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Eyes Open (song)

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This article is about the song by Taylor Swift. For other songs, see Eyes Open (disambiguation) § Music.

"Eyes Open" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for the soundtrack to the 2012 film The Hunger Games. Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, "Eyes Open" is an alternative rock song with chiming guitars. Its lyrics are about staying strong during hardships, told from the perspective of the film's protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. The track was released as a single from the soundtrack.

"Eyes Open"
Cover artwork of "Eyes Open" featuring Swift in a grassland
Single by Taylor Swift
from the album The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond
ReleasedMarch 27, 2012 (2012-03-27)
GenreAlternative rock
Length4:04
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)Taylor Swift
Producer(s)
Taylor Swift singles chronology
"Ours"
(2011) 		"Eyes Open"
(2012) 		"Both of Us"
(2012)
The Hunger Games singles chronology
"Eyes Open"
(2012) 		"Atlas"
(2013)
Lyric video
"Eyes Open" on YouTube

Music critics commented that the song's rock sound showcased Swift's expanding artistry beyond her previous country pop songs. The track won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Single by a Female Artist in 2012. "Eyes Open" charted in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and it received certifications in the first three countries. A re-recording titled "Eyes Open (Taylor's Version)", was released on March 17, 2023, as part of Swift's re-recordings of her back catalog, following the 2019 dispute over the ownership of the masters of her first six albums.

Background and composition

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Taylor Swift wrote two songs for the soundtrack to the 2012 film The Hunger Games: "Safe & Sound" and "Eyes Open". She wrote the former with the Civil Wars and the latter by herself.[1] According to Swift, she wrote the song about the Hunger Games protagonist Katniss Everdeen's "relationship" with the Capitol. She described the song as the opposite of the melancholic "Safe & Sound", stating that "[it is] more frantic and fast-paced, a completely different shade of music".[2]

"Eyes Open" is four minutes and four seconds in length. Critics described the song's genre as alternative rock.[3][4] Billboard said that it "[exists] more in the modern rock vein than [Swift's] usual country-pop oeuvre".[5]

Critical reception

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The song garnered general critical acclaim from contemporary critics - most of whom favorably noted the song's more rock-oriented tone as compared to her previous releases. While reviewing The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond, Matt Bjorke named "Eyes Open" as one of the "standouts" on the record.[6] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard also found the same description of the song - stating that it "[exists] more in the modern rock vein than her usual country-pop oeuvre."[7] In June 2022, Insider ranked "Eyes Open" as Swift's third best soundtrack song, only behind "Safe & Sound" and "I Don't Wanna Live Forever".[8]

Awards and nominations

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Year Organization Award/work Result Ref.
2012 Teen Choice Awards Choice Single by a Female Artist Won
[9]

Release and commercial performance

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Swift first premiered the song during a performance in Auckland for her Speak Now World Tour.[10] The song was leaked before its official release date of March 20, 2012.[11][12]

Upon the soundtrack's release, "Eyes Open" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 19 with 176,000 digital copies as the week's highest debut.[13] After it was sent to mainstream radio, the song debuted on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart at number 28 and was Swift's highest debut to date; it would reach number 20 on the chart.[14][15] In December 2012, "Eyes Open" received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA);[16] it became Swift's sixteenth million-seller and her second from the soundtrack after "Safe & Sound".[17] By November 2017, the song had sold 1.4 million units in the United States.[18]

Elsewhere, "Eyes Open" peaked on the charts in various Anglophone territories, at number 17 in Canada,[19] number 47 in Australia,[20] number 65 in Ireland,[21] and number 70 in the United Kingdom.[22] In New Zealand, the song debuted and peaked at number six on the RMNZ's Top 40 Singles chart and was certified gold by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ).[23][24]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Eyes Open"
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[20] 47
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19] 17
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[25] 34
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[26] 23
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 65
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[22] 70
US Billboard Hot 100[27] 19
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[15] 20
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[28] 50
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[29] 11
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[30] 21

Certifications

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Certifications for "Eyes Open"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] Gold 35,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[24] Gold 7,500*
United States (RIAA)[16] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

"Eyes Open (Taylor's Version)"

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"Eyes Open (Taylor's Version)"
Song by Taylor Swift
ReleasedMarch 17, 2023 (2023-03-17)
Length4:03
Label
Songwriter(s)Taylor Swift
Producer(s)
Audio
"Eyes Open (Taylor's Version)" on YouTube

