10 Great Singles That Weren't Originally Released On A Studio Album
5. Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift Featuring The Civil Wars
Combining with the Civil Wars for her first (but definitely not last) foray into breathy, folk music, Taylor Swift once again proved her immense musical and vocal range on Safe & Sound, released on Boxing Day, 2011 just in time for a spring premiere of Gary Ross' The Hunger Games.
Long before the release of Folklore and Evermore that saw Swift return to Americana-inspired indie folk, her collaboration with The Civil Wars scooped up a 2013 Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, besting the likes of Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire along the way.
It's a haunting, scaled back tune that brings Swift's immense vocals to the forefront, supplementing it with a stark, plucky guitar that breaks open once the chorus hits.
Safe & Sound kickstarted a significant critical and commercial year for Swift --who initially found success in the country genre--, beginning her diversion away from the Nashville machine with 2012's Red. It's true that the tune isn't as revered as the likes of All Too Well or We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, but it was a wonderful reminder that, despite her immensely successful jump to pop, she still has so much to give in other genres.