In addition to weapons and teenage murder, music plays a crucial role in Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games. Director Gary Ross recruited producer/songwriter T. Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart) and composer James Newton Howard (replacing Danny Elfman who dropped out due to scheduling issues) to collaborate on the ambitious soundtrack for the feature film adaptation, which is set to feature music and songs both for the film and ones by new and established artists inspired by the film. Today, none other than Taylor Swift has released the first song from the soundtrack.Swift and singer-songwriter duo The Civil Wars have collaborated on a track entitled “Safe and Sound.” Given her far-reaching commercial appeal, Swift seems an obvious choice to have the first track out of the gate. While many may groan at the thought of a pop-heavy soundtrack, this is likely the first of many tracks and collaborations we’ll be seeing and I’m hopeful for a diverse talent pool (my fingers are crossed for a Mumford & Sons appearance). Hit the jump to listen to Swift’s track. The Hunger Games opens on March 23rd.