"We Can't Stop" is a song by American singer
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...
, from her fourth studio album ''
Bangerz
''Bangerz'' is the fourth studio album by the American singer Miley Cyrus. It was released on September 30, 2013. It was her first body of original work since leaving Hollywood Records after the release of her third studio album '' Can't Be Tam ...
'' (2013). It was released on June 3, 2013, by
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
as the
lead single
A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
A similar term, "debut ...
from the album. The song was written and produced by
Mike Will Made It
Michael Len Williams II (born March 23, 1989), known professionally as Mike Will Made It (often stylized as Mike WiLL Made-It) or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hi ...
, P-Nasty, and
R. City, with additional songwriting provided by Cyrus,
Doug E. Fresh, and
Slick Rick
Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence as part of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. His songs " The Show" and ...
. "We Can't Stop" is a
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
,
R&B and
electropop
Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
song about a house party and
recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness, either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime. When a psychoactive drug enters the user's body, it induces an Sub ...
.
The song received mixed reviews from music critics, who appreciated its overall production but were scathing toward its lyrical content. It peaked at number two on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, thus tying with "
Party in the U.S.A." (2009) as Cyrus's highest-charting single in the United States at the time. It was kept off the top spot by "
Blurred Lines
"Blurred Lines" is a song by American singer Robin Thicke featuring American rapper T.I. and American musician Pharrell Williams from Thicke's sixth studio album of the same name (2013). Solely produced by Williams, it was released as the a ...
" by
Robin Thicke
Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 single " Blurred Lines" (featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams), which peaked atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, received ...
featuring
Pharrell
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
and
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...
With varying success internationally, "We Can't Stop" reached the peak position in countries including New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and peaked moderately in several national
record chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...
s in Europe. The song is
certified
Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...
eight-times platinum in the United States, seven-times platinum in Australia and Norway, multi-platinum in Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom; and gold or higher in eight additional countries.
An accompanying music video for "We Can't Stop" was released on June 19, 2013. It received mixed reviews from critics, who were divided in their opinions regarding Cyrus's increasingly provocative image. With 10.7 million views in the first 24 hours of its release, the clip held the record for having the most views in that time-frame across
Vevo
Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
platforms; after reaching 100 million views within 37 days, it also set the record for being the fastest music video to attain a Vevo certification. Both records were eventually broken by the music video for Cyrus's follow-up single "
Wrecking Ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a Crane (machine), crane, that is used for Demolition, demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1940s and 1950s. Several wrecking companies claim to have inve ...
" in September 2013. "We Can't Stop" was additionally promoted with a highly controversial performance at the
2013 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Marking the 30th installment of the award show, they were the first to be held in New York City not to use a venue within the borough of ...
.
Background
In 2012, Cyrus announced plans to focus on her film career, effectively putting her musical endeavors on hiatus. That year, she appeared in the films ''
LOL
LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud, and a popular element of Internet slang, which can be used to indicate amusement, irony, or double meanings. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widesprea ...
'' and ''
So Undercover''. She was also confirmed as a primary voice actress in the feature film ''
Hotel Transylvania
''Hotel Transylvania'' is an American media franchise created by Todd Durham and owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. It consists of four animated feature films, three short films, an animated television series, and several video games.
The ...
'', but dropped out of the project to coordinate a musical comeback. In January 2013, Cyrus ended her recording contract with
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...
, under which she released the
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
s ''
Meet Miley Cyrus'' (2007), ''
Breakout'' (2008), ''
Can't Be Tamed'' (2010), and the
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
(EP) ''
The Time of Our Lives'' (2009). Later that month, she signed a recording contract with
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
. In March, she confirmed that her fourth studio album would be released by the end of 2013.
Production duo
Rock City stated that "We Can't Stop" was originally written with recording artist
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
in mind before offering it to record producer
Mike Will Made It
Michael Len Williams II (born March 23, 1989), known professionally as Mike Will Made It (often stylized as Mike WiLL Made-It) or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hi ...
, who ultimately offered it to Cyrus. They felt that "this could be somebody’s first single", and decided against Rihanna because of the commercial success of her track "
Diamonds
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...
" in 2012. Cyrus commented that "it really just turned out to be perfect and exactly what I wanted, and exactly what I wanted my first sound to be, and my first look to be".
During the
2013 ''Billboard'' Music Awards on May 19, 2013, Cyrus announced that the track would be released on June 3.
The cover artwork for "We Can't Stop" was unveiled in a billboard in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
on May 28. It shows the arms of two people holding
Solo Cups, with several people in the background; Cyrus is notably absent from the image. Cyrus herself appeared on ''
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
''On Air with Ryan Seacrest'' is a weekday radio syndication, syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. It was launched in 2004 as a drive time show at the same time on Los Angeles contemporary hit radio, Top 40 station 102.7 KIIS-FM a ...
