Out of the Woods

"Out of the Woods" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, 1989 (2014). Swift wrote and produced the song with Jack Antonoff. With lyrics inspired by a failed relationship and the ensuing anxieties that Swift experienced, "Out of the Woods" is a synth-pop song with elements of Eurodance and indietronica and features heavy synthesizers, looping drums, and layered background vocals. Big Machine Records made the song available for download on October 14, 2014, as a promotional single for 1989. Swift premiered the music video for "Out of the Woods" on ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on December 31, 2015; the video depicts Swift struggling to escape from a magical forest. The song was released to US pop and hot adult contemporary radio as the album's sixth single on January 18, 2016, by Big Machine in partnership with Republic Records. Music critics praised "Out of the Woods" for its 1980s-influenced production and narrative lyrics offering emotional engagement. The song peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also reached the top 20 of charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Swift performed the song on television shows such as Good Morning America and included it in the set list of the 1989 World Tour (2015). Following the 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded the song as "Out of the Woods (Taylor's Version)" for her re-recorded album 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023). Background and production Taylor Swift had been known as a country singer-songwriter until her fourth studio album Red, which was released in October 2012. Red incorporates various pop and rock styles, transcending the country sound of her previous releases. Swift began writing her fifth studio album, 1989, in mid-2013, when she was on the Red Tour. Inspired by 1980s synth-pop, she conceived 1989 as her first "official pop album" that transformed her image from country to pop. On 1989, Swift enlisted new producers including Jack Antonoff, who produced two songs for the standard edition—"Out of the Woods" and "I Wish You Would", and the bonus track "You Are In Love" for the deluxe edition; Antonoff had worked with Swift on "Sweeter than Fiction", a 1980s new wave-influenced song recorded by Swift for the soundtrack of One Chance (2013).