Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus song)


"Wrecking Ball" is a song recorded by American singer Miley Cyrus for her fourth studio album, Bangerz. It was released on August 25, 2013, by RCA Records as the album's second single. The song was written by Mozella, Stephan Moccio, Sacha Skarbek, with Dr. Luke and Cirkut, who also served as the producers, credited as co-writers along with David Kim. "Wrecking Ball" is a pop ballad which lyrically discusses the deterioration of a relationship.
"Wrecking Ball" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 50, and later became Cyrus' first number-one single in the United States after the release of its controversial music video; it retained the peak position during the following week. Nine weeks later, the track returned to number one, and consequently had the largest gap between number-one sittings in Billboard Hot 100 history within a single chart run. As of January 2014, "Wrecking Ball" has sold three million copies in the United States. Internationally, the song charted strongly; it topped the charts in Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom, and charted in the top ten throughout much of Europe and Oceania. It's Miley Cyrus' only song to crack the Billboard Decade-End, doing so at number 99.
An accompanying music video for "Wrecking Ball" was released on September 9, 2013. It featured close-up scenes of Cyrus tearfully singing, reminiscent of the clip for "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor, interspersed with footage of a nude Cyrus swinging on a wrecking ball. Critics were divided in their opinions of the music video, feeling that it was more provocative than the clip for her previous single "We Can't Stop". "Wrecking Ball" previously held the Vevo record for the most views in the first 24 hours after its release with 19.3 million views. At the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards, Cyrus took home the award for Best Video and the award for Video of the Year at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Adding to the video's success, Cyrus won the award for World's Best Video at the 2014 World Music Awards in Monte Carlo. Cyrus has performed "Wrecking Ball" during several live performances, including the iHeartRadio Music Festival and an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Background

Before directly stating that "Wrecking Ball" was originally written with Beyoncé in mind, songwriter Sacha Skarbek tweeted "Beyonce song now becoming a Miley Cyrus song?!! Good/bad? I don't know??!!!! "
The song, and the cover of its parent album Bangerz, were unveiled on August 25, 2013, before Cyrus' performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. She released the cover artwork for "Wrecking Ball" on September 6, which shows Cyrus dressed in a sleeveless white shirt and underwear while swinging on a wrecking ball. The song was serviced to contemporary hit radio stations in the United States on September 17. It serves as the second single from Bangerz, following the lead single "We Can't Stop", which was released in June.

Composition

"Wrecking Ball" is a pop ballad; According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Publishing America, it is set in common time with a tempo of 60 beats per minute. The track is written in the key of D minor and follows the chord progression Dm–F–C–Gm, but the chorus is in F major. Miriam Coleman of Rolling Stone noted that it begins with a minimalist keyboard instrumentation, which puts emphasis on Cyrus "anguished vocals", and also described it as a "heartbroken counterpoint" to "We Can't Stop". Cyrus said that "Wrecking Ball" was inspired by "OneRepublic, and the way Timbaland used to do those big ballads." The song's chord progression in the chorus serves in the form I-V-vi-IV.

Critical reception

"Wrecking Ball" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Writing for The A.V. Club, Marah Eakin provided a favorable review, calling it a "solid ballad" and describing it as "a modern day 'My Heart Will Go On' that discussed a deteriorated, shortlived young romance." Kitty Empire from The Observer opined that "the heartbreak section of Bangerz mostly repays your attention" and mentioned "Wrecking Ball" to be a part of it. Although he found the song "predictable," Evan Sawdey of PopMatters gave it an overall positive review and complimented its production and the build up to its chorus, calling it "the kind of broad mainstream song that shows how you how to properly build up to a chorus before hitting us over the head with it. Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone felt that it " the hunger and confusion that make great coming-of-age pop." Writing for AllMusic, Heather Phares considered the track to be a standout from Bangerz.
Writing for Digital Spy, Robert Copsey questioned Cyrus' decision to premiere a ballad in the midst of controversies regarding her "salacious exploits", but enjoyed the song itself and opined that it "proves that there's method behind the madness." In a more mixed review, Joseph Atilano from the Philippine Daily Inquirer appreciated the lyrics for seeming heartfelt, but felt that its production was "comparatively weaker" by comparison to her earlier projects. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times felt that the track proved that Cyrus "isn't just a twerk-bot programmed to titillate", but suggested that her "singing throbs with what feels like an embarrassment of emotion" and found it peculiar that the song discussed the singer's relationship with Hemsworth when her public behavior seemingly suggested that she "couldn't care less about" it.
After a month of voting, on March 31, 2014, Billboard declared the song to be the winner of the 2014 Hot 100 March Madness and their favorite Top 5 single from the past year. It defeated songs like "Holy Grail" by Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake, "Best Song Ever" by One Direction, "Applause" by Lady Gaga, "Timber" by Pitbull and Kesha and finally "Just Give Me a Reason" by Pink and Nate Ruess.

