"Out of the Woods" is the fourth track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's fifth studio album, 1989, released on October 14, 2014, through Big Machine Records. The song became the sixth single from the album on February 5, 2016. It is also the fourth track from Swift's fourth re-recorded album, 1989 (Taylor's Version), released on October 27, 2023, through Republic Records.
Background[]
The song is rumored to be about Swift's ex-boyfriend, Harry Styles.
Swift said of the song:
| ā | It kind of conjured up all these feelings of anxiety I had in a relationship where everybody was watching, everybody was commenting on it. Youāre constantly just feeling like, āAre we out of the woods yet? Whatās the next thing gonna be? Whatās the next hurdle weāre gonna have to jump over? Are we gonna make it to next week?ā It was interesting to write about a relationship where youāre just honestly like, āThis is probably not gonna last, but how long is it gonna last?ā Those fragile relationships ā¦ It doesnāt mean theyāre not supposed to happen. The whole time we were having happy memories or crazy memories or ridiculously anxious times, in my head it was just like, āAre we OK yet? Are we there yet? Are we out of this yet?ā | ā |
Composition[]
"Out of the Woods" is an '80s-inspired pop,[1][2] synth-pop,[3][4][5] electropop,[6] indietronica[7] and electro[8][9] song written by Swift and Jack Antonoff. It lasts for 3 minutes and 55 seconds.[10] It is the first song that Swift has written to an existing track. Antonoff sent an early version of the song without the vocals or lyrics to Swift, which she then added in just 30 minutes.
Speculation as to whom the song is about is rampant. The bridge section of the song references the snowmobile incident that Swift and her former boyfriend, One Direction's Harry Styles, were reported to be involved in during their relationship. Max Martin produced Swift's vocals for the song.[11] It is written in the key of C Major with a tempo of 92 beats per minute and Swift's vocals spanning two octaves, between F3 and E5 and runs three minutes and fifty-five seconds (3:55).[12]
Featuring heavy synths and percussion, Antonoff described that the song is given an arrangement that combines both 80s and modern elements. A Yamaha DX7 is used for the 80s-tinged sounds apparent on most parts of the song, but they are countered with the Minimoog Voyager during the chorus sections, in which he explained, "That sounds extremely modern to me. It's that back-and-forth." Antonoff also provided backing vocals. He said, "I just chopped this piece of my voice singing and started looping it over and over. Then I started banging on some drums I had in the room and stomping on the floor and sampling all these sounds to make this big bombastic looping beat with the sample on top of it." With NPR she gave a detailed explanation of the lyrics especially the line "hitting the breaks too soon, 20 stitches in a hospital room":
That line is in there because it's not only the actual, literal narration of what happened in a particular relationship I was in, it's also a metaphor. 'Hit the brakes too soon' could mean the literal sense of, we got in an accident and we had to deal with the aftermath. But also, the relationship ended sooner than it should've because there was a lot of fear involved. And that song touches on a huge sense of anxiety that was, kind of, coursing through that particular relationship, because we really felt the heat of every single person in the media thinking they could draw up the narrative of what we were going through and debate and speculate. I don't think it's ever going to be easy for me to find love and block out all those screaming voices.
Critical reception[]
The song has received critical acclaim. Lucas Villa of AXS praised Swift's track with Antonoff, calling it her "most adventurous and breathtaking work yet." Spin declared the track to be a "perfectly pleasant pop cut" and praised Antonoff's co-writing skills, which helped to make the production "so anthemic."[13] Time praised the track stating "It's the furious chant of that anthemic chorus, all breathless urgency, and the left-of-center production that help Swift perform the niftiest sleight of hand: Even with lyrics that include some of her most headline-grabbing autobiographical admissions to date, the most interesting thing here isn't who it's about, but rather, how different it sounds".[14] Vanity Fair praised Swift's ability to mix her signature sound to something new.[15] David Deady of Music Scene applauded Taylor's progression, stating: "gone are the bleachers and high-school sweethearts, and what remains is a very modern and interesting pop song that sounds, on one level, more mature and on another, like vintage Taylor Swift." Billboard gave the song four and half stars out of five.[16]
Chart performance[]
On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song debuted at number 18. It became Swift's 61st song to enter the Hot 100, making her the first female artist to have the second most charted songs on the Hot 100, behind Aretha Franklin (73). The song debuted at number one on the Hot Digital Songs chart, selling 195,000 copies and displacing Swift's "Shake It Off" from the top spot. In doing so, Swift became the first lead artist to simultaneously occupy the top two positions twice since 2012, when her songs "Ronan" and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" occupied the top two positions. Swift stood at rank four as the artist with the most number-one Digital Songs and tied with Rihanna for the most number-one debuts.
In New Zealand, it debuted at number six, the highest debut that week. In Australia, it debuted at number twenty one on the Australian Singles Chart. In its first week of release, the song sold 21,000 downloads in Canada.
