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Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus song)

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"Wrecking Ball"
Song

"Wrecking Ball" is a song recorded by American recording artist Miley Cyrus for her fourth studio album, Bangerz (2013). It was released on August 25, 2013 by RCA Records as the second single from the album. The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut, and written by MoZella, Stephan Moccio, Sacha Skarbek, Dr. Luke and Cirkut. Both the song and its music video received mixed reviews from critics. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first number one hit in the country.[2]

Background

In January 2013, Cyrus ended her contract with the label Hollywood Records, under which she had released three studio albums; in late January 2013, she signed a recording contract with RCA Records.[3] In March, she confirmed that her fourth studio album would be released by the end of 2013.[4]

"Wrecking Ball" was written by Sacha Skarbek, Stephan Moccio, Dr. Luke, Maureen Anne McDonald and Henry Russell Walter. The production of the song was handled by Gottwald and Russell Walter, known by their stage names, Dr. Luke and Cirkut. The inclusion of the song in the album had been confirmed back in July 2013, during an interview with Idolator.[5] The song was released as a music download on August 25, 2013.[6][7][8][9] "Wrecking Ball" officially impacted radio stations in Italy on September 13, 2013. For the U.S., it impacted Hot/Modern/AC radio on September 16, 2013[10] and contemporary hit radio on September 17, 2013.[11] Cyrus released a promotional image for the song on Twitter dressed in white underwear and sitting on top of a wrecking ball.[12]

Composition

"Wrecking Ball"
A sample of "Wrecking Ball", which strays from the styles displayed in "We Can't Stop", instead focusing on synthpop styles.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Wrecking Ball" is set in common time with a tempo of 60 beats per minute. Written in the key of D minor, it follows the chord progression Dm–F–C–Gm.[13] The song is a power ballad with "anguished" vocals by Cyrus, "Wrecking Ball" has been described as a "heartbroken counterpoint" to the "hedonism" of her previous single, "We Can't Stop".[9] The song is believed to be about her relationship with actor Liam Hemsworth that ended in September, 2013.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the song received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Complex wrote: "This song seems to be a very personal one for the young singer, as she addresses love and heart break in a very passionate manner" and described it as a "drastic departure" from the "happy-go-lucky content" of We Can't Stop.[14] Popdust described it as "a power ballad from the '80s or a Demi Lovato song. A little angsty, but certainly a nice foil to the debauchery of 'We Can’t Stop'."[15] HitFix gave it a "D+" grade, saying: "is a blunt-force instrument of pop songcraft that could've easily been sung by Katy Perry and in that sense it more than lives up to its central metaphor. But while the song is fine in its quieter moments, it's so overwrought on the chorus that, like the tune's narrator (who I'll assume to be Cyrus herself), it tries to "force" its way in when it should have trusted its audience to get the message without being battered by it."[16] Robert Copsey from the DigitalSpy gave the song 4 stars out of 5. [17]

PMC-Magazine named it #1 in their Top Ten Anti-Work Anthems for Labor Day.[18] It was nominated for Best Song at the 2013 World Music Awards.[19]

Commercial performance

"Wrecking Ball", despite not having been released as a single by then, had charted at number fifty on the Billboard Hot 100 after solely one day of release, as well as charting at number forty-four on the Canadian Hot 100, on the strength of digital downloads. In its first two days of release, it sold 90,000 downloads in the US, assisted by Cyrus' performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.[20] In the following week, the song rose to number fourteen, selling 201,000 downloads.[21] In its fourth week, the song rose to number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Cyrus her first ever chart topper on the US tally. Also, on Streaming Songs the song was surged by the release of its controversial music video, facing a massive gain of 1,565% (36,5 million streams). Also, it has simultaneously topped the Hot Digital Songs with sales of 477,000, her best week of sales and the second highest of the year to date, the highest being "Roar" with 557,000 sold. Hence, it became her third number-one on that chart. Moreover, it opened at number thirty-five on Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) and number fifty-nine on Radio Songs.[22] The following week, it ascended to number twenty-one on the Pop Songs chart, also gaining the most added milestone.[23] As of October 5,2013,"Wrecking Ball" has sold 1,467,000 copies in the US.[citation needed]

It has so far charted at number-two on the Irish Singles Chart. On October 13, 2013, "Wrecking Ball" debuted at number 1 in the UK, along with her album Bangerz, becoming the first artist to do that in 2013.[24]

On the New Zealand Singles Chart, the song debuted at number fourteen. The next week it jumped to number-eight, becoming her second consecutive top ten hit after "We Can't Stop", which reached the summit of that country's chart. The song eventually managed to reach the runner-up position of the chart, settling at number-two. It also peaked at number-two on the Australian Singles Chart, where it broke a tie for her highest-charting single there.[25]

Music video

The video was directed by Terry Richardson and released by Vevo on September 9, 2013. The video begins with a close-up of Cyrus standing in front of a completely white backdrop and crying while performing the song. The video also shows Cyrus sitting naked on top of a wrecking ball (similar to the single cover) and licking a sledgehammer. On September 24, 2013, a Director's Cut version of the video was also released, featuring only the footage of Cyrus against the white backdrop singing and crying to the camera.

