You've Got a Friend in Me

Harmonic Analysis Worksheet
& Performance Notes Below

Analysis Worksheet Chords Melody Scales Performance Links

You've Got a Friend in Me

Released: April 12, 1996

You've Got a Friend in Me is a song by Randy Newman. Used as the theme song for the 1995 Disney/Pixar animated film Toy Story, it has since become a major musical component for its sequels, Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010) and Toy Story 4 (2019) as well as a musical leitmotif throughout the whole Toy Story franchise. The song was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, but lost both to "Colors of the Wind" from Disney's Pocahontas.

Like many other Disney theme songs, "You've Got a Friend in Me" has been covered numerous times. Cover versions featured in the first three Toy Story films include a duet with Newman and Lyle Lovett in Toy Story; a diagetic instance by Tom Hanks, a version by Robert Goulet and an instrumental by Tom Scott in Toy Story 2, and a Spanish language version by the Gipsy Kings in Toy Story 3.

You've Got a Friend in Me is in the The Daily Ukulele — 365 Songs for Better Living book.

Strum a different song every day with easy arrangements of 365 of your favorite songs in one big songbook! The Daily Ukulele features ukulele arrangements with melody, lyrics and uke chord grids and are in ukulele-friendly keys that are particularly suited for groups of one to one hundred to play and sing.

The Daily Ukulele — 365 Songs for Better Living • INDEX of Songs

You've Got a Friend in Me Ukulele Chords

Theses and many other chords are covered in the Learn A Chord A Day series of lessons.

C Tuning Chords

Starting Melody Note and 1st Interval

INTERVALS: Root=note that begins a scale of the starting key; C is C, D is D, Am is a, Em is E, etc... m=minor; M=Major; P=Perfect; D=Diminished; A=Augmented. • ↑ is up/ascending; ↓ is down/descending;

Harmonic Analysis (HA) Worksheet

Visit the Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection series of lessons for information on creating a your own Harmonic Analysis Worksheet

Harmonic Analysis (HA)

A Harmonic Analysis (RMA/HA) and its worksheet are intended to show the function of the chords, the harmonic principles used, the keys and tonalities the song explores. And, can be used for scale selections and chord and scale substitutions.

< NOTE: A Harmonic Analysis Worksheet is NOT intended to be a lead leadsheet. Minimal roadmap information such as repeats, fines, D.S., D.C., and codas has been used in preparing the worksheets to somewhat mirror the leadsheet in the Daily Ukulele book.

Sections, Verse, Chorus, 1st, 2nd Ending, turnbacks …

The worksheets will show 1st, 2nd Ending, turnbacks, etc. as in indicated the Yellow Book. You should start to recognize that 1st endings typically always return to a previous verse or an section. With a 2nd ending, a transition to a different part of the song, a or chorus. Harmonic Principles are used for these repeats and transitions.

If turnback chords are not indicated for the these 1st and 2nd endings in the original Yellow Book leadsheet recommended chord(s) will indicated in parentheses or as an alternate harmony in Red . Typically the last measures or turnbacks will be a chord that resolves to and harmonically leads you to the next section or turning you back to the same section. Typically a V or direct substitution of that next chord.

Reference Key

This is the key of the source leadsheet.

• You've Got a Friend in Me is in 4/4, Common Time and the Key of F .

Harmonic Principles Used:

These are the harmonic principles used in You've Got a Friend in Me.

• Full Diatonic
• Partial Diatonic • Full Diatonic includes Secondary Dominant chords

Nashville Number System (NNS)

Nashville Numbering System always uses four bars/measures per line, no bar lines, and default is each number of the number of beats per bar/measure based on the time signature. If multiple chords in same bar then they are underlined. It can be as simple as convert the Roman Numerals above to Arabic number.

At its simplest you simply replace the roman numbers with aberic numbers. e.g., I becomes 1 , II becomes 2 , etc. The only exception is the bVII7 chord becomes 7 as this borrowed chord from the Mixolydian tonality is so common and the VII (half-diminished seventh) in a major chord is so rare (actually never).

Check the definitive book Nashville Number System

Scale Selection

Once a Harmonic Analysis has been completed then scale selections can be made. These scale selections can be either vertical and horizontal choices. And, really only needed if you are going to take a solo or embellish the melody with added notes.

Scale Abbreviation Legend

Traditional Scales: Maj: Major (Ionian), Dim: Diminished, WT: Whole Tone, Har Min: Harmonic Minor,
Contemporary Scales: Minor Pent: Minor Pentatonic, Pent: Major Pentatonic, Blues,
Scale/Mode Names: Ion: Ionian (Major), Dor: Dorian (Minor), Phrygian: Phrygian, Lyd: Lydian, Mix: Mixolydian (Dominant), Aeol: Aeolian (Natural Minor), Loc: Locrian

Checkout LESSONSeries : Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection or download the Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection book. And the QuickStart Series of Scale and Arpeggio books.

Performance Notes

Links & Resources

• (wikiwand) You've Got a Friend in Me
• You've Got A Friend In Me - Randy Newman (Toy Story Edition)
• Toy Story - You've Got a Friend in Me (Instrumental)
• You've Got a Friend in Me - Randy Newman | Live from Here with Chris Thile