
Voctave Voctave is an 11-member a cappella group based in Central Florida, United States. The group consists of several performers from the Voices of Liberty a cappella group at the American Adventure pavilion at the Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney Wo ...
performs an arrangement with singer Liz Callaway as a guest soloist.


Impact and legacy

NewNowNext Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment progr ...
ranked "When She Loved Me" the second greatest song of McLachlan's career, crediting its Academy Award nomination to her "heartfelt interpretation". The song's sad tone has frequently drawn comparisons to McLachlan's television commercials for the
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective me ...
(ASPCA). Ranking "When She Loved Me" first on their "Definitive Ranking of the Saddest Pixar Moments",
CollegeHumor CollegeHumor is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles. Aside from producing content for release on YouTube, it was also a former humor website owned by InterActiveCorp ( IAC) until January 2020, when IAC withdrew funding and the websi ...
's Willie Muse joked that McLachlan used "When She Loved Me" to make listeners cry "Long before she was singing background vocals for images of dogs being abused".
Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...
identified "When She Loved Me" as one of Pixar's "Moments ... Guaranteed To Make You Weep", about which author Josh Kurp wrote embodies "the thought and mindfulness ... put into ''Toy Story 2''", calling it "almost as sad as Sarah McLachlan's ASPCA commercial." Ranking the montage the 7th of "17 Disney Moments That Never Fail to Make You Sob", Jenna Mullins of
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also likened the scene to the singer's ASPCA commercials. Similarly, John Boone of ''
Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American first-run syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Paramount Streaming. ET also airs in Aus ...
'', while ranking "When She Loved Me" Pixar's fourth most tear-jerking moment, joked, "Between this and those adoption commercials, WHAT is your problem, Sarah McLachlan?! Do you WANT us to cry?" ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'''s Allison Shoemaker believes the ballad is among Pixar's "most potent" scenes "that punches you in the gut", calling it one of Newman's "biggest heartbreakers" before jokingly concluding, "Sarah McLachlan's vocal performance does all the things you remember from those awful animal abuse commercials." "When She Loved Me" is considered to be one of the most tearful moments in Disney and Pixar's films.
HelloGiggles HelloGiggles.com is an entertainment and lifestyle website launched in May 2011. It was founded by actress/musician Zooey Deschanel, producer Sophia Rivka Rossi and writer Molly McAleer. The website is geared toward women, and covers topics in ...
contributor Stephanie Ashe included "When She Loved Me" among "The most emotional moments" from the ''Toy Story'' franchise. ''
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
'' ranked the song the 10th most heartbreaking Pixar moment. In a retrospective review for ''The Irish Times'', Bradshaw dubbed the song "the single most devastatingly sad moment in any kids' film". Including it among 10 "film soundtrack moments that'll have you crying in your popcorn", BBC Online called the ballad "the most heartbreaking story in the world" while writing that McLachlan's performance "left a generation of children looking to their parents and asking: "Mummy, why are you sad?" In 2015, ''Paste'' ranked "When She Loved Me" the 27th "Saddest Songs of All Time", with contributor Bonnie Stiernberg writing, "Everyone always talks about how ''Toy Story 3'' destroyed them emotionally ... but the ''Toy Story'' scene that consistently breaks me up is the one from ''Toy Story 2'' when Sarah McLachlan sings this Randy Newman song about a toy getting abandoned by her owner as she grows up." ''
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'' credits the song with establishing "the foundation for the emotionally tough territory that Pixar would continue to mine in its subsequent efforts." Sky TV wrote that "When She Loved Me" "tugs heart-strings on a level not reached again until" Pixar's '' Up'' (2009). In review of ''
Toy Story 3 ''Toy Story 3'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to '' Toy Story 2'' (1999). It wa ...
'' (2010), Matt Goldberg of
Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particl ...
felt that the sequel was slightly inferior to ''Toy Story 2'' due to lacking "a moment of melancholy" like "When She Loved Me".


Awards and nominations


References

{{Authority control 1990s ballads Songs from Toy Story 1999 singles 1999 songs Pop ballads Bridgit Mendler songs Sarah McLachlan songs Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media Songs about friendship Songs about heartache Torch songs Songs written by Randy Newman Walt Disney Records singles