Upon its release, "We Can't Stop" received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who were ambivalent towards its production and lyrics. It peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and has exceeded sales of two million copies. Internationally, the track enjoyed similar success, topping the national singles charts of New Zealand, United Kingdom and Scotland.
An accompanying music video was directed by Diane Martel and was released on June 19, 2013. It received generally mixed reviews from critics, who were divided on Cyrus' increasingly provocative image. Thirty-seven days after its premiere, it broke the record for the fastest clip to reach 100 million views across VEVO platforms, which was later was beaten by the follow-up single, "Wrecking Ball". "We Can't Stop" was additionally promoted with a highly-controversial performance during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
Background
In January 2013, Cyrus ended her contract with the label Hollywood Records, under which she released the albums Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus (2007), Breakout (2008),Can't Be Tamed (2010), and extended play The Time of Our Lives (2009). In late January 2013, she signed a recording contract with RCA Records. In March, she confirmed that her fourth studio album would be released by the end of 2013.
The song was originally written with Rihanna in mind. Cyrus announced the single name and date of release on the 2013 Billboard Music Awards on May 19, 2013. She described the song as "more funky and R&B, pop" than her earlier records, calling it "infectious"; she also said that it is "exactly what I wanted the first sound to be". 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. The song premiered on Ryan Seacrest's show On Air with Ryan Seacrest on June 3, 2013.
Composition[edit]
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"We Can't Stop" is a midtempo pop, R&B, dance track with a length of three minutes and 52 seconds. It is written in the key of E major and Cyrus' vocals span two octaves, from the low note of B2 to a high F#5. It follows the chord progression E—G#m—C#m—A. 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". John Kennedy of Vibe compared the song to Rihanna's style of songs.
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/ Can't you see it's we who own the night/ Can't you see it's we who 'bout that life". 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 MDMA. However, the producer Mike WiLL Made It stated that she sings "Dancing with Miley", not "Molly". 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." In addition, Cyrus herself later confirmed in an interview with the Daily Mail that the lyrics were indeed referring to MDMA, 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."
Critical reception
Upon release, the song received positive 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." Adam Carlson ofEntertainment Weekly wrote that the song is "smartly stupid and (dare I?) infectious, with follow-along lyrics — like Ke$ha on Benadryl." 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." The Wall Street Journal wrote that the song is "catchy, in a guilty pleasure kind of way." 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."Los Angeles Times music critic Randall Roberts summarized the song as "an unchallenging piece of work". 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." Reflecting on the song's overall theme, Mikael Woods of The LA Times ultimately compared "We Can't Stop" to Janet Jackson's iconic teenage independence anthem "Control", saying "though the song is already 4 months old, "We Can't Stop" still astounds; it might be the calmest, most clear-eyed rebel yell sinceJanet Jackson's "Control."
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. The video was also nominated in four categories on the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Pop Video, Best Female Video, Best Editing, & Best Song of the Summer.
Commercial performance[edit]
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 Songscomponent chart at number three. 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. 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. On July 17, 2013, "We Can't Stop" sold 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. "We Can't Stop" broke two VEVO records as well as the Billboard record as the longest song at "Billboard Streaming Songs" more than 10 weeks. In its seventh week on the chart, "We Can't Stop" reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 and shifted 208,000 downloads. It has sold 2,6 million copies in the US.
In the United Kingdom, "We Can't Stop" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, making Cyrus the first ever Disney star to achieve a chart-topping song in Britain. It has since been certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry.
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" peaked at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart becoming Cyrus' first number one song on any chart. In addition, it was certified Gold there, and likewise in Australia.
Music video
Released on June 19, 2013, and directed by Diane Martel, the video portrays Cyrus and her friends at a house party.
Mashable described it as a "mashup between a Sky Ferreira video and Lady Gaga's 'Just Dance' video infused with Miley's new image." 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."
Critic Dewan Gibson compared Cyrus' image transition with "We Can't Stop" to Janet Jackson's iconic and unexpected evolution from virginal teen popstar to an edgier sexual image as a young adult, saying Cyrus "no longer wanted to be Hannah Montana, similar to what Janet Jackson did when she got tired of being Penny from “Good Times”. Mark Jacobs of V Magazine also likened Cyrus taking authority of her image to Jackson taking charge of her career with her breakthrough album "Control", calling the video "an artist coming into her own". The Washington Post found that the scenes recalled "episodes of Girls mashed with Rita Ora and Chanel West Coast." The video received mixed reviews. The Huffington Postcontributor 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. 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." US Weekly called it "over-the-top", "sexed-up" and "surreal". USA Today said of the video: "All in all, it's a bizarre, entertaining but arguably desperate effort from the talented star." RyanSeacrest.com noted the video "displays an edgier side" of the singer, but that it is "maybe a little too much".