'' on June 3 to premiere the track on the radio program, hosted by
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American television presenter and producer. Seacrest is the host of '' Wheel of Fortune'', having hosted since replacing long-time host Pat Sajak in September 2024. Seacrest co-hosted and ser ...
.
Composition
"We Can't Stop" is a
mid-tempo pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
,
R&B and
electropop
Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
song. It is written in the key of
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat maj ...
with a tempo of 80 beats per minute in common time, and Cyrus' vocals span two octaves, from the low note of B
2 to a high F
5. The song follows the
chord progression
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
E–Gm–Cm–A (I–iii–vi–IV). The track also includes a sample of the track "
La Di Da Di
"La Di Da Di" is a song performed by Doug E. Fresh, who provides the beatboxed instrumental, and MC Ricky D (later known as Slick Rick), who performs the vocals. It was originally released in 1985 as the B-side to " The Show". The song has si ...
" by
Doug E. Fresh and
MC Ricky D.
John Kennedy of ''
Vibe
Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing.
Vibe may also refer to:
People
* DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ
* Lasse Vibe (b ...
'' compared the track to the works of Rihanna.
Cyrus has stated that "We Can't Stop" represents "where I'm at in my life now". Lyrically, the track describes a house party, as mentioned in the opening lines "It's our party, we can do what we want / It's our party, we can say what we want / It's our party, we can love who we want / We can kiss who we want / We can live how we want". It also makes several references to
recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness, either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime. When a psychoactive drug enters the user's body, it induces an Sub ...
, including "dancing with molly", using a slang term for
ecstasy, and "trying to get a line
f cocainein the bathroom".
Critical reception
"We Can't Stop" received mixed reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, who appreciated its overall production but were negative towards its lyrical content. Adam Carlson of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' provided a favorable review, writing that the lyrics were questionable but "infectious", adding that it reminded him of "
Kesha
Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. Her first major success came in 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round".
Kesha's music and ima ...
on
Benadryl
Benadryl is a brand of various antihistamine medications used to stop allergy, allergies, whose content varies in different countries, but which includes some combination of diphenhydramine, acrivastine, or cetirizine.
It is sold by Kenvue and ...
." Sam Lansky from
Idolator
An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry.
Idolator or Idolater may also refer to:
* Idolator (website), an American music blog
* ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child
* ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud
* "Idolater", a ...
noted that stands apart from other songs recently played on
mainstream radio
Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...
, adding that it "just feels strange, and kind of wonderful", while the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' Mikael Woods labeled it "the calmest, most clear-eyed
rebel yell
The rebel yell was a battle cry used by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Confederate soldiers used the yell when charging to intimidate the enemy and boost their own morale, although the yell had many other uses. There ar ...
since
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
's "
Control." Sean Daly of the ''
Tampa Bay Times
The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute ...
'' and ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' staff both appreciated the catchy melody, while
Lyndsey Parker from
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo Music was a brand under which Yahoo provided music services including Internet radio, a digital music store, music streaming service, media player software, and original programming. Yahoo Music was sold to Rhapsody in early 2008.
Pro ...
felt that "We Can't Stop" acted as a sequel to Cyrus's earlier single "
Party in the U.S.A.", with the difference that "she's just partying a little harder now."
However, in a more mixed review, Randall Roberts of the ''Los Angeles Times'' felt that the song "seems as if it were written by a ninth-grader imagining her rebellious college sister’s lifestyle" and felt that it lacked creativity within Cyrus's catalog. Writing for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'', Jon Dolan was skeptical of Cyrus's increasingly provocative image, stating that the lyrics in the chorus would be "an odd fit for any singer" and opining that "there's still a bit too much
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
in her voice to fill the track." Naomi Zeichner of ''
The Fader
''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture.
History and work
It is owned by T ...
'' praised the song, writing, "Cyrus said in her recent MTV doc (''
Miley: The Movement''), that she chose it to be her album's first single: 'Not everyone came to me and said okay, you've got the first single. I had to say no, I know this is it and I'll go to battle if I have to, against anyone who doesn't believe in it. Now I have this freedom to do whatever I want, because people trust me.' She was right about this one. The song's straightforward party is now tied to a sordid universe of visuals- the official video and the VMA performance."
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. gave the song two stars out of five saying that "After listening to the weird intro to "We Can't Stop" you'll kind of wish the song did just stop right there."
