Skip to main content

Role of the Performer: Miley Cyrus




The Music:


Party in The U.S.A, By Miley Cyrus - Released August 4th 2009 - Written by Jessie J, Luke, and Claude Kelly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA



Wrecking Ball, By Miley Cyrus - Released August 25th 2013 - Written by Mozella, Stephan Moccio, amd Sacha Skarbek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8













Miley Cyrus Overview:


Miley is born into a line of performers, following in the footsteps of her father and country music star Billy Ray Cyrus. She started her career like many young celebrities did in the mid 2000s... did as a Disney brat. She starred as the main character in her show Hannah Montana. Later she segwayed into pop country music, before changing up her whole style in 2013 with the release of her album “Bangerz”. The purpose of this blog post was to outline an esteemed performer… not necessarily someone who writes their own songs. Miley’s songs are written by a variety of songwriters, ranging from artists like Jessie J to strict songwriters like Stephan Moccio.

As a listener, you will be surprised by the contrast between both pieces. While the style changed, her talent is unwavering. I tried to use the music videos as showcases for to give someone who was unfamiliar with her insight on her well-rounded skill. As a performer, the role she plays for us the public is being unapoligetically herself. She is a rule-breaker, singer, dancer, philantropist, and an ally for women and LGBTQ+ individuals. Her perfomances emote so many different vibes depending on the song, and she is truly one of a kind.



Party in the U.S.A Technical Analysis and Personal Opinion:


The melody of Party in the U.S.A is not overly complicated. It includes electric guitar, accompanied by a computer-augmented kick drum bass, and additional trap set drumming. Party in the U.S.A is written in the key of F Major, which according to my research is the 10th most popular major key in music. I find the upbeat theme of this song and the catchiness of the melody a good match. I think part of the reason this song was so popular was due to the easily discernible array of classic country and rock instruments that had a wide appeal to listeners.

The lyrics of Party in the U.S.A tell the story of a homesick girl’s initial journey in the big city, and eventually fitting in and having fun. I like how there are 2 times she reverts to feeling anxiety within the lyrics. One of them being “My tummy’s turnin’ and I’m feelin’ kinda homesick.. Too much pressure and I’m nervous” and the other being “Feel like hopping on a flight (On a flight), Back to my hometown tonight (Town tonight)”. Besides those two places it’s an upbeat song. I like that even the reminiscent lyrics are still positive though, and the relatability of the story she tells is part of what makes it all so good.


Wrecking Ball Technical Analysis and Personal Opinion:


Wrecking Ball is a ballad, and played at a tempo of 120 bpm. This isn’t particularly fast, but to the untrained listener, the perceived slowness of the begining piece (played in D minor and F major) at the beginning of the song would make you think otherwise. I like how this song is a bit of a 2-in-1 regarding the loud, bass-y sections and then the soft neo-piano type melody dispersed in 2 small pockets within the song. Overall, Wrecking Ball is not my favorite Miley song, although I included it here because it showcased a major direction change in her music. Lyrically, she muses in a past relationship… ruminating on what could’ve happened.

As I mentioned before, I don’t love the song. However, the beginning is my favorite part lyrically: “We clawed, we chained our hearts in vain, We jumped never asking why, We kissed, I fell under your spell. A love no one could deny”. This song accomplishes what it set out to do, being a bit of a love-bomb and mold breaker for Miley’s career.



“Wrecking Ball.” Hit Songs Deconstructed, 20 June 2017, https://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/hsd_wire/wrecking-ball-deconstructed/.



Auralcrave. “Miley Cyrus, Party in the U.S.A.: The Lyrics & Meaning.” Auralcrave, 25 Aug. 2022, https://auralcrave.com/en/2022/08/25/miley-cyrus-party-in-the-u-s-a-the-lyrics-meaning/.

Comments

  1. Sophia MartinApril 2, 2023 at 4:11 AM

    Gus,
    I can tell you put a lot of thought and research into this post. I never knew that Miley Cyrus doesn't write a lot of her own songs, but I suppose that's common for famous singers. I love Miley's deep, rich vocals, which have changed and gotten lower over time (due to a disease I believe). Even between the two songs that you showed us, you can tell that her voice is a bit heavier in Wrecking Ball.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Toasting Lyrics: Explained in Musical Analysis #2

"Red Red Wine"  By UB40 (music attached in header) Overview      “Red Red Wine '' is a classic song. Originally written by Neil Diamond in 1967, but sort of unpopular until the reggae group UB40 made a cover of the song in 1983. UB40 didn’t realize the song was written by Diamond until it reached the UK's top 100 songs the year it was released. The song was revived in America in 1988 by a radio station in Phoenix that played it during a weekly special… basically on repeat. It hit #1 in the U.S. for one week that year and was the first reggae song to ever reach the Billboard Top 100 (not even Bob Marley accomplished this). Eddie Sayago of The Chirp Blog, claims “Red Red Wine” to be an excellent drinking song… I can’t say I’ve tested that theory, although the name is certainly provocative! Listening to the album it was released on (“Labour of Love”) I was transported to a place with an oceanic breeze and invisible stress. These were songs I had not heard before, and...
Post a Comment
Read more

Musical Analysis #1

The piece I chose for our first musical analysis exercise is "Lightbeamers" by FKA Twigs. FKA Twigs is a 34 year-old British singer and songwriter. She has worked with the Weeknd before, among other notable artists. "Lightbeamers" is apart of her album "CAPRISONGS", and is her most recent album released Jan 14th (my birthday) 2022. The song starts out with a simple melody with a slow beat. I like songs that kind of build steam, and this one certainly does. The music:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtocy5NIJ6o&list=RDJtocy5NIJ6o&start_radio=1 Analyzing the music- The entire song is underpinned by a slow beat and tempo. The melody begins with percussion sounds, accompanied by a few simple piano keys, finally accompanied by a repeated cut of her lyrics from later in the song. 2 easy ways in which I know it is a melody is the repetition and pattern of the song. I like her use of electronic producing in her music, and Mike Dean mixed the track, one of...
Post a Comment
Read more