Listen: Taylor Swift Safe and Sound on The Hunger Games Soundtrack

Taylor Swift broke the news to her Twitter followers, first tweeting on December 22nd:

Something I’ve been VERY excited about for a VERY long time is going to be happening VERY soon.”

Followed by:

And this is it, the big surprise… Go get it! #TheHungerGames http://instagr.am/p/a2sQb/”

And the big news is that she and Civil Wars collaborated on a song for The Hunger Games soundtrack. “Safe and Sound” is a beautiful ballad which fits in well with the tone of the novel (hopefully that same dark tone will be found in the feature film version of Suzanne Collins’ bestselling trilogy).

Listen here:

The song is currently for sale exclusively on iTunes.

More on The Hunger Games:

The plot: “Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.”

The Hunger Games hits theaters on March 23, 2012 and stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale.