"Hoedown Throwdown" is a song performed by American recording artist
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 ho ...
. It was released as a Radio Disney exclusive promotional single from the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
for ''
Hannah Montana: The Movie'' on March 10, 2009. A
karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...
version is available in
the soundtrack's karaoke series. "Hoedown Throwdown" is an instructional dance song with a hybrid of
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
and
hip hop. The choreography was designed by Jamal Sims.
The song received a mixed critical reception, but enjoyed commercial success and became a top twenty hit in various nations including Australia, Canada, Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. "Hoedown Throwdown" reached its highest international peak in the
Irish Singles Chart, at number ten. The single never received an official music video, but an excerpt from ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' was used for promotion. Cyrus incorporated "Hoedown Throwdown" into the set list of her first worldwide concert tour, the
Wonder World Tour. The song was not released to radio in the U.S.
Background
"Hoedown Throwdown" was created for the 2009
musical film ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'', in which Cyrus stars as a famous
pop star
A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in popular culture is regarded as constituting a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The usage of the term is largely subjective since there are no definitively object ...
sent to reconnect with her Southern roots and family. The film's director,
Peter Chelsom
Peter Chelsom (born 20 April 1956) is a British film director, writer, and actor. He has directed such films as ''Hector and the Search for Happiness'', ''Serendipity'', and '' Shall We Dance?'' Peter Chelsom is a member of the British Academ ...
, felt the movie needed a big dance-number, similar to the "
Macarena
"Macarena" is a dance song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, about a woman of the same name. The song uses a type of clave rhythm. Originally appearing on the 1993 album '' A mí me gusta'', a subsequent remix by Miami-based producers The Bays ...
" (1995) or the "
Funky Chicken" (1950s).
Chelsom knew he wanted a song in which Cyrus' character,
Miley Stewart
Miley Ray Stewart is the fictional main character in the Disney Channel television series ''Hannah Montana'', portrayed by Miley Cyrus. She first appeared on television in the pilot episode "Lilly, Do You Want to Know a Secret?" on March 24, 2 ...
,
called dance steps that captured Cyrus' "real silliness physically" and her "great abandon".
In addition, Chelsom wanted the song to represent the two worlds of Stewart, the main theme of the film, by "combin
ngMiley Stewart's L.A. hip-hop/pop style with her country roots".
Because the song is an instructional
dance song, it became an ongoing collaboration between Chelsom, choreographer Jamal Sims, Cyrus, and the song's songwriters, Adam Anders and Nikki Hasman. According to Chelsom, the collaborators referred to the song by the
working title
A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...
"The Project" "for the longest time" before naming it the "Hoedown Throwdown".
The song was also nick-named "Miley's Macarena".
Music and lyrics
"Hoedown Throwdown" merges from a hybrid of
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
and
hip hop.
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 val ...
with a moderate
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 (ofte ...
of 104
beats per minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ...
. "Hoedown Throwdown" is written in the key of
E♭ major
E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically D ...
. Cyrus' vocals span two
octaves, from B♭
3 to F
5.
The song begins with an
intro
Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to:
General use
* Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music
* Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and ...
in which Cyrus repeats "Boom Boom clap, boom di-clap di-clap" four times. This line is reused in the song's
outro.
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 databa ...
described the song as a tribute to "down-home family times".
Cyrus stated "Hoedown Throwdown" was one of those on the film's soundtrack that "is all about" her
Nashville roots and "the reason why
he is who she is"
Dance
The dance for "Hoedown Throwdown" is heavily influenced by
line dancing
A line dance is a choreographed dance in which a group of people dance along to a repeating sequence of steps while arranged in one or more lines or rows. These lines usually face all in the same direction, or less commonly face each other.Knight ...
and merges some
hip-hop.
A video starring Cyrus and ''
Hannah Montana: The Movie''s choreographer Jamal Simms entitled "How to Do the Hoedown Throwdown", premiered on
Disney Channel on February 20, 2009.
