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We Can't Stop

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"We Can't Stop"
Song

"We Can't Stop" is a song by American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus for her upcoming fourth studio album. Her first release with RCA Records after leaving Hollywood Records, it was released on June 3, 2013, as the lead single from the project. The song was written by Cyrus, Mike Will Made It, Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Douglas Davis, and Ricky Walters, while production was handled by Mike Will Made It. "We Can't Stop" is a pop song that incorporates R&B and dance styles and lyrically talks of a house party.

Upon its release, "We Can't Stop" received both praise and mixed reviews from music critics, who were ambivalent towards its production. The track has topped the charts in New Zealand and peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. In doing so, it became Cyrus' highest charting song in the country, along with "Party in the U.S.A.", and additionally exceeded sales of one million copies. An accompanying music video was directed by Diane Martel and released on June 19, 2013, which received generally mixed reviews from critics, who were divided on Cyrus' increasingly provocative image. On July 26, 2013, it surpassed 100 million views, consequentially becoming the fastest video to reach Vevo certification.

Background

The song was originally written with Rihanna in mind.[1] Cyrus announced the single name and date of release on the 2013 Billboard Music Awards on May 19, 2013.[2] She described the song as "more funky and R&B, pop" than her earlier records, calling it "infectious";[3] she also said that it is "exactly what I wanted the first sound to be".[2] and that she kept the song in secret for one year.[citation needed] The cover art for the single was revealed in Times Square on May 28, 2013.[4] The song premiered on Ryan Seacrest's show On Air with Ryan Seacrest on June 3, 2013.[5] On July 4, 2013, rapper Khia independently added a verse to the song which Cyrus later acknowledged and approved of on Twitter.[6]

Composition

"We Can't Stop" (2013)
16 second sample from Miley Cyrus's "We Can't Stop"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"We Can't Stop" is a midtempo pop,[7][8] R&B,[9] dance[10] track with a length of three minutes and fifty-two seconds. It is written in the key of E major and Cyrus' vocals span two octaves, from a low D#3 to a high F#5.[citation needed] It follows the chord progression E—G#m—C#m—A.[citation needed] The song starts with a pitched down voice singing the first verses, then Cyrus's vocals begin followed by the keyboard chords. The pre-chorus and the chorus are accompanied with heavy beats. Miley admits that the single says "where I am in my life right now".[11] John Kennedy of Vibe compared the song to Rihanna's style of songs.[12]

The lyrics of the song talk about a party, such as, "This is our house/ This is our rules and we can't stop/ And we won't stop". Cyrus also sings encouraging lines like "Only God can judge us". There has been speculation that the songwriting has drug references, when it says "Everyone's in line at the bathroom / Tryna get a line in the bathroom". This is believed to be alluding to the use of cocaine, which is usually taken in lines. Drug references speculation also arose when listeners thought one of the lines said "We like to party/ Dancing with Molly"; "Molly" is a slang term for ecstasy. However, the producer Mike WiLL Made It stated that she sings "Dancing with Miley", not "Molly".[13] He later double backed on his comment in an interview with MTV where he said: "If you want to dance with Molly, then you gonna enjoy the line 'Dancing with Molly.' You know what I'm saying? But whoever wants to dance with Miley, and whoever enjoys Miley Cyrus, then you know what I'm saying, then they're going to take it as 'Dancing with Miley.' So however y'all want to take it. It's not really for us to just really lay out. We just put the record out."[14] In addition, Cyrus herself later confirmed in an interview with the Daily Mail that the lyrics were indeed referring to ecstasy, and that the confusion between "Miley" and "Molly" was intentional, stating that, "It depends who’s doing what. If you’re aged ten it’s ‘Miley’, if you know what I’m talking about then you know. I just wanted it to be played on the radio and they’ve already had to edit it so much."[15]

