"Fly on the Wall" is a song by American singer
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
. It was released on November 4, 2008, as the second and final single from her second studio album, ''
Breakout'', in Australia, and second everywhere else. The song's lyrics have been interpreted in a number of ways, such as a description of an abusive boyfriend. In actuality, Cyrus says the song describes paparazzi and their extensive personal privacy invasions.
The song received acclaim from music critics, with many claiming it defied
teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...
expectations and was ''Breakout''s best track. "Fly on the Wall" reached its highest international peak on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, at number 16. The single's music video was directed by
Philip Andelman
Philip Andelman is an American music video director and photographer. Andelman has directed music videos for many notable artists, see below. He has received nominations for his works from the MVPA, VMAs, and CMT awards including MVPA Director ...
and premiered on ''
FNMTV
''FNMTV'' (officially ''Feedback New MTV''; informally ''Friday Night MTV'') is a music video program on MTV focused on premiering new music videos and airing viewers' instantaneous feedback from its website."" F N was branded to stand for "Frida ...
''. The "
Thriller" inspired video takes place mainly in a
parking garage
A multistorey car park (British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a build ...
in which Cyrus encounters and attempts to escape the paparazzi. Cyrus promoted the song through several venues, including a performance on her second headlining tour, the
Wonder World Tour, that incorporated a short segment of the "Thriller" dance. Cyrus also performed the song on her
Gypsy Heart Tour
The Gypsy Heart Tour ( es, 'Corazón Gitano Tour', link=no) was the third concert tour by American singer Miley Cyrus, held in support of her third studio album ''Can't Be Tamed'' (2010). It visited primally Latin America, Australia, and the Phi ...
.
Background
The song's lyrics, written by Cyrus,
Antonina Armato
Antonina Armato is an American songwriter, record producer, music producer and businesswoman. She is the co-founder and member of Rock Mafia, a record production/songwriting team. Antonina is credited for writing and producing for artists begin ...
,
Tim James and Devrim Karaoglu, have been mistakenly interpreted in a variety of ways. The song's protagonist sings in
first person perspective while condemning an unspecified subject for wanting to invade her privacy. The majority of reviewers thought the protagonist was referring to a "
controlling boyfriend".
Ben Ratliff of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' sided with the boyfriend, and believed the song's protagonist was "bullying some poor boy for the sin of wanting to know what she talks about with her friends".
Sarah Rodman of ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' believed the song could have described a number of subjects, such as "a former boyfriend, the media, and even her fans".
However, in an interview with Jocelyn Vena of
MTV News
MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
, Cyrus said the song was about "the media" and "how they think they know everything about
er when they don't. They want to be a fly on
erwall and watch
er24/7."
Cyrus elaborated on the concept in an interview with Nancy O'Dell of ''
Access Hollywood
''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created ...
''. She stated,
Composition
"Fly on the Wall" is a song with strong uses of
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
s,
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
and
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
vocals.
Influences derive from
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
and
industrial music
Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...
.
It is set in
common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
with a moderately fast rock
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
of 143 beats per minute.
The song is written in the key of
G minor
G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major.
According to Paolo Pietropaolo, it is the cont ...
.
Cyrus' vocal range spans two octaves from the low note of G
3 to the high note of D
5.
The song has the following
chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...
, G5—D—Gm7.
The song's chorus has the use of a vocal
hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
; the hook sings, "fly on the wall".
Critical reception
"Fly on the Wall" received critical acclaim. Heather Phares of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
said the song was a "G-rated version" of
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
' song "
Toxic
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...
" and provided hints of Cyrus' future musical direction.
Sarah Rodman of ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' said "Fly on the Wall" was a change of pace for Cyrus and called it "the album's most interesting tune".
Mikael Wood of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' said the song is a result of regular
Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
standards, yet "the CD's best cut".
Along with "Full Circle", Sal Cinquemani of ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' said the song was a "more worthy" follow-up to "
See You Again
"See You Again" is a song by American rapper and singer Wiz Khalifa featuring fellow American singer Charlie Puth. It was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2015 film ''Furious 7'' as a tribute to actor Paul Walker, who died in a single-ve ...
".
Mordechai Shinefield of ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' stated the song was "blazingly brilliant" and that it was "the best, angriest song
n ''Breakout''. Johnny Dee of
Virgin Media
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...
said the song and "
7 Things
"7 Things" is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus. The song was co-written by Cyrus, Antonina Armato and Tim James, and produced by John Fields. It was released on June 17, 2008, by Hollywood Records as the lead single from the second stud ...
" were "feisty pop belters" that would encourage a long-term career. Ratliff negatively compared "Fly on the Wall" to
the Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the burlesque troupe ...
and said that although Cyrus' voice is generally rich with a deep range, it became "pinched and stingy" in the single. However, he also said the song was "teen-accurate".