The video features Cyrus and Simms, accompanied by several back-up dancers, in a pink room and sporting
workout attire. Throughout the evening, Cyrus and Simms executed and explained each dance move.
At the end of the night, Cyrus and Simms put together all of the dance steps at once into a competition entitled "Hoedown Throwdown Showdown".
Cyrus explained the dance required "semi-coordinat
on.
Ann Donahue of ''
Billboard'' said that she discovered "exactly how Cyrus' legion of preteen female fans is learning the dance:
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
onscreen, phone to ear, someone on phone offering encouragement amid occasional peals of laughter."
She also drew similarities to
Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...
' choreography for "
Achy Breaky Heart
Achy may refer to:
* Suffering from pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associate ...
".
Reported by
MTV News, the "Hoedown Throwdown," caused a sizable younger audience "jumping on the country
bandwagon".
In an interview with Just Jared, Cyrus said
Critical reception
The song received mixed reviews. Warren Truitt from
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
described the song as Cyrus' "only misstep" in the
''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' soundtrack because of its "weird" merge of
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
and
hip-hop "that sound
dlike
Disney's
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 ...
trying a ''liiittle'' bit too hard to cover all genres".
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 databa ...
stated the song was the exception to Cyrus' usual husky and natural songs.
Phares added that "Hoedown Throwdown" was "goofy" and "feels more like a parody of down-home fun than a tribute to it".
''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...
'' reviewer Chris Kahltenblach wrote that the song is "catchy as the law allows". Wesley Morris 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 ...
'' praised the "Hoedown Throwdown" was "an epic line dance". Leah Greenblatt of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' described the song as "
deep-fried
Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Norma ...
..sort of goofy ''Hee Haw''".
However, Owen Gleiberman, also of ''Entertainment Weekly'', called Cyrus a "professional charmer" and found that "it's hard to resist when she leads a hip-hop hoedown". ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' reviewer Michael Rechtshaffen wrote that the song was a "misguided attempt at marrying Hannah's contemporary pop/hip-hop sound with the
Grand Ole Opry" and that it was "squirm-inducing". Meanwhile, Mary McNamara, writing for 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 U ...
'', called the "Hoedown Throwdown" one of the few "flashes of inspiration" in ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' and ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' magazine's Lael Lowenstein referred to it as a "pleasing, rousing, toe-tapping, line-dancing hoedown." The song was included on the
short list
A short list or shortlist is a list of candidates for a job, prize, award, political position, etc., that has been reduced from a longer list of candidates (sometimes via intermediate lists known as "long lists"). The length of short lists varie ...
for
Best Original Song
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2009 and took place on March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m ...
.
Chart performance
Due to digital sales, the song debuted at number sixty-eight in the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 for the week ending March 21, 2009.
The song then found new peaks at number forty-six and twenty-eight on the chart, respectively. For the week ending May 2, 2009, "Hoedown Throwdown" peaked at number eighteen on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 due to digital downloads that placed it at number eight on
Hot 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 starte ...
.
The song also peaked at number twenty-nine in the canceled
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 sa ...
chart.
As of July 2013, it has sold 1,300,000 copies in the United States.
In Canada, the song peaked at number fifteen.
In the
Australian Singles Chart, the song debuted at number forty and peaked at number twenty after three weeks of finding new peaks.
"Hoedown Throwdown" was
certified gold
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...
(ARIA) for the sales of over 35,000 digital downloads.
"Hoedown Throwdown" debuted and peaked at number forty in the
New Zealand Singles Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
.
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number sixty-two for the week ending March 18, 2009.
It peaked at number eighteen for the week ending May 16, 2009.
The song reached its highest international peak in Ireland. It entered the
Irish Singles Chart on the week ending May 7, 2009, both debuting and peaking at number ten.
In mainland Europe, "Hoedown Throwdown" peaked at number fifty in the
European Hot 100 and at number seventeen in the
Norwegian Singles Chart
VG-lista is a Norwegian record chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide chart ...
.
