11 Intriguing Forest, Woods & Outdoors Songs

Reading Time: 11 min read

11 Intriguing Forest, Woods & Outdoors Songs features music courtesy of The Beatles, Jhené Aiko, Jimmy Clifton, Kayne The Lovechild, and Taylor Swift.

Ah, the great OUTDOORS! We all should make a New Year’s resolution – or a resolution in general, (should you read this any other day than January 1st) – to appreciate the beauty of being outside of the house! 11 Intriguing Forest, Woods & Outdoors Songs, the first The Musical Hype playlist of 2024, focuses on being outside… well, in some cases! The musicians providing the soundtrack include The Beatles, Jhené Aiko, Jimmy Clifton, Kayne The Lovechild and Taylor Swift among others. So, even if you aren’t the most outdoorsy type, and you’re not ready to commit to becoming the outdoorsy type, take a listen to the forest, woods, and outdoor-driven songs on 11 Intriguing Forest, Woods & Outdoors Songs!

1. Taylor Swift, “Out of the Woods (Taylor’s Version)”

💿 1989 (Taylor’s Version) • 🏷 Taylor Swift • 📅 2023

“Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods yet?” That is the question that Taylor Swift poses on “Out of the Woods,” a highlight from her 2014, Grammy-winning album, 1989, as well as the ultra-successful, 2023 re-recorded version from 1989 (Taylor’s Version). She adds in the chorus, the centerpiece, “Are we in the clear yet? Are we in the clear yet?” What exactly is Swift getting at? Love – a past relationship with some great memories that ultimately didn’t work out. The constant repetition of ‘Are we out of the woods yet?’ signals the tenseness of the relationship – the lack of stability. The memories are a blast to hear Swift sing about on this Jack Antonoff co-write. “You took a Polaroid of us / Then discovered,” Swift sings in the first verse, “The rest of the word was black and white / But we were screaming color.” Ah, the pen – such poetic songwriting! Adding to the nostalgia, in the second verse, Swift recalls “The night we couldn’t quite forget / When we decided, we decided / To move the furniture so we could dance.” Still, for all those fun, sweet memories, things didn’t work out – they never made it out of the woods on the original no. 18-peaking hit on the Billboard Hot 100 nor the no. 16-peaking Taylor’s version.

Appears in 🔻:

2. Kayne The Lovechild, “We Outside”

🎵 “We Outside” • 🏷 R3, LLC • 🗓 2023

“This goes out to all my lovers / Do who you want just use a rubber.” WOO! Oh, snap! Kayne The Lovechild comes in hot on his hella fun, infectious single, “We Outside”. The personality is big as hell, part of the charm of the rapper/singer. As a rapper, noticeably on “We Outside,” he hits differently, serving up more of an inclusive vibe. A prime example of the inclusivity beyond the safe sex lyric? “Straight boys / Straight girls / Here with rainbows / We gon’ lead with love cuz I say so.” WORD! Kayne The Lovechild encourages fun – living freely. After all, “Bitch, we outside / So, do what you want / Then, do it to me.” Prior to that, he asks the liberating question, “Who’s taking off they clothes this summer,” answering, “I am!” Hell yeah! Oh, the carefree confidence! Also, Kayne wants some… “I need someone to wake up with naked.” Holy moly! What makes this brief song work is the fact that this is a Planet Fitness style rap song – it’s the no judgement zone, baby! “Be you, be you / Because who the fuck else you gonna be.” He has a point! Backed by exuberant, fierce production (Sean Small, Sam Sumser, and Theron Thomas), Kayne The Lovechild serves up some outdoor goodness on “We Outside.” Live it the F up, peeps!

Appears in 🔻:

3. Jhené Aiko, “Jukai”

💿 Trip • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2017

“If anyone should try and find me / Just know I’m where I wanna be.” Hmm, troubling Jhené Aiko. Why, you ask? Well, the second track from Trip is named “Jukai.” What is Jukai? Well, it’s an infamous forest in Japan. Jukai is another name for The Sea of Trees aka Aokigahara Forest. The forest is infamous because is known for its high incidence of suicide in Japan. As you’d expect, “Jukai,” the Grammy-nominated R&B singer/songwriter references a trip to the infamous Sea of Trees – in her mind, ‘mind’ you. “I’ve made my way down to the forest,” she sings on the verse, continuing, “Way down to the sea of trees.” Later, she adds, “I tried, but my feet kept touchin’ the ground / … If I died, would it even make a sound in the sea of trees.” Her question is psychologically-driven – thought provoking to say the least. Even in the literal sense, it runs deep. The good news regarding Aiko’s exploration of life and death is that she survives the forest and doesn’t surrender her life.

“Okay now, I’m okay now

Alive, alive

Made it out alive, made it out alive

Surprise, surprise, surprise, surprise

I’m out alive.”