Commercial performance

Before officially being serviced as a single, "Wrecking Ball" made a "hot shot debut" at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week issued on September 7, 2013, with 90,000 downloads in two days. It reached number 14 the following week with 201,000 downloads. After its official premiere as the second single from Bangerz, the track peaked at number one in the United States in its fourth week, heavily assisted by online streaming credits from its recently released music video; this gave Cyrus her first number-one single in the country. It sold 477,000 copies that week, becoming the third-highest single sales week of 2013, behind the 582,000 units moved by "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift and the 557,000 units moved by "Roar" by Katy Perry. In December, "Wrecking Ball" returned to the peak position after being stuck at number two or three the previous nine weeks as Lorde's "Royals" topped the Hot 100, with assistance from a viral parody video and consequently became the largest gap between number-one sittings in Billboard history within a single chart run. The next week it tumbled to number 5 as Eminem's "The Monster" featuring Rihanna topped the chart. As of December 2014, "Wrecking Ball" has sold 3,640,000 copies in the United States. The track peaked at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, and was later certified triple-platinum in the country. It reached the peak position on the Mexico Ingles Airplay.
"Wrecking Ball" charted strongly throughout Europe. In the United Kingdom, the song and Bangerz both debuted at number one on their respective charts in the same week, making Cyrus the first artist of 2013 to achieve a "chart double" in the country. It was later certified platunium by the British Phonographic Industry. Additionally, the song marked Cyrus' second chart-topping single in the country after "We Can't Stop". In Belgium, it respectively reached numbers four and five on the Belgian Ultratop in the Flanders and Wallonia regions, and was eventually awarded a gold certification. The track peaked at number six on the Official German Charts, and was later certified platinum. It charted at number three on the Italian FIMI chart, and earned a double-platinum certification. In Oceania, "Wrecking Ball" charted at number two on both the Australian ARIA Charts and the Official New Zealand Music Chart. It was certified quadruple-platinum in the former country, and was given a platinum certification in the latter.

Music video

Synopsis

An accompanying music video for "Wrecking Ball" was directed by Terry Richardson, and was premiered through Vevo on September 9, 2013. The clip features close-up footage of Cyrus emotionally singing to the camera against a white backdrop, having been inspired by the music video for "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor. Interspersed throughout are scenes of Cyrus licking a sledgehammer and swinging on a wrecking ball. At first, she is shown dressed in a midriff-baring tank top, panties and Doc Martens boots; as the video progresses, she is then shown wearing only the boots.

Reception

The music video received generally mixed reviews from critics, who were divided in their opinions regarding Cyrus's increasingly provocative image. Writing for Billboard, Jason Lipshutz stated that the "nude Cyrus shown straddling a swinging wrecking ball" was the most surprising piece of the clip. The staff from Entertainment Weekly joked that viewers would be "scandalized/titillated/disappointed in Billy Ray Cyrus's parenting skills" after seeing his daughter nude and "fellating a sledgehammer". Writing for The Guardian, Michael Hann criticized Cyrus's attempts to distance herself from her innocent Hannah Montana image, a former television series in which Cyrus portrayed the primary character Miley Stewart, a middle school student who led a secret double life as pop star Hannah Montana. He disapproved of the manner in which she transitioned into a career beyond her childhood success, specifically panning her for "exploring the iconography of porn." As of January 2015, Billboard named the video as the fourth best music video of the 2010s.
James Montgomery from MTV News noted that the controversy surrounding Cyrus's nude performance in the video was "to be expected" given her recent controversies, and complimented Richardson "for toning down the salacious scenes, and allowing the softer, more genuine sides to shine through." Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times opined that the music video tried to paint Cyrus in a more serious light with its scenes of her emotionally singing and crying.
Billboard editor Jason Lipshutz opined "Wrecking Ball" is Cyrus's "Cry Me a River", for their controversial music videos and the artists' music evolution. "A decade ago, Justin Timberlake was in "My music will shut everyone up" mode, too, as he railed against a teenybopper image". He concluded "Cyrus is breathtaking and talented, and, now that she has our attention with her own version of "Cry Me a River," can dial down the shock tactics and present her artistic vision in the form of a new full-length."
With 19.3 million views in the first twenty-four hours of its release, the music video held the record for having the most views in that time-frame across Vevo platforms. This record was held by One Direction's music video for "Best Song Ever", which amased 10.9 million views in July. The first-day viewing record was surpassed by the video for "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj in August 2014, which received 19.6 million views upon its premiere. The video has received over 1.0 billion views on YouTube. A director's cut of the music video was released on September 24, which features only the close-up footage of Cyrus singing against the white backdrop. Vanessa White Wolf from MTV News noted that "the only time Richardson cuts away is at the very end, where, after a quick director's credit page, we see Terry and Miley laughing and mugging for the camera."
The 2014 Australian art prize the Bald Archy was awarded to Judy Nadin for Wrecking Balls Ashes to Ashes, parodying cricketer Mitchell Johnson as Cyrus.
In an interview in 2017, Cyrus stated that she is not "a big fan" of the music video herself. "'Wrecking Ball' -- I'll do it, but I don't love it... It's when you're so stoked about something and then you have to sing a song that bums you out. And I'll never live down when I licked a sledgehammer."

