Taylor Swift is a global superstar. With over 60 Billboard top 100 hits and countless music awards under her wing, she doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Her latest single off of her record-breaking album "1989" isn't disappointing. "Out Of The Woods" is a melodic song with unique beats in the background to convey the feelings of chaos and anxiety that she felt during a particular relationship.
Although Swift never confirmed who the song was about, it is rumored that Harry Styles was the inspiration for it, as well as a handful of other songs off of "1989" ("Style," "I Know Places" and "Wildest Dreams" just to name a few).
Styles and Swift had a quick fling at the end of 2013 that is rumored to have ended because of the constant nagging of the media to find out more. Swift felt anxious and knew that the relationship was doomed from the start. Fans all over the world had (and still do have) their own personal opinions on Haylor, which is what makes both Taylor Swift's and One Direction's music so intriguing for lots of fans to listen to. It's almost like a game of "he said, she said" and maybe in a few years fans will have the entire story of what really happened between the two A-list celebs.
The OOTW music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, who also directed the video for "Wildest Dreams," "Blank Space," and "Bad Blood." Swift filmed her video on location in New Zealand and managed to keep it a secret from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. The video was released on New Year's Eve and premiered on the famous Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve a few hours before the ball dropped in Times Square.
Millions watched as the video premiered, and although some may have found it confusing, Swifties understood the incredible symbolism going on in the video.
At the end of the "1989" world tour, the saying, "She lost him but found herself and somehow that was everything," pops up on the screen. That saying completely depicts what the entire "1989" album was about, so when the first half of that saying popped up on the screen I knew the video would be good. Swift made the clever choice of not casting a male lead in her video. She is the only person to appear in the video, which is a bold thing to do, especially since the video isn't just her performing to a camera.
The video starts out with a wide shot of Swift starting at the ocean. She's wearing a long light blue dress that looks elegant and beautiful. As the video progresses, the sand on the beach starts turning into a forest, and the trees growing around her won't let her escape. At one point wolves appear and begin to chase her. The wolves represent the media, and how they wouldn't leave her alone. The tree branches wrapping around her represent herself, and how the media and her own fears and anxieties got in the way of the relationship and didn't let her move forward with her life.
Every time she gets entangled in the branches or dragged down, she gets back up. By the end of the video, Swift's elegant blue dress is stained and torn apart, and she is covered in mud, scrapes and bruises leaving her disheveled. She is seen back on the beach, walking towards her old self; the girl that was untouched by the anxieties of a relationship and the media tracking her every mood. Torn apart Taylor reaches out towards untouched Taylor and puts her hand on her shoulder. "She lost him but found herself and somehow that was everything."
The OOTW music video tells a story about a person who constantly gets beat up by what life throws at them, yet continues to get up and move forward. Although it may have been confusing at first, go watch the video again after reading this and you'll understand just how much symbolism and thought went into every shot of this video.
Watch the video here:
