Taylor Swift's "Safe & Sound" Video: Very Little To It

Taylor Swift’s “Safe & Sound” Video: Very Little To It

I’m about to get mild to moderately spoilerific, so if you haven’t read The Hunger Games, you may want to stop reading this right now.

This song is the signature track from the movie’s soundtrack. Although the video matches the depressed tone of the books, the terrain winds up looking far more desolate. There’s very little plot, and the video is mostly Taylor walking (just like Katniss!) to a cabin and coming across allusions to the movies. These range from “fitting” to “forced” and begin almost immediately, with the spiked tree branches that reflect the dangerous, contrived nature of the arena.

The cabin is most reminiscent of the cabin in Catching Fire, although The Civil Wars don’t look like they’ve recently escaped from District 8. At best, it is a strained reference.

The inclusion of the Mockingjay pin is similarly forced. Does it liberate Taylor after she finds it? Does it give her hope? Does it serve any purpose at all? This is after the most recent trailer revealed that the movie has altered and elevated what the pin symbolizes in the book.

The weirdest part of the video, the disintegrating deer, feels like something the Gamemakers or President Snow would think up. The Gamemakers have a habit of creating objects that look inviting but are not at all what they seem to be, while President Snow has a habit of destroying things that other people find beautiful.

The biggest issue with this video is that this song is obviously going to be played during the scene in which Katniss and Peeta are in the cave. That is plainly evident even after a single listen, and it is strange for the video to make no reference to that.

Ultimately, this video is more of a marketing tool than a standalone video. It continues to imbue the Mockingjay pin with far more importance than it actually has, because it is easier to market an heirloom than kids killing each other. The references to the book are notable, but don’t make for anything approaching a good video.
Get More: Taylor Swift, Safe & Sound, Music, More Music Videos

- Dan Spritz

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February 15th, 2012 | Dan | Comments Off |