"We Can't Stop" won the award for "Choice Summer Song" and was nominated for "Choice Single: Female Artist" at the
2013 Teen Choice Awards
The 2013 Teen Choice Awards ceremony was held on August 11, 2013, at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, California. The awards celebrate the year's achievements in music, film, television, sports, fashion, comedy, and the Internet, and are ...
in August. In December, ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' critics listed it as the best song of 2013 for being "one of the bolder musical choices in recent memory, and that risk paid off tremendously." ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''s
Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
annual critics' poll ranked "We Can't Stop" at number nine on their poll to find the best music of 2013.
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
ranked "We Can't Stop" at number 131 on the websites list of the 200 Best Tracks of the Decade So Far (2010-2014). Upon the release of "
Flowers
Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
" (2023), ''Billboard'' staff ranked all Cyrus's lead singles and put "We Can't Stop" at first in which Jason Lipchutz wrote: "no other Cyrus lead single is as crucial to her career as 'We Can’t Stop'."
Commercial performance
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. In its seventh week on the chart, the track reached number two and remained at that peak for three weeks, but it was blocked off of number one by "
Blurred Lines
"Blurred Lines" is a song by American singer Robin Thicke featuring American rapper T.I. and American musician Pharrell Williams from Thicke's sixth studio album of the same name (2013). Solely produced by Williams, it was released as the a ...
" by
Robin Thicke
Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 single " Blurred Lines" (featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams), which peaked atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, received ...
. This peak allowed "We Can't Stop" to tie with "
Party in the U.S.A." as Cyrus's highest-peaking single in the country at the time until she topped the Hot 100 with "
Wrecking Ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a Crane (machine), crane, that is used for Demolition, demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1940s and 1950s. Several wrecking companies claim to have inve ...
".
As of December 2014, the song has sold 3,280,000 copies in the United States.
"We Can't Stop" peaked at number three on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...
, and has been certified quadruple-platinum by
Music Canada
Music Canada is a non-profit Industry trade group, trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to s ...
.
[
"We Can't Stop" experienced varying commercial success throughout Europe. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart on August 11, 2013 ― for the week ending date August 17, 2013 ― becoming her first top-ten success and number-one hit in Britain. She also became the first ]Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
star to top the charts in that country. It has since been certified double-platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI).[ "We Can't Stop" peaked at number eight on the ]Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired on Tuesdays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as ...
. It also peaked at numbers 11 and 20 on the Belgian Ultratop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created in 1995 on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organiz ...
in Wallonia and Flanders, respectively. "We Can't Stop" charted at number 11 on the Danish Tracklisten
Hitlisten (), formerly known as Tracklisten, is a Danish top 40 record chart that is updated every Wednesday at midnight on the website hitlisten.nu. The weekly Danish singles chart combines the 40 best-selling tracks from streaming and legal mus ...
, where it was also recognized with a platinum certification for streaming. The song charted at number three on the Norwegian VG-lista
VG-lista is the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from Norwegian and international artists. It is presented weekly in the newspaper ''Verdens Gang, VG''. The data is collected by Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Soundscan Inte ...
, and number five on both the Spanish Singles Chart
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
** Spanish history
**Spanish culture ...
and the Swedish Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from IFPI Sverige. It was formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and has been known by its current name si ...
, number seven 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 ...
, and number nine in the Czech Republic. The track also reached number ten on the Official Lebanese Top 20
The Official Lebanese Top 20 is the first weekly airplay chart in Lebanon, listing the most popular local and international hits across the country. The songs' popularity is solely determined by radio airplay frequency throughout a given week, a ...
.
In other parts of the continent, "We Can't Stop" charted in the lower ends of national record charts. The track reached number 15 on the Official Finnish Chart, number 16 on the German GfK Entertainment chart, and number 19 in both Slovakia and on the Swiss Hitparade
The Swiss Hitparade () is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.
The Swiss charts include:
* Singles Top 75 (released since 1968)
* Singles T ...
. It peaked at numbers 26, 33, and 48 on the French SNEP
SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...
, Italian FIMI
The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...
, and Dutch Single Top 100
The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...
, respectively. In Oceania, "We Can't Stop" peaked at numbers four and one on the Australian ARIA Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
and the Official New Zealand Music Chart, respectively. It was certified 7× platinum in the former territory, and platinum in the latter. In Asia, the song reached number seven on the Japan Hot 100
The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...
and number 29 on the South Korean Circle Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...
.
Music video
Summary
An accompanying music video for "We Can't Stop" was directed by Diane Martel
Diane Martel (also known as Bucky Chrome and Diamond Martel) is an American music video director and choreographer. As a music video director, she has worked with Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Sting and Jennifer Lopez. One of her ...
