"Safe and Sound" is a song by American indie pop duo Capital Cities, written and produced by band members Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian. The song was released as a single on January 6, 2011, and first appeared on their debut EP Capital Cities (2011), later serving as the lead single from their debut studio album, In a Tidal Wave of Mystery (2013). "Safe and Sound" became the duo's breakout hit, peaking at number eight on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and achieving commercial success in several other territories. Three music videos were produced for the single, with the third video, directed by Grady Hall and set in the Los Angeles Theatre, later being nominated for Best Music Video at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards
"Safe and Sound" is a synth-pop,[1]new wave,[2]dance-pop,[3] and alternative rock song,[4] and was written and produced by Capital Cities members Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian. It features a prominent trumpet line, which was only incorporated into its production after eight previous takes of the song.[5]
Sheet music for the song is entirely in the key of C major with a metronome of 116-120 beats per minute in common time.[6] The trumpet line is based on the melody for the Yiddish folk song "Dona, Dona."
Music videos
The first music video for "Safe and Sound" was self-produced and edited by the band and uploaded to their official YouTube account on February 24, 2011. It features alternating historical film clips of dancing and war from the last century generally arranged in chronological order.[7] As of February 2025, it has received 9.4 million views. Another video, directed by Jimmy Ahlander, was released on October 21 on Vimeo, depicting the duo being led through a junkyard by a monk.[8]
The third and most well-known video for the song was directed by Grady Hall[9] and released on April 25, 2013.[10] The video is set in the Los Angeles Theatre and depicts Capital Cities performing on stage as dancers of all types (1940s swing dancers, 1970s roller-disco skaters, 1990s hip-hop dancers, etc.) emerge from pictures on the wall and film clips from different time periods in the theater's history come to life and compete in dance-offs.[9] It received a nomination in the Best Music Video category at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.[11] As of February 2025, this music video has amassed over 815 million views on YouTube.
Air New Zealand have used the song in their in-flight safety video for 2014, while the Barcelona's Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) has used it in its dance video to raise awareness and support for research into diseases such as cancer and metastasis, Alzheimer's and diabetes.[14]
The song was featured as the background music for the 2014 Mazda3. The music video featured prominent figures Bruce Lee, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Jackie Robinson to promote the all new features, including the "kodo" design Mazda has introduced post-Ford ownership of the company.
McDonald's has used the song in 2020 in McDonald's Australia promotion for the return of the McRib® & El Maco® as part of the that year’s summer menu.[15]
Beginning in 2022, the beginning instrumental of the song was used by Hoyts Cinemas at the start of all movies to promote Ben and Jerry's ice cream cakes
Commercial performance
"Safe and Sound" first gained commercial success in Germany following its use in a Vodafone commercial, later topping the German Media Control singles chart.[18] A sleeper hit, it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 2013, over two-and-a-half years after its initial release.[19] It has sold over two million copies in the United States as of January 2014.[20] It also reached number one on Alternative Airplay[21] and number two on both the Adult Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 charts. In the United Kingdom, the single was added to the BBC Radio 2 playlist on August 31, 2013;[22] following its official single release in the country the following month, it peaked at number 42 on the UK Singles Chart.[23]
In September 2023, for the 35th anniversary of Alternative Airplay,[24]Billboard published a list of the top 100 most successful songs in the chart's history; "Safe and Sound" was ranked at number53.[25]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 41. týden 2013 in the date selector. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 24. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201326 into search. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201428 into search. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
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