Critical reception

Upon release, the song received both praise and mixed reviews from critics. Idolator's Sam Lansky was positive of the song saying it "doesn't sound like anything else on radio" and that while it is a "weird song", "there's something kind of brilliantly woozy about it; it sounds quintessentially California. The whole thing just feels strange, and kind of wonderful."[16] Adam Carlson of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the song is "smartly stupid and (dare I?) infectious, with follow-along lyrics — like Ke$ha on Benadryl."[17] Yahoo! Music Managing Editor Lyndsey Parker described the song as "a grown-up sequel to 'Party in the U.S.A.'. She's just partying a little harder now."[18] The Wall Street Journal wrote that the song is "catchy, in a guilty pleasure kind of way."[19] Sean Daly of the Tampa Bay Times said that he liked the song as a critic as it is "is swirly and technotic" and that "musically, it's catchy and smart."[20] Los Angeles Times music critic Randall Roberts summarized the song as "an unchallenging piece of work".[21] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone gave the song a two-star rating out of five, commenting that Cyrus' "attempt at club-entering swag is adorable, but there's still a bit too much Disney in her voice to fill the track. Its lyrics – "Can't you see it's we who 'bout that life?" – would be an odd fit for any singer."[22] The song was praised by many critics for its smooth beat, and catchy hook.

The song was nominated for Choice Summer Song on the 2013 Teen Choice Awards. In total, Cyrus was nominated in a total of six categories, the other five being Female Hottie, Fashion Icon, Female Scene Stealer, Female Artist, and Choice Summer Music Star.[23] The video was nominated in three categories on the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Pop Video, Best Female Video, and Best Editing. The results will be revealed during the ceremony on August 25, 2013 in New York. Regardless of its controversial material, the video for "We Can't Stop" has become one of the most popular and successful videos of 2013.

Commercial performance

In the United States, "We Can't Stop" debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 with first-week sales of 214,000 downloads. It additionally entered the Hot Digital Songs component chart at number three.[24] On its third week "We Can't Stop" blasted 27-5 as the top Streaming Gainer, selling 161,000 digital downloads and vaulting from 28-1 on the Streaming Songs chart with 9.6 million views. With this, "We Can't Stop" became Cyrus' seventh top ten hit, and third top five hit. On the fourth week since its release, the song charged 5-3 as the Hot 100's top Digital Gainer going 6-2 on Hot Digital Songs with 209,000 downloads. With its 5-3 advance, "We Can't Stop" becomes Cyrus' second-highest-charting Hot 100 hit, bested only by "Party in the U.S.A.," which spent three weeks at No. 2 in 2009. "Stop" passes her No. 4-peaking "The Climb" (also in 2009).[25] For the fifth week "We Can't Stop" remained at No. 3 on the Hot 100 ranking No. 1 on Streaming Songs for a third week, and logged a second week at its No. 2 peak on Digital Songs with 210,000 downloads; and advanced 62-49 on Radio Songs.[26]As of July 17, 2013, "We Can't Stop" has sold over 1,000,000 copies in the United States, becoming her 8th one million-selling single in the country. Also in its sixth week, "We Can't Stop" sold 216,000 copies, outselling its first sales week, and becoming one of the top sales weeks for a female artist this year. In its seventh week on the chart, "Stop" reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 thus tying her hit "Party in the U.S.A. and shifted 208,000 downloads.

The song also became successful in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada as it made to the upper tier of their charts. It has reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, Norway, Ireland and New Zealand. Specifically, in New Zealand, "We Can't Stop" reached No. 1 on the chart becoming Cyrus' first number one song on any chart. In addition, it was certified Gold there, and likewise in Australia.[27][28] To date it has sold 1,311,000 copies in the US alone on 7 weeks.

Music video

The music video of "We Can't Stop" was directed by Diane Martel and filmed in Los Angeles, California, during the last week of May 2013. It premiered on VEVO June 19, 2013. Cyrus will release a Director's Cut edition of the video when the original reaches 100 million views that includes a more "scandalous" version, according to Cyrus. The video itself has already been censored in the UK for its mature and somewhat racy content. There were many parodies made in reference to the video, one by Shane Dawson, another by Barely Political, and many more. The video displays a more provocative side of Cyrus, one that wasn't seen as much in her previous music videos. The video broke the VEVO record for most watched video in 24 hours, with 10.7 million views - beating out Justin Bieber's "Beauty And A Beat" music video, which had 10.6 million views on its first day. On July 23, 2013 One Direction broke the record with their music video of "Best Song Ever" with 12.6 million views. Cyrus still holds the record with most views in a day by a female. It also broke the record for becoming the fastest video to become VEVO certified, reaching 100 million views, in only 37 days after its release.