Chart performance
![Miley Cyrus at Kids' Inaugural 2-recropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Miley_Cyrus_at_Kids%27_Inaugural_2-recropped.jpg)
For the week ending August 9, 2008, "Fly on the Wall" charted at number 69 on
Digital Songs
The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally sta ...
due to the release of ''
Breakout'', but failed to reach the
''Billboard'' Hot 100; the following week, the song completely fell from the sales chart. For the week ending January 10, 2009, the song debuted and peaked at number 84 in the Hot 100 due to
airplay
Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
, leaving the chart after two weeks.
The song also reached number 64 on the now-discontinued
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles s ...
chart.
In the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
, the peaked and debuted at number 73 on the week ending August 9, 2008, due to digital downloads. It then ascended and descended the Canadian Hot 100 before reaching its last week, ending on February 7, 2009.
The song was more successful in European nations. For the week ending January 31, 2009, "Fly on the Wall" debuted on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
at number 90. Throughout February, the song moved up, finding new peaks for three consecutive weeks. For the week ending February 28, the song ascended to number 16 and became Cyrus' second best charting single in the United Kingdom at the time.
It then slid several spots down, until its last week on the singles chart at number 86, for the week ending April 4. In the
European Hot 100
The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and '' Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...
, "Fly on the Wall" peaked at number fifty-seven on the week ending March 7, 2009 and spent a total of five weeks on the chart.
The song spent two weeks and peaked at number 23 on the
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...
.
In Austria, the song debuted and peaked on the week ending March 18 at number 57 and fell from the chart after two weeks.
It spent seven weeks in Germany, where it debuted and peaked at 62.
Music video
In an interview with
MTV News
MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
, director
Philip Andelman
Philip Andelman is an American music video director and photographer. Andelman has directed music videos for many notable artists, see below. He has received nominations for his works from the MVPA, VMAs, and CMT awards including MVPA Director ...
explained that Cyrus was already determined to poke fun at the
paparazzi
Paparazzi (, ; ; singular: masculine paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects ...
when she contacted him for a "Fly on the Wall" music video.
Andelman did not want to create "something too serious" and worked to give the video a "playful" aspect.
Cyrus elaborated on the concept of the music video in an interview with Nancy O'Dell of ''
Access Hollywood
''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created ...
''. Cyrus said,
The video commences with a short segment of dramatic music. It then focuses on Cyrus, wearing a white tank top, jeans, boots and a black leather jacket, and her boyfriend leaving a
movie theater
A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
and discussing the movie they saw. Suddenly, Cyrus' boyfriend begins to cough as a
full moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...
emerges from behind the clouds. Cyrus is confused, then horrified as she watches him transform into a
paparazzi
Paparazzi (, ; ; singular: masculine paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects ...
, and runs away from him as he shouts "Miley, come here! I just want a couple of shots!" and tries to snap pictures of her. The music of "Fly on the Wall" begins as Cyrus runs into a
parking garage
A multistorey car park (British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a build ...
and tries to hide behind a pillar and a black Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. As soon as Cyrus tries to move away from the car, a mob of paparazzi begins to chase her with their cameras. Throughout much of the video, Cyrus runs and hides from the mob. Clips interspaced throughout the video feature her in a long silver shirt and jeans singing and dancing in front of the Mercedes. Eventually, Cyrus is cornered by the paparazzi. She is scared, but then surprised and perplexed when the mob unexpectedly begins to dance in a synchronized manner. Her boyfriend, appearing normal, then arrives in the Mercedes to rescue her. Inside the car, Cyrus describes her strange encounter with the paparazzi to him. Unknown to Cyrus, her boyfriend has planted a video camera in the car; the music video concludes with a shot of the
website
A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...
he posts the video on beneath the headline, "Miley Cyrus Bugs at Paparazzi!!!" The music video to "Fly on the Wall" was first seen on December 5, 2008, on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's ''
FNMTV
''FNMTV'' (officially ''Feedback New MTV''; informally ''Friday Night MTV'') is a music video program on MTV focused on premiering new music videos and airing viewers' instantaneous feedback from its website."" F N was branded to stand for "Frida ...
''.
The video is inspired by Michael Jackson's iconic music video, "Thriller", but trades zombies for paparazzi. MTV also compared the "Fly on the Wall" video for those for "
Circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...
" by
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
and "
Rumors
A rumor (American English), or rumour (British English; see spelling differences; derived from Latin:rumorem - noise), is "a tall tale of explanations of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in p ...
" by
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...
.
Live performances
![Miley Cyrus - Gypsy Heart Tour - São Paulo 07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Miley_Cyrus_-_Gypsy_Heart_Tour_-_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_07.jpg)
Cyrus first performed the song at the opening ceremony of the 2008 ''
Disney Channel Games
''Disney Channel Games'' are a ''Battle of the Network Stars''-based annual television series that aired on the Disney Channel during the summer from 2006 to 2008. Phill Lewis was the co-host of the first two editions in 2006 and 2007, and Brian ...
'' on May 4, 2008.
The performance had Cyrus in a red coat and was later used a promotional music video on
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
.
On May 17, 2008, she performed the song at the 2008
Zootopia
''Zootopia'' (titled ''Zootropolis'' in various regions) is a 2016 American computer-animated buddy cop action comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 55th Disney animated feature film, ...
