Swift releases 'Hunger Games' song: 'Safe and Sound'

When she's not busy winning awards or working on her upcoming album, Taylor Swift has been lending her talents to the soundtrack for "The Hunger Games."

The 22-year-old country star tweeted a link to the single, titled "Safe and Sound," on Thursday, teasing, "Something I've been VERY excited about for a VERY long time is going to be happening VERY soon (and I'm not referring to Christmas)."

She crafted the song with The Civil Wars, and by Friday afternoon the folk group tweeted that "Safe and Sound" was No. 1 on iTunes.


Billboard describes "Safe and Sound" as "a melancholy, acoustic ballad," and as Rolling Stone notes, the lyrics reference "Hunger Games'" themes of "struggle and survival." The chorus' lyrics include, "Just close your eyes/The sun is going down/You'll be alright/No one can hurt you now."

Take a listen to the song below - how do you think it fits with the movie's dystopian tale of forced teenage battles?

Adapted from the novel written by Suzanne Collins, "The Hunger Games," starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, opens March 23.