Appears in 🔻:

4. Justin Timberlake, “Man of the Woods”

💿 Man of the Woods • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2018

“I brag about you to anyone outside / But I’m a man of the woods, it’s my pride,” pop superstar, Justin Timberlake asserts on “Man of the Woods.” He continues, “I’m sorry, baby, you know I try / But I’m a man of the woods, it’s my pride.” Um, sure JT, sure! In the context of Man of the Woods, the fifth studio album by Timberlake, “Man of the Woods” is arguably the first song that fits the purported sounds and concept of the LP: “modern Americana with 808s”. The title track blends country, pop, and hip-hop. Does it work seamlessly? Meh. “Man of the Woods” didn’t earn sizable airplay on country stations, nor did it earn the characterization as a hit from the LP. Still, “Man of the Woods” is charming and interesting: “And damn anybody if they disagree / They don’t understand you’re just like me, they don’t know / We do it twice ‘cause we know we like it.” Umm, sure! It’s worth noting, the production by The Neptunes is distinct as ever.

Appears in 🔻:

Wood: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 7 (2023)

5. Pitbull, “Timber” (Ft. Kesha)

💿 Global Warming: Meltdown • 🏷 RCA • 2014

Off the top, Grammy winner Pitbull goes dumb on “Timber,” a highlight from his 2012 album, 💿 Global Warming: Meltdown. “Timber” is incredibly corny, but also catchy as hell, hence, ‘feel-good corny.’ Grammy-nominated pop standout Kesha is perfectly suited for the chorus, in all its glory: “It’s going down, I’m yelling timber / You better move, you better dance / Let’s make a night you won’t remember / I’ll be the one you won’t forget.” At least Pit and Kesha understand the definition of the word, right? Pitbull has some memorable lyrical moments. One of the first that shines is sexual: “I have ‘em like Miley Cyrus, clothes off / Twerking in their bras and thongs, timber / Face down, booty up, timber / That the way we like the what, timber…” He also goes on to add the less sexual but equally confident, “Look up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane / Nah, it’s just me, ain’t a damn thing changed.” Again, to reiterate, “It’s going down / I’m yelling TIMBER!”

Appears in 🔻:

11 Amazing Songs Associated with Trees (2021)

6. Mac Miller, “Woods”

💿 Circles • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2020

“Yeah, things like this ain’t built to last / I might just fade like those before me.” 😢 RIP Mac Miller, who passed away far too young at the age of 26 in 2018. On the song at hand, “Woods,” which graces his posthumous album, Circles, Miller never gets too high. Even though he’s chilled out and mellow, he reflects on matters of the heart, as well as his fame, seemingly. “Hate love, heartbreak will have you bankrupt,” he asserts in the second verse. He continues, “Too many days in a daze, better wake up.” With much of Circles dominated by his more melodic side, Miller manages to weave in some un-pitched rhymes as well. One more lyrical moment worth highlighting: “Yeah, I never slip, I never fall / I tried to tell you ‘bout a better life / And get involved big or small.”

Appears in 🔻:

Wood: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 7 (2023)

7. James Blake, “I Need a Forest Fire” (Ft. Bon Iver)

💿 The Colour in Anything • 🏷 Polydor Ltd. • 📅 2016

“To burn it like cedar / I request another dream / I need a forest fire,” Justin Vernon of Bon Iver sings in the chorus of “I Need a Forest Fire”. Hmm, isn’t it sort of strange that there is a necessity for a forest fire? I mean forest fires DESTROY! Well, per the James Blake gem from his 2016 LP, The Colour in Anything, the forest fire is necessary… metaphorically. “I’m saved by nature / But it always forgets what I need,” Blake sings in the first verse, adding, “I hope you’ll stop me before I build a wall around me / We need a forest fire.” So, while Blake and Vernon reference those devastating forest fires, they are referencing a relationship with issues that needs to be burned and restarted, so to speak… something like that. As with any Bon Iver or James Blake song, the sound is incredibly distinct.

Appears in 🔻:

13 Songs Where The Need Is Real (2023)

8. Juicy J, “The Woods” (Ft. Justin Timberlake)

💿 Stay Trippy • 🏷 Kemosabe / Columbia • 🗓 2013

Apparently, in “The Woods”, “You can be as freaky as you should,” according to Justin Timberlake. In the chorus of this Juicy J joint from his 2013 album, Stay Trippy, Timberlake goes on to encourage her to “Unleash the animal, hear my mating call / I want you to be fearless / When we go walking in the woods / A natural experience.” Freaky AF. Timberlake sets the tone on this sexual banger produced by Timbaland. By setting the tone, Timberlake, as well as the lit production, give Juicy J fuel for the sexual fire. There is no shortage of raunchy rhymes, folks! “She keep looking back at it, we keep grinding like jack rabbits / All she want is this pipe, I turn her into a crack addict.” Holy shit, Juicy J! Very complimentary of her body, he spoils her throughout. He gets exactly what he wants – banging sex: “In the hotel we wake the neighbors / They knocking like Jehovah’s Witness.” Damn! Later, he proclaims, “She sent from heaven, mayne / She needs wings on her / I might have to put a ring on her / Damn she so bad, damn she so thick / I wonder how she fit jeans on it.” You get the picture, and it’s filled with ASSets and S-E-X. “The Woods” is a great, freaky rap banger!