On March 17, 2023, Swift released "Eyes Open (Taylor's Version)", a re-recorded version of "Eyes Open", via Republic Records.[32][33] The song is part of Swift's re-recording plan following the 2019 dispute over the ownership of the masters of her older discography, after the talent manager Scooter Braun acquired Big Machine Records, including the masters of Swift's albums which the label had released.[34][35] By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to control the licensing of her songs for commercial use and therefore substituted the Big Machine–owned masters.[36]

"Eyes Open (Taylor's Version)" was released for streaming and download as an independent track without appearing on any album.[37] It was included on a streaming-only compilation titled The More Red (Taylor's Version) Chapter.[38]

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from Tidal.[39]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Eyes Open (Taylor's Version)"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[40] 9
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[41] 15
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[42] 18
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[43] 18
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[44] 9
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[45] 6
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[46] 48

References

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  1. ^ "Taylor Swift Talks About Her Hunger to Contribute to The Hunger Games—Exclusive!". Our Country. March 12, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via Yahoo!.
  2. ^ Cooper, Brittany Joy (March 20, 2012). "Taylor Swift Spills About Writing 'Eyes Open' for The Hunger Games Soundtrack". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  3. ^ Petridis, Alexis (April 26, 2019). "Taylor Swift's singles – ranked!". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Jones, Nate (August 13, 2020). "All 162 Taylor Swift Songs, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (March 15, 2012). "Taylor Swift Keeps 'Eyes Open' on New 'Hunger Games' Tune". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "Various Artists - The Hunger Games Soundtrack". Archived from the original on May 29, 2012.
  7. ^ Lipshutz, Jason. "Taylor Swift Keeps 'Eyes Open' on New 'Hunger Games' Tune". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  8. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie; Larocca, Courteney (June 26, 2022). "All 8 of Taylor Swift's soundtrack songs, ranked". Insider. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  9. ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2012: Complete Winners List". MTV. July 22, 2012. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  10. ^ Josh, Grossman (March 19, 2012). "Taylor Swift Unveils Hunger Games Song "Eyes Open"". E! Online. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  11. ^ Bell, Crystal (March 15, 2012). "'Hunger Games': Taylor Swift's 'Eyes Open' And Kid Cudi's 'The Ruler And The Killer' Leak (LISTEN)". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  12. ^ Archived 2012-04-19 at the Wayback Machine Archived by WebCite from the original on March 21, 2012.
  13. ^ Trust, Gary (March 28, 2012). "Fun. Notch Fourth Week Atop Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  14. ^ "Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez Storm Pop Songs". Billboard.com. April 2, 2012. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  15. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "American single certifications – Taylor Swift – Eyes Open". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  17. ^ "Week Ending July 15, 2012. Songs: Blow Me (One More Hit)". yahoo.com. July 18, 2012.
  18. ^ Trust, Gary (November 26, 2017). "Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift's Career Album & Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  19. ^ a b "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – Eyes Open". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Irish-charts.com – Discography Taylor Swift". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Taylor Swift: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Taylor Swift – Eyes Open". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  24. ^ a b "New Zealand single certifications – Taylor Swift – Eyes Open". Recorded Music NZ.[dead link‍]
  25. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  26. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  27. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  28. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  29. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  30. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  31. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  32. ^ MacCary, Julia (March 16, 2023). "Taylor Swift Is Dropping Four Unreleased Songs Ahead of Her Eras Tour Start". Variety. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  33. ^ Aniftos, Rania (March 17, 2023). "Taylor Swift Drops Four New Songs Ahead of 'The Eras Tour' Launch: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  34. ^ "Taylor Swift Wants to Re-Record Her Old Hits". BBC News. August 22, 2019. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  35. ^ Finnis, Alex (November 17, 2020). "Taylor Swift Masters: The Controversy around Scooter Braun Selling the Rights to Her Old Music Explained". i. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  36. ^ Shah, Neil (April 9, 2021). "Taylor Swift Releases New Fearless Album, Reclaiming Her Back Catalog". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  37. ^ Faguy, Ana (March 17, 2023). "Where Are Taylor Swift's 4 New Songs? Fans Struggle To Find New Tracks On Streaming Platforms". Forbes. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  38. ^ "The More Red (Taylor's Version) Chapter". Apple Music. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  39. ^ "'Eyes Open (Taylor's Version)' / Taylor Swift". Tidal. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  40. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  41. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 27, 2023. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  42. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  43. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  44. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  45. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  46. ^ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
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