Synopsis

The video portrays Cyrus and her friends at a house party and, according to her, is inspired by true events. The video starts with Miley cutting off a house-arrest ankle bracelet and putting on gold teeth accessories. It also shows Cyrus making out with a doll of herself in a pool, doing her infamous "twerking", dancing with a giant teddy bear; and other bizarre scenes, such as a skull made out of french fries, cutting off fake fingers in the kitchen, a mountain of bread, a random computer-animated mask, and smoke coming out of a man's crotch. The video shows vibrant colors. This aspect of Cyrus' video was praised by critics, along with its creativity.

Reception

Mashable described it as a "mashup between a Sky Ferreira video and Lady Gaga's 'Just Dance' video infused with Miley's new image."[29] James Montgomery of MTV said the video was reminiscent of "Christina Aguilera's 'Dirrty' and Fiona Apple's 'Criminal', not to mention the candy-colored excess of filmmakers like Harmony Korine and Gregg Araki."[30] The Washington Post found that the scenes recalled "episodes of Girls mashed with Rita Ora and Chanel West Coast."[31] The video received both praise and mixed reviews. The Huffington Post contributor Bonnie Fuller deemed the video "very sophisticated", "the culmination of a well thought-out plan and image change". She praised Cyrus for the message it sends as "a high-spirited celebration of the freedom that young women are blessed with today to fully explore and celebrate their sexuality."[32] Billboard was rather positive of the video calling it "insane", adding that it is "fantastically unhinged and purposefully button-pushing; this music video simply needs to be seen to be believed."[33] US Weekly called it "over-the-top", "sexed-up" and "surreal".[34] USA Today said of the video: "All in all, it's a bizarre, entertaining but arguably desperate effort from the talented star."[35] RyanSeacrest.com noted the video "displays an edgier side" of the singer, but that it is "maybe a little too much".[36] The video has remained at number 1 on the YouTube 100 since its debut nearly a month ago.


Live performances

Cyrus performed the song for the first time on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on June 25, followed by another performance on Good Morning America the next morning on June 26, 2013.

Track listing

Digital download
  1. We Can't Stop - 3:52[37]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[38] 4
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[39] 33
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[40] 29
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[41] 43
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[42] 3
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[43] 96
Denmark (Tracklisten)[44] 13
France (SNEP)[45] 54
Invalid chart entered Germany2 30
Ireland (IRMA)[46] 7
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[47] 86
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[48] 54
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[49] 54
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[50] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[51] 6
South Korea (Gaon Digital Singles)[52] 29
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[53] 22
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[54] 13
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[55] 44
Ukraine (FDR Charts)[56] 15
US Billboard Hot 100[57] 2
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[58] 16

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[59] Platinum 70,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[60] Gold 7,500*
United States (RIAA)[61] Platinum 1,000,000^

