MUSIC FOR STEEM WEEK 5 - @esouthern3 and @cmp2020 “When She Loved Me”

This week’s song selection was my choice. Could you figure it out from the hint on last week’s entry? “When She Loved Me” is from Toy Story 2 (1999), and I think it qualifies as a sad song.

Choosing the Song

I have always loved Disney movies, and I really love the Toy Story franchise. Growing up, I’ll admit that I enjoyed watching the sequel more than the original (let’s be real, Sid and his toys were scary!). I liked the new characters; the plot was exciting; I loved the sequence when Woody is cleaned/polished; it was emotional. Anyway, I chose this specific Disney song for a few reasons. One, it’s a touching ballad. Two, this song was part of a playlist I called “Solo” which was a list of songs that I would consider singing as solos for various choir events. Three, I have the sheet music for it.

Without further ado, here is the recording of “When She Loved Me” followed by lyrics:

When somebody loved me
Everything was beautiful
Every hour spent together
Lives within my heart

And when she was sad
I was there to dry her tears
And when was happy so was I
When she loved me

Through the summer and the fall
We had each other, that was all
Just she and I together
Like it was meant to be

And when she was lonely
I was there to comfort her
And I knew that she loved me

So the years went by
I stayed the same
But she began to drift away
I was left alone
Still I waited for the day
When she'd say, "I will always love you"

Lonely and forgotten
Never thought she'd look my way
And she smiled at me and held me
Just like she used to do
Like she loved me
When she loved me

When somebody loved me
Everything was beautiful
Every hour spent together
Lives within my heart
When she loved me

About the Song

Again, this song is from Toy Story 2. For those of you who haven’t seen this movie or don’t remember the plot, I’ll briefly summarize. Toys have a life of their own—their main purpose is to be played with, but they have consciousness and mobility and feelings. Woody, a cowboy toy, is accidentally stolen from a yard sale because he happens to be a rare, collectable toy from an old television show. The thief brings Woody to his apartment where Woody is introduced to other collectable toys from the same show: Jessie (a cowgirl), Bullseye (a horse), and Stinky Pete (a prospector). As Woody struggles to find his way back to his owner Andy, he bonds with the other toys and learns about their pasts. Eventually (spoiler), Andy’s other toys come to the rescue and bring Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye back to Andy’s house.

The song “When She Loved Me” (written by Randy Newman and performed by Sarah McLachlan) plays over a montage of Jessie’s memories as she tells Woody about her tragic past. Jessie had been the favorite toy of a girl named Emily when the girl was a child, but, as Emily grew up, Jessie became a neglected toy subject to living under the bed. Emily, as a young adult, finds Jessie once again, and, just as Jessie thinks she will be played with and loved once again, Emily donates Jessie.

I’ve always found this scene so moving (I’ll admit, I cry every time I watch it) and that is in no small part due to the music. Music can be so powerful and influential, and, to me, this song is a reminder of that sentiment.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the song. Clue for next week’s performance: we’ll be leaving Oz.