Safe & Sound ( Taylor Swift song ) - wikipedia Safe & Sound ( Taylor Swift song ) `` Safe & Sound '' Single by Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars from the album The Hunger Games : Songs from District 12 and Beyond Released December 26, 2011 ( 2011 - 12 - 26 ) Format Digital download Genre Folk alternative country Length 4 : 01 Label Big Machine Songwriter ( s ) Taylor Swift Joy Williams John Paul White T - Bone Burnett Producer ( s ) T - Bone Burnett Taylor Swift singles chronology `` Ours '' ( 2011 ) `` Safe & Sound '' ( 2011 ) `` Long Live '' ( 2012 ) The Civil Wars singles chronology `` Birds of a Feather ( Live ) '' ( 2011 ) `` Safe & Sound '' ( 2011 ) `` Billie Jean '' ( 2012 ) Music video `` Safe & Sound '' on YouTube `` Safe & Sound '' is a song by American recording artist Taylor Swift and alternative country duo The Civil Wars, taken from The Hunger Games : Songs from District 12 and Beyond, the official soundtrack for the 2012 film The Hunger Games. The artists co-wrote the track with its producer, T - Bone Burnett ; the song was written at Burnett 's house within two hours. The song was released to the iTunes Store in the United States on December 26, 2011, and was later added to the BBC Radio 1 playlist in the United Kingdom. The song was critically lauded, with critics praising Swift 's breathy vocals, the simplicity of the music, and its lyrics, with some citing it as a welcome return to form for Swift. Contents 1 Background 2 Composition 3 Critical reception 4 Chart performance 5 Music video 5.1 Synopsis 6 Awards and nominations 7 Live performances 8 Track listing 9 Release history 10 Charts 10.1 Weekly charts 11 Certifications 12 References 13 External links Background `` Safe & Sound '' was written by Taylor Swift, Joy Williams, John Paul White, and T - Bone Burnett. In summer 2011, Lionsgate required Burnett to record songs for The Hunger Games : Songs from District 12 and Beyond, and he subsequently corralled a range of artists, including Swift, Maroon 5, The Civil Wars, and Arcade Fire. On a fall night in 2011, Burnett and the production team, as well as Swift and The Civil Wars, came to Burnett 's house in Los Angeles to write the lyrics. After two hours, the song was finished. Swift further elaborated, `` The Civil Wars had a show that night in L.A., so they raced right over to T Bone 's house. There 's so many things he could 've done production-wise to make that song bigger sonically than it is, but I think that would have possibly been a mistake. For him to have left the song as a lullaby is brilliant. '' On December 22, 2011, Swift posted a portion of the song 's lyrics via her Twitter account and said that `` Something I 've been ( very ) excited about for a ( very ) long time is going to be happening very soon. '' Four days later, the song was released digitally on iTunes Store. Composition `` Safe & Sound '' A 27 second sample of `` Safe & Sound '' Problems playing this file ? See media help. `` Safe and Sound '' is a departure of Swift from her previous country pop releases, and is rather described as a moody folk ballad. Rolling Stone deemed the song reminiscent of alternative country music. Written in the key of G major, the track has a moderate slow tempo of 72 beats per minute. Swift 's vocal range on the song spans from the low - note of G to the high - note of D. The song is mainly accompanied by an acoustic guitar and features The Civil Wars ' `` harmony '' vocals. According to Swift, the theme of `` Safe & Sound '' represents `` the empathy and compassion Katniss feels for Rue, Peeta, and Prim in different parts of ( The Hunger Games ). '' Critical reception `` Safe & Sound '' received mainly positive reviews from music critics. Jody Rosen from Rolling Stone gave the song four out of five stars, calling it Swift 's `` prettiest ballad. '' In a review of The Hunger Games : Songs from District 12 and Beyond, AllMusic 's Heather Phares picked it as one of the highlights on the soundtrack, calling it `` the most crucial '' track. Idolator praised Swift 's `` breathiness that sounds more eerie than sweet '', while Jason Lipshutz writing for Billboard commended the `` non-Swiftian anthem that embraces the folksiness of the soundtrack '' and favored the guest