Saturday, 14 September 2013

About the Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus song)

About the Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus song)

Wrecking Ball" is a song record by American singer Miley Cyrus for her forthcoming fourth studio album, Bangerz (2013). The song was made on hand when Bangerz was pre-ordered from iTunes, beginning on August 25, 2013. It is set to be on the slack to American radio as the next single from Bangerz on September 16, 2013.[2] "Wrecking Ball" was written by Lukasz Gottwald, Maureen Anne McDonald, Stephan Moccio, Sacha Skarbekand Henry Russell Walter. The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Henry Russell Walter under his production name, Cirkut. Both the song and its music videotape customary mixed reviews from critic.

Contents

  [hide
·         1 Background
·         2 Composition
·         3 Critical reception
·         4 Chart performance
·         5 Music video
·         6 Cover versions
·         7 Charts
·         8 Release history
·         9 References
·         10 External links

Background[edit source | editbeta]

In January 2013, Cyrus ended her contract with the label Hollywood Records, under which she had on the loose three studio albums; in late January 2013, she signed a recording contract with RCA Records.[3] In March, she complete that her fourth studio album would be on the loose 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 already been inveterate back in July 2013, during an interview with Idolator.[5] The song was made available for download as part of the Bangerz preorder on August 25, 2013,[6][7][8] and will impact US Hot/Modern/AC radio on September 16, 2013[9]and contemporary hit radio on September 17, 2013.[10] Cyrus released a promotional icon for the song on Twitter dressed in white underwear and meeting on top of a wrecking ball.[11]

Composition[edit source | editbeta]

According to the sheet music in print at Musicnotes.com by Walt Disney Music Publishing, "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 progressionDm–F–C–Gm, and Cyrus' voice ranges from F3 to B4.[12] Some media wrote that "Wrecking Ball" may be inspired by her on-again-off-again romance with fiance, Liam Hemsworth.[13][14] 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 earlier single, "We Can't Stop".[8]

Critical reception[edit source | editbeta]

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.[15] 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'."[16] 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 trust its audience to get the message without being battered by it."[17]
PMC-Magazine named it #1 in their Top Ten Anti-Work Anthems for Labor Day.[18] It was chosen for Best Song at the 2013 World Music Awards.[19]

Chart performance[edit source | editbeta]

"Wrecking Ball", despite not having been released as a single by then, had charted at #50 on the Billboard Hot 100 just in one day, and at #44 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' routine at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.[20] In the following week, Wrecking Ball rose to number 14, selling 201,000 downloads.[21] It has so far charted at number 5 on the Irish Singles Chart. On the New Zealand Singles Chart, the song debuted at number 14. The next week it jumped to number 8, becoming her second consecutive top ten hit after "We Can't Stop" became a number 1 hit in the country. As of September 15, 2013 it is now sitting at number 2, behind Katy Perry's "Roar" which is asset a firm month long reign in the top spot.[22]

Music video[edit source | editbeta]

The video was released on September 9, 2013 on VEVO. It was directed by Terry Richardson. The video begins with a close-up of Cyrus standing in front of a completely white backdrop and crying while drama the song. The video also shows Cyrus sitting naked on top of a wrecking ball (similar to the single cover) and licking a sledgehammer. Within its first 24 hours of availability, it was viewed 19.3 million times, breaking the VEVO record previously held by One Direction's "Best Song Ever" (12.3 million views).

Reception[edit source | editbeta]

The video received mixed to negative reviews both seriously and publicly. Los Angeles Times columnist Mikael Wood wrote: "with its stark close-up shots of Cyrus weepily deliver 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."[23] The Huffington Post's Madeline Boardman said the video "offered a more vulnerable look at the singer."[24] Writing for MTV James Montgomery called the gap 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."[25]
Jason Lipshutz of Billboard also noted that the beginning of the video is comparable to O'Connor's song. He said "the most shocking moment" came when Cyrus was seen nude on the wrecking ball.[26] 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' mania with selling herself via sex appeal is going to superbly overshadow everything she is doing musically."[27] 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."[28] 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."[29] 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 note Cyrus sends is that "the best way for young women to be noticed is to sexually objectify themselves."[30] The Daily Mail questioned if Cyrus "went too far", saying the video is "more provocative than even her last energetic hit, 'We Can't Stop'.

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