The song also reached charts in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
Music video
The song's music video, directed by
Peter Chelsom
Peter Chelsom (born 20 April 1956) is a British film director, writer, and actor. He has directed such films as ''Hector and the Search for Happiness'', ''Serendipity'', and '' Shall We Dance?'' Peter Chelsom is a member of the British Academ ...
, is an excerpt from ''
Hannah Montana: The Movie'' which premiered on February 16, 2009 on
Disney Channel.
The video begins with a black background and blue printed letters that spell "boom". Other words appear, ultimately spelling the phrase "boom, clap, boom dee clap". A quick montage of
Hannah Montana and
Miley Stewart
Miley Ray Stewart is the fictional main character in the Disney Channel television series ''Hannah Montana'', portrayed by Miley Cyrus. She first appeared on television in the pilot episode "Lilly, Do You Want to Know a Secret?" on March 24, 2 ...
are played. It then skips to the video's main setting. Cyrus is at a crowded
barn
A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Alle ...
, wearing a
plaid blouse, jean skirt, and boots, on top of a stage. Blue printed letters that spell the lyrics then make an appearance, as Cyrus attempts to teach the crowd the dance. After the crowd learns the dance routine, scenes of
Mitchel Musso
Mitchel Tate Musso (born July 9, 1991) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his three Disney Channel roles as Oliver Oken in '' Hannah Montana''; Jeremy Johnson in the animated series ''Phineas and Ferb''; and his Disney XD r ...
,
Moises Arias Moises or Moisés is a male name common among people of Iberian origin. It is the Spanish, Portuguese and Tagalog equivalent of the name Moses.
;Places
* Doctor Moisés Bertoni, a village in the Caazapá department of Paraguay
* Moises Padilla ...
,
Vanessa Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resign ...
,
Tyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15, and was the first Africa ...
,
Jason Earles
Jason Daniel Earles (born April 26, 1977) is an American actor. Known for his role as Jackson Stewart in the Disney Channel sitcom '' Hannah Montana'' and his role as Rudy Gillespie in the Disney XD series '' Kickin' It''.
Early life
Earles wa ...
, and
Emily Osment
Emily Jordan Osment (born March 10, 1992) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Osment began her career as a child actress, appearing in numerous television shows and films, before co-starring as Gerti ...
doing the "Hoedown Throwdown" are played. When Cyrus' scene reappears she is off the stage and performing with the rest of the crowd. In the conclusion, Cyrus finishes singing onstage and the audience applauds.
Live performances
Cyrus never sang "Hoedown Throwdown" live during televised events, but often performed the dance with the track on
playback. On April 3, 2009, Cyrus performed "Hoedown Throwdown" on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
''.
Cyrus performed the dance on ''
Good Morning America'' on April 8, 2009.
On April 10, 2009, Cyrus danced to the track with some of the movie's castmates on ''
The Tyra Banks Show
''The Tyra Banks Show'', also known as and shortened to ''Tyra'' or ''The Tyra Show'', was an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks that aired from 2005 to 2010.
While Banks's show covered a variety of topics, there was a sensationalized focus ...
''.
Preceded by a performance of "
Let's Get Crazy" as herself and succeeded by "These Four Walls", Cyrus performed "Hoedown Throwdown" as part of her set list in her first worldwide concert tour, the
Wonder World Tour. For the performances Cyrus dressed in a short white
tutu-like dress and performed the dance with her background dancers.
Mid-way through the song,
will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
appeared on the screens to congratulate Cyrus and continued speaking as she left the stage. When he finished, the dancers performed to a remix of "
Boom Boom Pow
"Boom Boom Pow" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fifth studio album '' The E.N.D.'' (2009). It was written by group members will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie, being produced by will.i.am. The song feat ...
" by
The Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
*
The official website of ''Hannah Montana: The Movie''*
{{authority control
2009 singles
Miley Cyrus songs
Songs written by Adam Anders
Walt Disney Records singles
2009 songs
American hip hop songs
Country rap songs
American country music songs