. On July 18, 2008, the song was performed in a concert series for ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' along with "Breakout", "
7 Things
"7 Things" is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus. The song was co-written by Cyrus, Antonina Armato and Tim James, and produced by John Fields. It was released on June 17, 2008, by Hollywood Records as the lead single from the second stud ...
" and "Bottom of the Ocean".
During the performance, Cyrus wore a
plaid shirt, mini-shorts and boots.
On August 1, 2008, Cyrus performed "Fly on the Wall" on ''
FNMTV
''FNMTV'' (officially ''Feedback New MTV''; informally ''Friday Night MTV'') is a music video program on MTV focused on premiering new music videos and airing viewers' instantaneous feedback from its website."" F N was branded to stand for "Frida ...
''. On November 21, it was sung at the
American Music Awards of 2008
The 36th Annual American Music Awards were held on November 23, 2008 at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The nominations were announced on October 11, 2008.
Performers
Presenters
...
.
[ ] A critic from
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
stated that Cyrus "fearlessly embraced new creative directions" with her performance of "Fly on the Wall".
On November 25, Cyrus performed the song on the season finale of ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
''. On
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
of 2008, Cyrus wore a white T-shirt, pants, boots and a plaid jacket to present ''FNMTV''s New Year's Special with
Pete Wentz
Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician best known as the bassist and lyricist for the rock band Fall Out Boy since 2001. Before Fall Out Boy, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was the lea ...
.
She opened the episode by performing the song, paired with "7 Things".
On January 19, 2009, the song was performed at the
Kids' Inaugural: "We Are the Future" event in celebration of
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's inauguration.
For the event, she had an abundance of background dancers, and Cyrus wore a casual patterned gray
T-shirt
A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are general ...
, black pants, and boots.
On February 14, 2009, Cyrus performed the song live on the British television variety show
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' (referred to simply as ''Saturday Night Takeaway'' or ''SNT'') is a British television variety show, created and presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially known as Ant & Dec), and b ...
where she momentarily forgot the lyrics, reportedly mouthing "I forgot the words!" to one of her backup dancers, and prompting media coverage over the blunder. She also performed the song in London in an
Apple Store
The Apple Store is a chain of Retail, retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc. The stores sell various Apple products, including Macintosh, Mac personal computers, iPhone smartphones, iPad tablet computers, Apple Watch smartwatches, Apple ...
.
The set, with some songs by Cyrus' father, was sold exclusively by the United Kingdom
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
as an
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. titled ''iTunes Live from London''.
On June 7, 2009, at the twentieth annual A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival, Cyrus performed "Fly on the Wall".
"Fly on the Wall" was one of the songs on the setlist of Cyrus' first international concert tour, the
Wonder World Tour (2009). The performance began with two overhead screens displaying a
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
catching a
fly
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
while two acrobats scaled imaginary walls. Cyrus and her dancers then emerged from a green
tractor
A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...
to begin the song. She wore an extravagant white dress with a feathered back and used elaborate choreography.
At one point during the performance, Cyrus unexpectedly flew over the crowd for a few seconds.
At the conclusion, Cyrus and her background dancers grouped together to perform a segment of the dance from
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's "Thriller" music video.
She performed it at the
Rock in Rio
''Rock in Rio'' is a recurring music festival originating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas.
Nine incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, ...
concert in Lisbon, Portugal on May 29, 2010 and Madrid, Spain on June 4, 2010.
Cyrus last performed the song during her
Gypsy Heart Tour
The Gypsy Heart Tour ( es, 'Corazón Gitano Tour', link=no) was the third concert tour by American singer Miley Cyrus, held in support of her third studio album ''Can't Be Tamed'' (2010). It visited primally Latin America, Australia, and the Phi ...
(2011) and more recently during the Latin American part of her
Attention Tour (2022).
Track listing and formats
;CD
#"Fly on the Wall" – 2:31
#"
7 Things
"7 Things" is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus. The song was co-written by Cyrus, Antonina Armato and Tim James, and produced by John Fields. It was released on June 17, 2008, by Hollywood Records as the lead single from the second stud ...
" (Bimbo Jones radio edit) – 2:58
#"Fly on the Wall" (Jason Nevins remix; radio edit) – 2:52
;Digital download (2 track single)
#"Fly on the Wall" – 2:31
#"Fly on the Wall" (Jason Nevins remix; radio edit) – 2:52
;Digital download (Digital Dog remix)
#"Fly on the Wall" – 2:31
#"Fly on the Wall" (Digital Dog remix) – 5:40
;Digital download (extended play)
#"Fly on the Wall" – 2:31
#"Fly on the Wall" (Jason Nevins remix; radio edit) – 2:52
#"7 Things" (Bimbo Jones radio edit) – 2:58
Charts
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fly On The Wall (Song)
2008 songs
2008 singles
Miley Cyrus songs
Songs written by Antonina Armato
Songs written by Tim James (musician)
Hollywood Records singles
Songs written by Miley Cyrus
Songs about the media
Songs written by Devrim Karaoglu
Music videos directed by Philip Andelman