Appears in 🔻:

9. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, “Sea of Trees”

💿 12 Bar Bruise • 🏷 Flightless • 📅 2012

“Sea of Trees” is an energetic, rollicking, fast-paced song from psychedelic rock standouts King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.  “Sea of Trees” appears on the collective’s 2012 album, 12 Bar Bruise. That said, even if this three-and-a-quarter-minute joint is set in a major key and sounds happy, you should totally dive into the lyrics and theme. “Sea of Trees” is named after/associated with the Sea of Trees in Japan, perhaps best known as the Aokigahara Forest.  That forest, of course, has become one of the most infamous places on the planet, as it’s known for its high suicide rate.  So, the ‘See of Trees’ aka the Aokigahara forest has earned its most popular nickname, ‘Suicide Forest’ given its unfortunate, high suicide rate. While Stu Mackenzie and company deliver a record that doesn’t sound morbid, the lyrics confirm the connection with Aokigahara.  

“Oh, hell, I’m feeling underwater

My head is sinking like a stone 

And hell, I’m feeling kinda sick

I don’t know what’s the use in it

And when you’re feeling suicidal

Sometimes, you’ve just got to unfold.” 

Appears in 🔻:

10. Jimmy Clifton, “Forest”

💿 There’s Proof of God But Time is Short • 🏷 NFGN Productions • 📅 2023

“Say / Say what you want to about me / But stay / Stay where I’m at when you’re drowning.” Intriguing lyrics by all means. Christian music, particularly contemporary Christian music, or CCM, can ultimately feel incredibly sanitized and unoriginal. That may sound like a harsh criticism of music meant to magnify God, and it shouldn’t be the case, but, it happens far too frequently frequently. Thankfully, Jimmy Clifton brings some life into the faith-based genre with the enigmatic, ethereal record, “Forest”. “Forest” distinguishes itself from the tried-and-true, serving up a folksier, alternative brand of Christian music.

“I was walking there all alone in the forest,” Clifton sings, continuing, “Heard a branch snap, turned around all I saw was / You standing there trying to scare me devil.” Yikes! Of course, on “Forest”, the second track from Clifton’s 2023 album, There’s Proof of God But Time is Short, he ultimately yields not to temptation – Satan won’t lead him off the righteous path! Ultimately, Jimmy “know(s) Who is in the forest,” and only “HE will give you rest.” The WHO and the HE shouldn’t come as a surprise – The Most High, aka God. Clifton sings radiantly as he stomps the devil out and remains dedicated to J-E-S-U-S. His light, airy tenor haunts, providing chills, further accentuated by vocal harmonies. To reiterate, “Forest” ‘hits different’ than other Christian records. It’s enigmatic yet reverent vibes, thoughtful songwriting, and chilling performance truly encourage staying on the holy and righteous path.

Appears in 🔻:

Jimmy Clifton, Forest: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 No. 65 (2023)

11. The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever”

💿 Magical Mystery Tour • 🏷 Universal • 🗓 1967

“Strawberry Fields Forever,” the eighth track from Magical Mystery Tour (1967), marks a more complex record by The Beatles. “Strawberry Fields Forever” is not nearly as simple as some of their four chord songs. The sound itself plays a sizable role in the innovativeness and overall success of the record. Notably, “Strawberry Fields Forever” uses the mellotron, specifically the famous flute sound that can be found in DAWs and synthesizers widespread these days. It’s one of many colors that shape this particular record. Alongside the mellotron, the timbre is further accentuated with trumpet, cello, and perhaps most intriguingly, swarmandal (an Indian harp). Adding to the intrigue, there’s awesome timbrel contrast throughout the song. Of course, it’s not only the instrumental that draws great attention to “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The vocals by John Lennon are on-point, as always. The melody of this tune easily gets stuck in one’s head. Furthermore, the lyrics are nothing short of excellent in their own right – dreamy, reflective, trippy.

“Let me take you down, ‘cause I’m going to

Strawberry Fields

Nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about

Strawberry Fields forever.”

Appears in 🔻:

10 Flavorful Strawberry 🍓 Songs (2021)

11 Intriguing Forest, Woods & Outdoors Songs (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Columbia, Def Jam, Flightless, Kemosabe, NFGN Productions, Polydor Ltd., R3 LLC, RCA, Taylor Swift, Universal, Warner; Sergey Zhumaev from Pexels; Peter H from Pixabay]

11 Intriguing Forest, Woods & Outdoors Songs | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on January 1, 2024January 1, 2024