Music video[]
The music video for the song aired on December 31, 2015.[17]
The music video features Taylor running through the elements until at the end of the music video, she finds herself.
Behind the scenes[]
Hidden message[]
Hidden message: They loved each other recklessly.
Going with the hidden message story from 1989, the story is letting us find out more about the relationship that is being explained in this story, and how the two lovers were very passionate and loved each other.
This tune has several specific mentions of Styles. The most telling clue is the lyric "Your necklace hanging round my neck/The night we couldn't quite forget/When we decided/To move the furniture so we could dance/Two paper airplanes flying, flying." When the two were together, they wore identical airplane necklaces.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Looking at it now
It all seems so simple
We were lying on your couch
I remember
You took a Polaroid of us
Then discovered (Then discovered)
The rest of the world was black and white
But we were in screaming color
And I remember thinkingā¦
[Chorus]
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good
Are we out of the woods?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good
Are we out of the woods?
[Verse 2]
Looking at it now
Last December (Last December)
We were built to fall apart
Then fall back together (Back together)
Your necklace hanging from my neck
The night we couldn't quite forget
When we decided (We decided)
To move the furniture so we could dance
Baby, like we stood a chance
Two paper airplanes flying, flying, flying
And I remember thinkin'
[Chorus]
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good
Are we out of the woods?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good
Are we out of the woods?
[Bridge]
Remember when you hit the brakes too soon?
Twenty stitches in the hospital room
When you started cryin', baby, I did, too
But when the sun came up, I was lookin' at you
Remember when we couldn't take the heat
I walked out and said, "I'm settin' you free"
But the monsters turned out to be just trees
And when the sun came up, you were lookin' at me
You were lookin' at me
You were lookin' at me
I remember, oh, I remember
[Chorus]
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet? (Yeah, yeah)
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet? (Say, are we?)
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good
Are we out of the woods?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet? (Yeah)
Are we in the clear yet? (Yeah)
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good (Clear yet? Good)
Are we out of the woods?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good (Do you remember?)
Are we out of the woods?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good
Are we out of the woods?
Lyric video[]
Taymoji pack[]
 Awooooooooooooooooooooooo!  Firefly was created by Joss Whedon, a self-proclaimed Swiftie.  Hey, can someone point me to the nearest ocean?  My mountain is bigger than your mountain.  Sometimes you have to lose something to find what youāre really looking for.  Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr  Nourish love and it will grow.  But the monsters turned out to be just trees.  Box |
Live performances[]
Swift performed "Out of the Woods" from May 5, 2015, in Tokyo, Japan, to December 12, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia, on The 1989 World Tour, as the seventeenth song on the setlist.[18] The song was also performed as a surprise song in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 3, 2018, on The Reputation Stadium Tour. Swift performed the song once again as the first surprise song in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 6, 2023, on The Eras Tour. Later, Swift performed the song as a mashup with the similar song, Is It Over Now? on November 11, 2023.
References[]
- ā http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/taylor-swift-wears-catsuit-to-perform-out-of-the-woods-at-grammys-2016-w164257
- ā http://www.mtv.com/news/1961525/taylor-swift-out-of-the-woods-preview/
- ā https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/10/14/taylor-swift-out-of-the-woods-listen-up-song-of-the-week/17189021/
- ā https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-delivers-chilling-acoustic-out-of-the-woods-performance-67474/
- ā https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6281680/taylor-swift-out-of-the-woods-jack-antonoff
- ā https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6289216/taylor-swift-welcome-to-new-york-song-review
- ā https://www.nme.com/features/taylor-swift-best-albums-ranked-in-order-2712330
- ā https://web.archive.org/web/20141218051446/https://www.popjustice.com/songs/taylor-swift-out-of-the-woods/
- ā http://drownedinsound.com/releases/20140/reviews/4151485
- ā https://music.apple.com/us/album/1989-deluxe-edition/1440933512
- ā https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-unveils-synth-heavy-new-track-out-of-the-woods-241292/
- ā https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0143705#ProductDetails
- ā https://www.spin.com/2014/10/taylor-swift-out-of-the-woods-new-single-jack-antonoff-1989/
- ā https://time.com/3502753/taylor-swift-out-of-the-woods/
- ā https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/10/taylor-swift-out-of-the-woods-1989
- ā https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/track-review/6281699/taylor-swift-out-of-the-woods-song-review
- ā https://youtu.be/JLf9q36UsBk
- ā https://genius.com/Taylor-swift-1989-tour-setlist-lyrics
| 1989 | ||
|---|---|---|
| "Welcome to New York" ā¢ "Blank Space" ā¢ "Style" ā¢ "Out of the Woods" ā¢ "All You Had to Do Was Stay" ā¢ "Shake It Off" ā¢ "I Wish You Would" ā¢ "Bad Blood" ā¢ "Wildest Dreams" ā¢ "How You Get the Girl" ā¢ "This Love" ā¢ "I Know Places" ā¢ "Clean" | ||
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