"Wrecking Ball," Miley Cyrus' “forgettable” pop ballad remains unforgettable and fun 10 years later
For "Hannah Montana" fans, myself included, 2013 was a life-changing year. Miley Cyrus had officially abandoned her Disney Channel persona (so long Miley Stewart!) and fostered a more mature image, beckoning everyone to see, treat and regard her as a young woman. Many remember Cyrus' infamous performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, where she donned a nude-toned latex bra and underwear set while twerking on Robin Thicke. But earlier that day, on Aug. 25, Cyrus had dropped her music video for "Wrecking Ball," which critics said didn't live up to her prior — albeit more raunchy — smash hit, "We Can't Stop."
Boy, were they wrong.
Shortly after its release, the pop ballad quickly soared to the top spot on Billboard's authoritative Hot 100 chart, making it the first Hot 100 No. 1 of Cyrus' career. On YouTube, the video acquired 19.3 million views worldwide on its first day online — beating the previous one-day record-holder, a One Direction clip, by an astounding 7 million views. The video garnered 36.5 million views in the U.S. amid its first week, Billboard reported, and successfully bested Katy Perry's empowerment anthem "Roar."
At the time, Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" success was pretty astonishing. The video itself is simple and relatively tamer than the teddy-bear-dancing, tongue-wagging antics in "We Can't Stop" or the gritty, sexy bird-themed shenanigans in "Can't Be Tamed." In "Wrecking Ball," Cyrus wears a white cropped tank and matching undies before baring it all. She's also teary-eyed and mouthing the lyrics right in front of the camera. We also see her wielding a sledgehammer, which she sometimes grazes against the wall or licks like a lollipop. And, yes, she's also featured sitting and swinging on a literal wrecking ball while belting the lyrics to the chorus.
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The video and tune came three years after Cyrus and her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth called it quits for the very first time. So naturally, fans suspected the emotional verses were about her former relationship:
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.
Much is still unknown about the song's true meaning. A description posted by Genius said the song has been interpreted as a ballad about "love lost and found, but also about — again — the idea of youth burning hard and fast and then fading away." Rumors even claimed that the song was initially written for Beyoncé. Despite it all, there's one thing that's for certain. The tear that Cyrus shed in the opening scene of the video wasn't over a past lover (be it Hemsworth or someone else). Rather, it was for her canine companion, whom she had just lost.
"That was real," Cyrus told Rolling Stone back in 2013. "My dog just passed away."
In the midst of its success, "Wrecking Ball" also found itself embroiled in controversy. That same year, Cyrus came to the attention of Sinéad O'Connor, who slammed Cyrus after the then-20-year-old star said her video was inspired by O'Connor's iconic "Nothing Compares 2 U" visual. In an open letter addressed to Cyrus, the late O'Connor wrote, "I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos.
"It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether it's the music business or yourself doing the pimping."
This prompted an ongoing Twitter beef between the two artists. In her recent TV special, "Endless Summer Vacation: Continued (Backyard Sessions)," Cyrus reflected on the feud saying, "At the time when I had made 'Wrecking Ball,' I was expecting for there to be controversy and backlash, but I don't think I expected other women to put me down or turn on me, especially women that had been in my position before."
Nevertheless, "Wrecking Ball" is one of those few songs in music history that continues to be a relevant part of pop culture today — a decade after its debut. The song shocked people. It angered some. And, in recent years, it inspired a string of spoofs, in which Cyrus impersonators donned similar get-ups while swinging and singing on their own makeshift wrecking ball.
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The most notable one is arguably Anne Hathaway's appearance on the musical reality competition television series, "Lip Sync Battle." On it, Hathaway rocks Cyrus' buzzed hairdo and all-white outfit while competing against Emily Blunt. The late Betty White also spoofed the video in a promo for her Lifetime comedy show "Off Their Rockers." And so did a few camera-ready hedgehogs and puppies.
Cyrus and her wrecking ball were even immortalized as a wax figure at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas in 2015. The figure and the ball, which are currently on display, weigh more than 200 pounds, according to a press release obtained by Billboard. Cyrus' wax figure along with the ball also reportedly took a team of 20 artists more than six months to create.
In a 2017 interview on the "Zach Sang Show," Cyrus expressed her regrets with the song and its video, saying that she "will always be the naked girl on the wrecking ball." Cyrus has since rehabilitated her public image via her music. Her recent song "Used to Be Young," which reflects on her past and joyfully anticipates her future, was released this year, on the anniversary of her "Wrecking Ball" music video release.
"Years from now, Miley Cyrus is going to be remembered for 'Party in the U.S.A.' and especially for 'We Can't Stop,' ill-conceived VMAs performance and all. 'Wrecking Ball' may well be a footnote, a curio in her career," wrote Chris Molanphy for NPR back in 2013.
"But we can't know that now — we've been wrong about songs' legacies before."
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