appearance contributed by The Civil Wars. In a less favorable feedback, Darren Franich, and editor from Entertainment Weekly, was not impressed towards the track 's lyrics and Swift 's vocals, writing that `` there 's no sense of triumph ''. He further added that `` Safe & Sound '' `` sounds more like a funeral dirge than a victory chant, especially as the song continues with light percussion that sounds like soldiers marching to their doom. '' The Wall Street Journal 's Christopher John Farley agreed, opining that the song `` has a rural feel, but does n't sound like a commercial country song. '' At the 2012 Country Music Association Awards, `` Safe & Sound '' was nominated for Musical Event of the Year. It also garnered a CMT Music Award nomination for Collaborative of the Year in that year. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 70th Golden Globe Awards in 2013, but lost to Adele 's `` Skyfall ''. At the 2013 Grammy Awards, `` Safe & Sound '' received a nomination for Best Country Duo / Group Performance, but lost to `` Pontoon '' by Little Big Town, and won the Best Song Written for Visual Media. Chart performance During the first week of release, `` Safe & Sound '' entered the Billboard Hot Digital Songs at number 19 with 136,000 digital units sold. On the Billboard Hot 100, the single debuted and peaked at number 30. Following the release of the song 's music video, it re-entered the Hot 100 at number 56. In its eleventh week on chart, the song rose number 71 to number 35, prior to the release of The Hunger Games soundtrack. The track was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ). As of November 2017, the song has sold 1.9 million copies in the United States. The track also peaked at number 31 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. Internationally, `` Safe & Sound '' attained moderate commercial success. The single peaked at number 38 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and stayed on the chart for three weeks. It was more successful in New Zealand, peaking at number 11 on the New Zealand Singles Chart and remained for five weeks. `` Safe & Sound '' also charted on the UK Singles Chart at number 67. Music video The song 's music video, which is directed by Philip Andelman, premiered on February 13, 2012 at 7 : 54 p.m. ET on MTV.As of May 2018, the video has over 135 million views on YouTube. Synopsis The video features Swift, walking barefoot through a forest in Watertown, Tennessee, wearing a long white gown. Between scenes, The Civil Wars are seen inside a cottage house sitting in front of a fireplace as they sing along to the song. It contains multiple references to The Hunger Games, including Swift finding a mockingjay pin. The music video was shot in a cemetery, and features a scene of Swift sitting atop the graves of a couple who died in 1853. Awards and nominations Year Organization Award / work Result Ref. 2012 CMT Music Awards Video of the Year Nominated Collaborative Video of the Year Nominated Country Music Association Awards Musical Event of the Year Nominated 2013 Golden Globe Awards Best Original Song Nominated Grammy Awards Best Song Written for Visual Media Won Live performances During the Australian leg of the Speak Now World Tour, Swift added `` Safe & Sound '' to the tour 's setlist. Swift performed the track while sitting on a couch onstage, wearing a `` sparkling, floor - length gown '', which, according to Brittany Cooper of Taste of Country, was slightly reminiscent of Belle from Disney 's Beauty and the Beast ( 1991 ). Cooper provided a positive feedback to the performance, writing that `` ( Swift ) took the song with a whimsical air and gave it all the mystique you would expect from the haunting ballad. '' Track listing Digital download `` Safe & Sound '' -- 4 : 01 Release history Country Date Format Label Belgium December 26, 2011 Digital download Big Machine Records Brazil Canada Finland Germany Portugal Russia Spain Switzerland United States United Kingdom March 28, 2012 Contemporary hit radio Charts Weekly charts Chart ( 2011 -- 12 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) 38 Belgium ( Ultratip Flanders ) 62 Canada ( Canadian Hot 100 ) 31 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 11 Poland ( Dance Top 50 ) 44 South Korea International Singles ( Gaon ) 42 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 67 US Billboard Hot 100 30 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales United States ( RIAA ) 2 × Platinum 1,900,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone Since May 2013 RIAA certifications for digital singles include on - demand audio and / or video song streams in addition to downloads. References Jump up ^ Various artists ( 2011 ). The Hunger Games : Songs from District 12 and Beyond ( liner notes ). Mercury Records. ^ Jump up to : Herrera, Monica ( March 29, 2012 ). `` Taylor Swift, Arcade Fire Talk ' Hunger Games ' ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 26, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Farley, Christopher ( December 23, 2011 ). `` Taylor Swift Releases ' Safe and Sound ' From ' Hunger Games ' Soundtrack ''. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single ''. Canada : iTunes Store. Retrieved July 27, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Willman, Chris ( March 12, 2012 ). `` Taylor Swift Talks About Her Hunger to Contribute to ' The Hunger Games ' -- Exclusive ! ''. Yahoo ! Music. Retrieved July 27, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Taylor Swift 's ' Safe & Sound ' Video Released ''. Billboard. 14 February 2012. Taylor Swift has released a stark music video to match her moody folk - ballad `` Safe & Sound, '' the singer 's contribution to the `` Hunger Games '' soundtrack. ^ Jump up to : Lipshutz, Jason ( March 20, 2012 ). `` ' The Hunger Games ' Soundtrack : Track - By - Track Review ''. Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Taylor Swift ' Safe & Sound ' Sheet Music ''. musicnotes.com. Sony / ATV Music Publishing. Retrieved July 27, 2014. Jump up ^ Perpetua, Matthew ( December 23, 2011 ). `` Listen : Taylor Swift 's ' Hunger Games ' Ballad ' Safe and Sound ' ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 27, 2014. Jump up ^ Rosen, Jody ( December 30, 2011 ). `` Song Review, ' Safe & Sound ' ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 21, 2012. Jump up ^ Phares, Heather. `` The Hunger Games : Songs from District 12 and Beyond ''. AllMusic. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Listen To Taylor Swift 's Song ' Safe and Sound ' ''. Idolator. December 23, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2007. Jump up ^ Franich, Darren ( December 23, 2011 ). `` ' Hunger Games ' song : Taylor Swift 's ' Safe & Sound ' ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jump up ^ `` 2012 CMA Awards ''. Country Weekly. November 1, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Women Dominate 2012 CMT Music Awards Nominations ''. CMT. April 23, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jump up ^ Poehler, Amy ( January 14, 2013 ). `` The 70th Golden Globe Awards Winners ''. IGN. Jump up ^ Kim, Wook ( February 11, 2013 ). `` Grammys 2013 ''. Time. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jump up ^ Caulfield, Keith ( December 29, 2011 ). `` Michael Buble Remains No. 1, Adele 's ' 21 ' Has Best Sales Week Yet ''. Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jump up ^ Grein, Paul ( January 4, 2012 ). `` Week Ending Jan. 1, 2012. Songs : LMFAO Beats Everybody ''. Yahoo ! Music. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jump up ^ Grein, Paul ( February 19, 2012 ). `` Week Ending Feb. 19, 2012. Songs : Women Take Charge ''. Yahoo ! Music. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jump up ^ Grein, Paul ( March 25, 2012 ). `` Week Ending March 25, 2012. Songs : For fun. And Profit ''. Yahoo ! Music. Retrieved July 31, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Trust, Gary ( November 26, 2017 ). `` Ask Billboard : Taylor Swift 's Career Album & Song Sales ''. Retrieved November 26, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Taylor Swift Chart History ( Canadian Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Australian-charts.com -- Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars -- Safe & Sound ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 27, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Charts.org.nz -- Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars -- Safe & Sound ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 27, 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Taylor Swift ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Safe and Sound video premiere ''. Facebook. 2012 - 02 - 10. Retrieved 2012 - 02 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Taylor Swift 's ' Safe & Sound ' Video Matches Song 's Eerie Vibe ''. MTV. MTV. 2012 - 02 - 14. Retrieved 2012 - 02 - 14. Jump up ^ Mitchell, John ( February 14, 2012 ). `` Taylor Swift Reveals ' Hunger Games ' Nods In ' Safe & Sound ' Video ''. MTV. Retrieved March 11, 2015. Jump up ^ Geller, Wendy ( 2012 - 02 - 15 ). `` Taylor Swift Has Ghostly Location For New Video, ' Safe And Sound ' Our Country ( NEW ) - Yahoo ! Music ''. Music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012 - 02 - 19. Jump up ^ `` CMT Music Awards : Archives : 2012 CMT Music Awards ''. CMT. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015. Jump up ^ `` CMA World -- International Awards -- CMA World ''. Country Music Association Awards. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Taylor to be presented with CMA 's Pinnacle Award ! ''. Taylor Swift. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Adele, Taylor Swift Nominated for Golden Globes ''. Billboard. December 13, 2012. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2015. Jump up ^ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley ( February 11, 2013 ). `` Grammy Winners 2013 : The Full List ''. Forbes. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2015. Jump up ^ Nguyen, Giselle ( March 12, 2012 ). `` Review : Taylor Swift sparkles on stage in Melbourne ''. Nova FM. Retrieved July 27, 2014. Jump up ^ Cooper, Brittany ( March 9, 2012 ). `` Taylor Swift Performs ' Safe and Sound ' Live in Australia ''. Taste of Country. Retrieved July 27, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single ''. Belgium : iTunes Store. Retrieved July 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single '' ( in Portuguese ). Brazil : iTunes Store. Retrieved July 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single ''. Finland : iTunes Store. Retrieved July 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single '' ( in German ). Germany : iTunes Store. Retrieved July 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single '' ( in Portuguese ). Portugal : iTunes Store. Retrieved July 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single '' ( in Russian ). Russia : iTunes Store. Retrieved July 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single '' ( in Spanish ). Spain : iTunes Store. Retrieved July 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single ''. Switzerland : iTunes Store. Retrieved July 29, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Safe & Sound ( feat. The Civil Wars ) -- Single ''. United States : iTunes Store. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Jump up ^ `` BBC Radio 1 Playlist -- 28 March 2012 ''. BBC Radio 1. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars -- Safe & Sound '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratip. Retrieved July 27, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia : : Związek Producentów Audio - Video ''. Polish Dance Top 50. Retrieved July 27, 2014. Jump up ^ `` South Korea Gaon International Chart ( Week : January 01, 2012 to January 07, 2012 ) '' ( in Korean ). Gaon Chart. December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Taylor Swift Chart History ( Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2014. Jump up ^ `` American single certifications -- Taylor Swift -- Safe & Sound ''. Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH Jump up ^ `` RIAA Adds Digital Streams To Historic Gold & Platinum Awards ''. Recording Industry Association of America. May 9, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013. External links Official music video on YouTube Taylor Swift songs Discography Taylor Swift `` Tim McGraw '' `` Picture to Burn '' `` Teardrops on My Guitar '' `` Should 've Said No '' `` Our Song '' Fearless `` Fearless '' `` Fifteen '' `` Love Story '' `` White Horse '' `` You Belong with Me '' `` Breathe '' `` You 're Not Sorry '' `` Forever & Always '' `` Change '' Speak Now `` Mine '' `` Sparks Fly '' `` Back to December '' `` Dear John '' `` Speak Now '' `` Mean '' `` The Story of Us '' `` Innocent '' `` Ours '' Red `` State of Grace '' `` Red '' `` I Knew You Were Trouble '' `` All Too Well '' `` 22 '' `` We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together '' `` The Last Time '' `` Everything Has Changed '' `` Begin Again '' `` Welcome to New York '' `` Blank Space '' `` Style '' `` Out of the Woods '' `` Shake It Off '' `` Bad Blood '' `` Wildest Dreams '' `` Wonderland '' `` New Romantics '' Reputation ``... Ready for It ? '' `` End Game '' `` Delicate '' `` Look What You Made Me Do '' `` Gorgeous '' `` Call It What You Want '' `` New Year 's Day '' Songs as a featured artist `` Two Is Better Than One '' `` Half of My Heart '' `` Both of Us '' `` Highway Do n't Care '' `` Babe '' Other songs `` Crazier '' `` Today Was a Fairytale '' `` Safe & Sound '' `` Long Live '' `` Eyes Open '' `` Ronan '' `` Sweeter Than Fiction '' `` I Do n't Wanna Live Forever '' `` Best Days of Your Life '' `` Better Man '' `` This Is What You Came For '' `` You 'll Always Find Your Way Back Home '' The Civil Wars Joy Williams John Paul White Studio albums Barton Hollow The Civil Wars EPs Poison & Wine Live albums Live at Eddie 's Attic Singles `` Poison & Wine '' `` Barton Hollow '' `` Billie Jean '' `` The One That Got Away '' Featured singles `` Safe & Sound '' Related articles Discography The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins Book series The Hunger Games Catching Fire Mockingjay Film series The Hunger Games The Hunger Games : Catching Fire The Hunger Games : Mockingjay -- Part 1 The Hunger Games : Mockingjay -- Part 2 Accolades Cast Characters Katniss Everdeen Peeta Mellark Music The Hunger Games `` Safe & Sound '' `` Eyes Open '' Catching Fire `` Atlas '' `` We Remain '' `` Elastic Heart '' `` Who We Are '' Mockingjay ( Part 1 ) `` Yellow Flicker Beat '' `` All My Love '' `` The Hanging Tree '' `` Meltdown '' Other Fictional universe of The Hunger Games Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media 1988 -- 1990 1988 : `` Somewhere Out There '' 1989 : `` Two Hearts '' 1990 : `` Let the River Run '' 1991 -- 2000 1991 : `` Under the Sea '' 1992 : `` ( Everything I Do ) I Do It For You '' 1993 : `` Beauty and the Beast '' 1994 : `` A Whole New World '' 1995 : `` Streets of Philadelphia '' 1996 : `` Colors of the Wind '' 1997 : `` Because You Loved Me '' 1998 : `` I Believe I Can Fly '' 1999 : `` My Heart Will Go On '' 2000 : `` Beautiful Stranger '' 2001 -- 2010 2001 : `` When She Loved Me '' 2002 : `` Boss of Me '' 2003 : `` If I Did n't Have You '' 2004 : `` A Mighty Wind '' 2005 : `` Into the West '' 2006 : `` Believe '' 2007 : `` Our Town '' 2008 : `` Love You I Do '' 2009 : `` Down to Earth '' 2010 : `` Jai Ho '' 2011 -- present 2011 : `` The Weary Kind '' 2012 : `` I See the Light '' 2013 : `` Safe & Sound '' 2014 : `` Skyfall '' 2015 : `` Let It Go '' 2016 `` Glory '' 2017 : `` Ca n't Stop the Feeling ! '' 2018 : `` How Far I 'll Go '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Safe_%26_Sound_(Taylor_Swift_song)&oldid=843402915 '' Categories : Songs written by Taylor Swift The Hunger Games music Taylor Swift songs 2011 singles Song recordings produced by T Bone Burnett Songs written by John Paul White The Civil Wars songs Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media Music videos directed by Philip Andelman 2010s ballads Songs written by T Bone Burnett American folk songs Hidden categories : CS1 Portuguese - language sources ( pt ) CS1 German - language sources ( de ) CS1 Russian - language sources ( ru ) CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) CS1 Korean - language sources ( ko ) Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Australia Singlechart making named ref Singlechart usages for Flanders Tip Singlechart usages for Canada Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Polishdance Singlechart called without artist Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Español Italiano Português Русский ไทย Türkçe Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 28 May 2018, at 22 : 52 ( UTC ). 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Question: who wrote safe and sound by taylor swift
Answer: Taylor Swift