Cyrus said of the video:

I think the video is much more, if people get past the point that I'm naked and you actually look at me you can tell that I actually look more broken than even the song sounds. The song is a pop ballad. It's one of these songs that everyone is going to relate to, everyone has felt that feeling at one point. If people can take their minds out of the obvious and go into their imagination a little bit and see kind of what the video really means and the way it's so vulnerable and actually if you look in my eyes I look more sad than my voice sounds on the record it was a lot harder to do the video than it was to record the songs. It was much more of an emotional experience.[26]

Reception

The video received mixed reviews both critically and publicly. Los Angeles Times columnist Mikael Wood wrote: "with its stark close-up shots of Cyrus weepily delivering lyrics about love's destructive properties, 'Wrecking Ball' seems also to be the singer's attempt to prove she's not just a controversy magnet."[27] The Huffington Post's Madeline Boardman said the video "offered a more vulnerable look at the singer."[28] Writing for MTV James Montgomery called the opening scene "the most jaw-dropping moment" and "the most straightforward" while saying it was reminiscent of Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U". He concluded: "It's a refreshing change of pace, one that might silence her detractors... or at least serve notice that she's still capable of wowing us with her voice, rather than her twerking abilities."[29] In an interview from October 2013 with Rolling Stone, Cyrus admitted the video was inspired by the one for O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U".[30]

Jason Lipshutz of Billboard also noted that the beginning of the video is similar to O'Connor's song. He said "the most shocking moment" came when Cyrus was seen nude on the wrecking ball.[31] James Shotwell of Under the Gun Review said the song was good and "could be very successful at radio with the proper push, but I fear Cyrus' obsession with selling herself via sex appeal is going to superbly overshadow everything she is doing musically."[32] Less positive, Hypable wrote: "'Wrecking Ball' is a song about a partner who destroyed her, but Miley couldn't resist sexualizing the emotional, serious message as much as possible." The website added that the "sexual innuendo" did not relate to the song, and concluded: "What could've been a nice way to play mature Miley turned into another attempt at grabbing attention."[33] Entertainment Weekly described the video as "both emotionally and literally stripped." The website went on saying: "watch it and be scandalized/titillated/disappointed in Billy Ray Cyrus' parenting skills."[34] The Guardian's Michael Hann was also negative towards the video, which "doesn't demonstrate a woman exploring her sexuality, it depicts a woman exploring the iconography of porn." He wrote that the message Cyrus sends is that "the best way for young women to be noticed is to sexually objectify themselves."[35] The Daily Mail questioned if Cyrus "went too far", saying the video is "more provocative than even her last boisterous hit, 'We Can't Stop'.[36] It was parodied several times.[37]

Live performances

Miley performed the song live for the first time at the iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas on September 22, 2013, during the evening and night event in a transparent dress showing her uncovered breasts. On October 5, she made an appearance on Saturday Night Live, and performed the song, receiving critical acclaim for the performance. Also during the promotion of the album, Bangerz, she performed the song on the Today Show on October 7. Miley performed the song on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on October 11, 2013.

Cover versions

The Gregory Brothers uploaded a country cover of the song, which Mashable said "may have topped her — at least in terms of song quality."[38] HAIM covered the song at their performance in the Live Lounge. Their version is a little altered.[39] Rumer Willis, daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, covered a slowed-down cover of the song in one of her stage performances.[40] In September 2013, British singer-songwriter James Arthur covered this song on Radio Hamburg in Germany.[41]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[42] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[43] 5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[44] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[45] 5
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[46] 1
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[47] 8
Denmark (Tracklisten)[48] 4
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[49] 9
France (SNEP)[50] 7
songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS 14
Hungary (Single Top 40)[51] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[52] 2
Israel (Media Forest)[53] 1
Italy (FIMI)[54] 5
Luxembourg (Billboard)[55] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[56] 11
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[57] 2
Norway (VG-lista)[58] 2
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[59] 9
Scotland (OCC)[60] 1
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[61] 11
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[62] 7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[63] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[64] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[65] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[66] 1
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[67] 4
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[68] 19
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[69] 18
Venezuela Pop Rock General (Record Report)[70] 2

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[71] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[72] Gold 15,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[73] Platinum 15,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label
United States August 25, 2013[6] Digital download RCA Records
Italy September 13, 2013[74] Mainstream radio Sony Music
United States September 16, 2013[75] Hot/Modern Adult Contemporary radio RCA Records
September 17, 2013[11] Contemporary hit radio
United Kingdom October 6, 2013[76] Digital download
Germany October 18, 2013[77] CD Single Sony

References

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  4. ^ Jason Lipshutz (March 7, 2013). "Miley Cyrus: 'My New Music Is Gonna Shut Everyone Up'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
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External links

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