" Safe & Sound " is a departure for Swift from her previous country pop releases , and is rather described as a moody folk ballad . '' Rolling Stone '' deemed the song reminiscent of alternative country music . Written in the key of G major , the track has a moderate slow tempo of 72 beats per minute . Swift 's vocal range on the song spans from the low-note of G3 to the high-note of D5 . The song is mainly accompanied by an acoustic guitar and features The Civil Wars ' " harmony " vocals . According to Swift , the theme of " Safe & Sound " represents " the empathy and compassion Katniss feels for Rue , Peeta , and Prim in different parts of '' The Hunger Games '' . " " Safe & Sound " received mainly positive reviews from music critics . Jody Rosen from '' Rolling Stone '' gave the song four out of five stars , calling it Swift 's " prettiest ballad . " In a review of '' The Hunger Games : Songs from District 12 and Beyond '' , AllMusic 's Heather Phares picked it as one of the highlights on the soundtrack , calling it " the most crucial " track . Idolator praised Swift 's " breathiness that sounds more eerie than sweet " , while Jason Lipshutz writing for '' Billboard '' commended the " non-Swiftian anthem that embraces the folksiness of the soundtrack " and favored the guest appearance contributed by The Civil Wars . In a less favorable feedback , Darren Franich , and editor from '' Entertainment Weekly '' , was not impressed towards the track 's lyrics and Swift 's vocals , writing that " there ’s no sense of triumph " . He further added that " Safe & Sound " " sounds more like a funeral dirge than a victory chant , especially as the song continues with light percussion that sounds like soldiers marching to their doom . " '' The Wall Street Journal '' s Christopher John Farley agreed , opining that the song " has a rural feel , but does n’t sound like a commercial country song . " At the 2012 Country Music Association Awards , " Safe & Sound " was nominated for Musical Event of the Year . It also garnered a CMT Music Award nomination for Collaborative of the Year in that year . The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 70th Golden Globe Awards in 2013 , but lost to Adele 's " Skyfall " . At the 2013 Grammy Awards , " Safe & Sound " received a nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance , but lost to " Pontoon " by Little Big Town , and won the Best Song Written for Visual Media
70th Golden Globe Awards
70th Golden Globe Awards
Safe & Sound (Taylor Swift song)