Live performances
Cyrus first sang the "We Can't Stop" live during Jimmy Kimmel Live! on June 26, 2013. Daily Mail wrote she "danced suggestively with her female back up dancing. She shamelessly flaunted her physique and groped and grinded with a series of backing dancers as she tried to push her raunchy new image." Popdust described the performance as "exciting" and noted she had "pipes". PopCrush said that the singer "got raunchy" and that "she did bump and grind with her dancers in sultry, not-PG fashion. We’ll give it to her — the girl knows how to entertain when on stage." She also performed the song at Good Morning America.
On September 7, Cyrus performed the song on Schlag den Raab in Germany. Two days later, she performed it on Le Grand Journal in France.[46] On September 21, Cyrus performed the song twice, in the afternoon and in the evening, at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. In the Saturday Night Live episode she hosted, Cyrus performed an acoustic version accompanied by three guitars. On October 7, she performed the song again on the Today Show. The next day, she sang it a capella with The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
MTV Video Music Awards
In August 2013, Cyrus was the subject of widespread media attention and public scrutiny following a controversial performance and duet with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. The performance began with Cyrus performing "We Can't Stop" in bear-themed attire. Following this, Thicke entered the stage singing "Blurred Lines" alternatively with Cyrus, who stripped down to a skin-colored two-piece outfit. Cyrus subsequently touched Thicke's crotch area with a giant foam finger and twerked against his crotch. An article published in The Hollywood Reporter described the performance as "crass" and "reminiscent of a bad acid trip". Media attention of the performance largely overshadowed the attention that was given to other major events of the night, such as the reunion of 'N Sync and performances by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. Cyrus' performance was described by XXL critic B. J. Steiner as a "trainwreck in the classic sense of the word as the audience reaction seemed to be a mix of confusion, dismay and horror in a cocktail of embarrassment", while the BBC said she stole the show with a "raunchy performance". Kate Dries of Jezebel defended Cyrus' actions during the performance and questioned why Thicke didn't receive the same criticism for his involvement, saying “Cyrus's performance was shocking, but for reasons not being discussed. It was jarring because, as opposed to the random, half-nude models we're used to seeing prance around Robin Thicke, we were watching a 20-year-old woman — a household name, someone we 'know' — play the object in Thicke's sexy sex dream. And as was the case during the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake Super Bowl fiasco of 2004, the focus has been on Miley's performance choices and not Thicke's compliance in them." The FCC received over 150 complaints regarding the performance's sexual nature, with TVRage also noting "Many compared the Cyrus controversy to the infamous Janet Jackson performance during the Superbowl Halftime Show, where her bare breast was [accidentally] exposed", which aired on CBS and resulted in Jackson and MTV receiving massive FCC fines, though clarifying the FCC could not issue fines to Cyrus or MTV due to MTV being a cable network, which they do not have jurisdiction over. In response, the performance now has led to a movement to bring ad-supported cable networks into FCC jurisdiction. The performance also became the most tweeted about event in history, withTwitter users generating 360,000 tweets about the event per minute; breaking the previous record held by Beyonce's Super Bowl XLVII halftime show performance six months earlier. Following the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, news and social media sites featured numerous articles about parental concerns with the performance's impact on children.She performed the song at the EMA'S on Amsterdam.
Cover versions
In July 2013, Rebecca Black released an acoustic cover of "We Can't Stop" with lyric changes. The song was also covered by Avery and The Vamps.
British band Bastille did a rock version of the song at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge using Eminem's Lose Yourself in the intro and later referencing Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy Breaky Heart". Idolator commented that they brought "emotional depth and a previously absent musicality" and that they turned the song into "an eerily pretty mid-tempo ballad".
British singer Neon Hitch released a cover of the song with some lyrics changes that was called a "kinda-reggae-kinda-jazz-kinda ska-definitely-awesome cover" by MTV Buzzworthy.
In September 2013, Portland indie musician Logan Lynn released a cover of "We Can't Stop" which New York Magazine called "dreamy, guitar-heavy" and The Huffington Postcalled "bold" and "warmer" than the original.
Tay Zonday also covered the song.
Controversy
Miley Cyrus has been cited for cultural appropriation since the releasing of "We Can't Stop" in early June 2013. This has been largely due to the urban themes of the music video such as the use of a grill, use of language like homegirl, twerking and sexualizing black female dancers that are background to her white friends. The argument for cultural appropriation is that Miley comes from wealth and privilege therefore she is only "playing at being a minority specifically from a lower socio-economic level."
The VMA performance of "We Can't Stop" added further fuel to the controversy.
Charts
Weekly charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[103] | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[104] | 3× Platinum | 240,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[105] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[106] | Platinum | 40,000x |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[107] | Platinum | 15,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[108] | <!-2xPlatinum->— | 2,694,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[109] | Gold | 400,000^ |
*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone | ||
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