To further drum up excitement for her fifth album, Taylor Swift has released “Out Of The Woods”, a new track from the upcoming 1989. The far-from-country song was made available yesterday at midnight to everyone who pre-ordered the new CD, and was later put up for sale to the general public.
“Out Of The Woods” is the second song to be released from 1989, but that doesn’t mean it’s a single. Swift has mentioned several times since the song was released yesterday that she doesn’t expect it to get the radio and video treatment, but she felt it was time to share it with fans, as she felt it was “the greatest example of the sound of this album."
The song was written by Swift and Jack Antonoff, who also took over producing duties. Longtime pop mainstay Max Martin, who produced Swift’s current radio single and former number one hit “Shake It Off”, was also on hand to help out on vocal production. Antonoff has worked with Taylor before on the Golden Globe-nominated song “Sweeter Than Fiction, but is perhaps better known for his work with Grammy-winning pop group fun. and for his own side project Bleachers, whose debut album was released this past summer to rave reviews.
The song is rumored to be about Swift’s relationship with boybander Harry Styles, who is one fifth of One Direction. The two dated for several months at the end of 2012, and ever since have been tabloid fodder. Though she won’t confirm who the lyrics are about, Taylor is no stranger to writing about exes in her songs. In “Teardrops On My Guitar”, a hit from her debut album, she actually calls out a former flame by his first name, and she reportedly wrote a later album track called “Dear John” about dating John Mayer.
The song has further caused controversy around the world due to her record label’s release strategy. While “Out” was available upon announcement in the US and in several other countries, it is being held back in the UK until further notice. Unsurprisingly, many have taken to social media to question why they can’t have the newly-released track, to which Swift replied:
“To all my wonderful UK fans, I realize that you are not yet able to get ‘Out Of The Woods’ due to a new strategy my record label is working on in the UK. I’ve never been one to hold my music back from any of you so I will be watching closely to see if this is ultimately a better experience for you, the fans.”
“Out” is further proof that Swift is no longer interested in the genre that brought her fame and fortune. While her last album Red was a mix of pop and country (it was actually nominated for the Grammy for Best Country Album), it signaled a shift in artistic direction—one which has culminated in her first all-pop album 1989, due October 27th.
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