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

References

  1. ^ Platon, Adelle (June 8, 2013). "Vixen Exclusive: Songwriting Duo Rock City Say Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop' Was Meant For Rihanna". Vibe Vixen. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (May 19, 2013). "Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop' Single Due Jun e 3". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  3. ^ Marquina, Sierra (May 29, 2013). "Miley Cyrus Describes Upcoming Single 'We Can't Stop' as 'A New Miley'". RyanSeacrest.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  4. ^ Lansky, Sam (May 28, 2013). "Miley Cyrus Debuts "We Can't Stop" Single Artwork On Times Square Billboard". Idolator. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  5. ^ Marquina, Sierra (June 3, 2013). "WORLD PREMIERE: Listen to Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop'". RyanSeacrest.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  6. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (2013-07-05). "Khia Remixes Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  7. ^ Bill Lamb. "Miley Cyrus - "We Can't Stop"". About.com. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  8. ^ Bianca Gracie (June 3, 2013). "Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop": Review Revue". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 26, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ Jason Lipshutz (June 3, 2013). "Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop' Premieres: Listen To The New Single". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  10. ^ Amy Sciarretto (June 3, 2013). "Miley Cyrus, 'We Can't Stop' - Song Review". Popcrush. Retrieved July 26, 2013. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  11. ^ Marquina, Sierra (June 3, 2013). "Miley Cyrus: 'We Can't Stop' Is 'Where I'm at in My Life Right Now'". RyanSeacrest.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  12. ^ Kennedy, John (June 3, 2013). "Listen: Miley Cyrus' New Single 'We Can't Stop' Sounds Strangely Like Rihanna". Vibe. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  13. ^ Sciarretto, Amy (June 6, 2013). "Miley Cyrus Is Not Advocating Drug Use in 'We Can't Stop'". Retrieved PopCrush. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (June 11, 2013). "What Is Miley Cyrus Really Singing About On 'We Can't Stop'?". Retrieved MTVBlog. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  15. ^ Strang, Fay (July 20, 2013). "'They took out literally everything': Miley Cyrus reveals raunchy video for We Can't Stop was MORE explicit as she opens up about shedding her squeaky clean past". DailyMail. Retrieved July 22, 2013. It depends who's doing what. If you're aged ten it's 'Miley', if you know what I'm talking about then you know. I just wanted it to be played on the radio and they've already had to edit it so much.
  16. ^ Lansky, Sam (June 3, 2013). "Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop": Hear Her Comeback Single Here". Idolator. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  17. ^ Carlson, Adam (June 3, 2013). "Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop': Hear it here". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  18. ^ McKay, Holly (June 4, 2013). "Miley Cyrus: 'We Can't Stop' song of summer or sign of trouble?". Fox News. Retrieved Jubne 5, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  19. ^ "Miley Cyrus Gets All Mature In 'We Can't Stop' Video". Wall Street Journal. June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  20. ^ Daly, Sean (June 5, 2013). "'We Can't Stop' listening to Miley Cyrus' new song". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  21. ^ Roberts, Randall (June 5, 2013). "Understanding Miley Cyrus' new track 'We Can't Stop'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  22. ^ Dolan, Jon (June 18, 2013). "Song Reviews - Miley Cyrus, We Can't Stop". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  23. ^ http://www.mileycyrus.com/news
  24. ^ Trust, Gary (June 12, 2013) http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1566519/robin-thickes-blurred-lines-hits-no-1-on-hot-100
  25. ^ Trust, Gary (July 3, 2013) http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1568859/robin-thickes-blurred-lines-holds-atop-hot-100
  26. ^ Trust, Gary (July 10, 2013) http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1569412/robin-thickes-blurred-lines-leads-hot-100-for-fifth-week
  27. ^ http://nztop40.co.nz
  28. ^ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/chart/singles
  29. ^ Cabalona, Jeremy (June 19, 2013). "17 WTF Moments From Miley Cyrus' New 'We Can't Stop' Video". Mashable. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  30. ^ Montgomery, James (June 19, 2013). "Miley Cyrus Gets 'Dirrty' In New 'We Can't Stop' Video". MTV. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  31. ^ Kelly, Cara (June 20, 2013). "Miley Cyrus's 'We Can't Stop,' is par for course of pop stardom". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  32. ^ Fuller, Bonnie (June 19, 2013). "Miley Cyrus: 'We Can't Stop' Video Celebrates Female Sexual Liberation". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  33. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (June 19, 2013). "Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop' Video Is Completely Insane: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  34. ^ Eggenberger, Nicole (June 19, 2013). "Miley Cyrus Grinds on Bed, Shakes Butt in "We Can't Stop" Music Video". US Weekly. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  35. ^ Ryan, Patrick (June 19, 2013). "Miley Cyrus debuts 'We Can't Stop' video". USA Today. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  36. ^ Dodd, Haley (June 19, 2013). "Miley Cyrus Gets Wild in 'We Can't Stop' Music Video - See more at: http://ryanseacrest.com/2013/06/19/miley-cyrus-gets-wild-in-we-cant-stop-music-video/#sthash.EloRcUDM.dpuf". RyanSeacrest.com. Retrieved June 20, 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  37. ^ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/we-cant-stop-single/id653554021
  38. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  39. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  40. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  41. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  42. ^ "Miley Cyrus Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  43. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 29. týden 2013 in the date selector.
  44. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop". Tracklisten.
  45. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop" (in French). Les classement single.
  46. ^ "Chart Track: Week 29, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
  47. ^ "Miley Cyrus Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard.
  48. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Miley Cyrus" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  49. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  50. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop". Top 40 Singles.
  51. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop". VG-lista.
  52. ^ Cite error: The named reference gaon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  53. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop" Canciones Top 50.
  54. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  55. ^ "Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop". Swiss Singles Chart.
  56. ^ "Ukrainian Chart". FDR. 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  57. ^ "Miley Cyrus Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  58. ^ "Miley Cyrus Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  59. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  60. ^ THE FIELD id (chart number) MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION.
  61. ^ "American single certifications – Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop". Recording Industry Association of America.

"We Can't Stop" on YouTube

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