They. Are. Both. Speed? Twenty years after first making a pit stop in Radiator Springs to write and record “Real Gone,” a bop for Cars — a song this writer always thought sounded suspiciously similar to the Who’s “I’m Free” — Sheryl Crow is returning to her bright-red, American-made muse. Billboard reports that Crow has written an entire album for Lightning McQueen, in tandem with the new Disney Jr. series Cars: Lightning Racers. (Owen Wilson is back to voice his beloved race car, as is, crucially, Tony Shalhoub for Luigi.) The first song from the album, about how friendships are “Built to Last,” will serve as the theme for the show, which will debut in 2027; it’s one of ten southern-rock tracks Crow recorded for the project. She had previously noted that “Real Gone,” much to her surprise, is her most popular song on streaming services. “I didn’t have kids yet and I was like, I don’t know if I’m the right person for this,” Crow admitted. “And now it’s the song my kids identify me with. So, thank you, Pixar.” Life, man … it really is a highway.