Live performances

On September 21, 2013, Cyrus performed "Wrecking Ball" for the first time during the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas; she performed twice, first in the afternoon at Festival Village, and later in the evening at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Despite generating media attention for a provocative wardrobe, the performance was considered to be "fairly tame considering the VMAs". On October 5, Cyrus served as the host and musical guest during an episode of Saturday Night Live, which gained favorable reviews from music critics. The following Monday, Cyrus performed the track on Today as part of their Toyota Concert Series. She also performed the song during appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen DeGeneres Show later that month.
In November, Cyrus traveled to Europe to sing "Wrecking Ball" at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards in Amsterdam on November 10, 2013; she garnered media attention for smoking a joint of marijuana on-stage while accepting the Best Video Award for the track. On November 17, 2013, she performed the song on The X Factor in the United Kingdom. After being criticized for delivering a lackluster vocal performance, Cyrus was placed under "vocal rest" by her doctors in preparation of the Bangerz Tour. During her trip, she also performed on Wetten, dass..? in Germany, BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge in London, and the 2013 Bambi Awards in Germany. On November 24, Cyrus performed "Wrecking Ball" at the 2013 American Music Awards; a digitally animated cat projected on the screen behind her lip-synced the lyrics alongside her. In December, she performed at Jingle Ball concerts in Los Angeles, Saint Paul, Atlanta, New York City, Washington, D.C., Tampa and Sunrise. Cyrus also performed "Wrecking Ball" on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest in Times Square on December 31.
An episode of MTV Unplugged starring Cyrus premiered through MTV on January 29, 2014; she performed an acoustic version of "Wrecking Ball", among several additional tracks from Bangerz. On May 27, 2014 Cyrus performed the song during the World Music Awards held in Monte Carlo, Monaco; where she also won four World Music Awards. She wore a gown with a scenic theme based on flowers during the performance. It received positive reviews for its understated simplicity and strong vocal delivery. Cyrus returned to perform the song during the musical festival on June 21, 2014, Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium of London, in front of 80,000 people. Cyrus has performed the song during her ongoing Bangerz Tour. A critic from the Nashville Scene praised the performance, writing, "Wrecking Ball was sung by Miley and earnestly shouted in unison by the arena, some of the audience tearing up." Blake Hannon praised Cyrus' vocal delivery, writing, "The crowd kept going when things slowed down for Wrecking Ball. It was the highlight of the night, and not because of anything visual. The costumed characters vanished and the screen was black, with Cyrus belting out one of the best pop power ballads in recent memory with only a smattering of lights. It's a reminder that beneath it all, Cyrus has a voice — and a pretty big one, at that."

Cover versions and media usage

In September 2013, British singer-songwriter James Arthur covered "Wrecking Ball" on Radio Hamburg in Germany. Later that month, The Gregory Brothers released a country version, which Laura Vitto from Mashable felt "trades in Miley's pop-ballad sound for a twangier feel." American singer-songwriter Alonzo Holt released his own rendition in October, which featured vocals from Arthur; it peaked at number 97 on the UK Singles Chart and number 71 on the Irish Singles Chart. Upstate New York alternative metal band Cry To The Blind released a cover of "Wrecking Ball" on December 11, 2013. American group Haim covered "Wrecking Ball" during their performance on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, while the trio London Grammar sang it for the same session in December. Rumer Willis later sang the track during a performance which Chiderah Monde from Daily News felt "captured more of the emotion behind the song" than Cyrus' version. American singer Rebecca Black uploaded an acoustic version to her YouTube channel in November. Canadian singer Sarah Blackwood of Walk Off the Earth also released an acoustic version.
Danie Geimer, a contestant on the third season of The X Factor USA, performed the track during the first live show on October 29, while Dami Im from the fifth season of The X Factor Australia sang it in the semi-final round. Marley Rose covered the song and parodied elements of the music video for the Glee episode "The End of Twerk". The late Christina Grimmie sang the song during the Blind Auditions of sixth season of The Voice USA. Australian artist Kat Jade auditioned with a stripped-back/single-piano version in the third season of The Voice Australia after posting a popular acapella version of the song to her YouTube channel. "Weird Al" Yankovic covered the song as the first in his polka medley "NOW That's What I Call Polka!" for his 2014 album Mandatory Fun. Metal band August Burns Red covered the song for the compilation album Punk Goes Pop 6. Melisa Cantiveros impersonated Miley Cyrus in Your Face Sounds Familiar and performed this song, which she won the season.
50 Cent told NME that the song was the one he would perform at karaoke: "Just a big pop song that no one would suspect, just to fuck with them. Make them go, What?" The song was featured in the film The Night Before.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bangerz and Tidal.

Recording

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
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Brazil 4
Brazil Hot Pop Songs1
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Greece Digital Songs 2
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Lebanon
1
Luxembourg Digital Songs 3
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Mexico Ingles Airplay 1
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Portugal Digital Songs 4
Romania 38
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Slovenia 5

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Belgium 74
Canada 62
Italy 73
Slovenia 45
US Billboard Hot 10044
US Adult Contemporary 46

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history