, and was premiered through Vevo
Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
on June 19, 2013. The clip depicts an ongoing house party, where guests are engaging in numerous bizarre actions. Among the activities taking place are the creation of a mountain made of white bread, the kicking of a skull made of French fries, and the simulated slicing of a woman's fingers. Also seen are clips of the parametric 3D modeled human face created by Frederic Parke at the University of Utah
The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...
in 1974. Product placement
Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of t ...
is also commonplace as Cyrus amplifies her Beats Pill
Beats Pill is a line of portable Bluetooth speakers produced by Beats Electronics, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. The speakers are characterized primarily by their capsule-like form factor. Several Pill models have been released since the original l ...
speaker and applies her EOS lip balm. A director's cut of the music video was released on July 29, which Carl Williott of Idolator noted featured "more simulated sex, one oral sex gesture near the end and actually ''less'' Miley tongue overall."
Reception
The clip received generally mixed reviews from critics, who were divided in their opinions regarding Cyrus's increasingly provocative image. Jeremy Cabalona from Mashable
Mashable is a Online newspaper, news website, digital media platform and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005.
History
Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2004. Early iterations o ...
compared its concept to that of " Just Dance" by Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
, while James Montgomery of MTV News
MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...
noted similarities to the music videos for "Dirrty
"Dirrty" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera featuring American rapper Redman, released as the lead single from her fourth studio album '' Stripped''. Despite Aguilera's first three years of commercial success, she was displeased w ...
" by Christina Aguilera
Christina MarÃa Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
and "Criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
" by Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...
. Jason Lipshutz of ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' provided a favorable review, calling it "fantastically unhinged and purposefully button-pushing", while Bonnie Fuller from ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' praised the "high-spirited celebration of the freedom that young women are blessed with today to fully explore and celebrate their sexuality." On their list of the ten best music videos of 2013, ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' placed "We Can't Stop" at number one, describing it as a "masterpiece for the ages".
Writing for ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', Cara Kelly provided a mixed review, feeling that the video recalled "episodes of ''Girls
A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. ''daughter'' or ''girlfriend'' regardless of age, ...
'' mashed with Rita Ora
Rita Sahatçiu Ora (; born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer-songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Rig ...
and Chanel West Coast." Patrick Ryan from ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' called the clip a "bizarre, entertaining but arguably desperate effort", while Haley Dodd from RyanSeacrest.com thought that the video presented "maybe a little too much" of Cyrus's "edgier side". It was later nominated for Best Pop Video, Best Female Video, Best Editing, and Best Song of the Summer for the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Marking the 30th installment of the award show, they were the first to be held in New York City not to use a venue within the borough of ...
.
With 10.7 million views in the first 24 hours of its release, the clip held the record for having the most views in that time-frame across Vevo
Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
platforms. However, she was later surpassed by " Best Song Ever" by One Direction
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, were an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group consisted of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik (until his departure in 2015), Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. The group sold o ...
, which generated 12.3 million views in 24 hours. After reaching 100 million views in 37 days, it also set the record for being the fastest music video to attain a Vevo certification. Both records were eventually broken by the music video for Cyrus's follow-up single "Wrecking Ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a Crane (machine), crane, that is used for Demolition, demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1940s and 1950s. Several wrecking companies claim to have inve ...
" in September; it reached 19.3 million first-day views and passed 100 million views in six days.
Live performances
Cyrus first performed "We Can't Stop" at ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...
'' on June 26, 2013, and at ''Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...
'' the following day. In September 2013, Cyrus sang "We Can't Stop" on ''Schlag den Raab
''Schlag den Raab'' (, German for ''Beat (the) Raab'') was a live game show that was televised by German television channel ProSieben on Saturday evenings from September 2006 until December 2015. A total of six episodes were produced and broadcas ...
'' in Germany, '' Le Grand Journal'' in France, and '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' in England. On September 21, she sang twice at iHeartRadio Music Festival
The iHeartRadio Music Festival is a two-day music concert festival held every year on the third or fourth weekend of September since 2011 by iHeartRadio along the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
From 2011 to 2015, the f ...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, in the afternoon at festival village and in the evening at MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena within the MGM Grand Las Vegas, MGM Grand resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The venue opened on December 31, 1993, with a concert by Barbra Streisand, and s ...
. Despite generating media attention for a provocative wardrobe, the performance was considered to be "fairly tame considering the VMAs."
On October 5, 2013, Cyrus served as the host and musical guest during an episode of ''Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', and performed an acoustic version of the song, in addition to a parody of the song titled "We Did Stop" about the 2013 United States federal government shutdown
From October 1 to October 17, 2013, the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government entered a Government shutdown in the United States, shutdown and curtailed most routine operations because neither Appropriations b ...
. The following Monday, Cyrus performed "We Can't Stop" on ''Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* The current day and calendar date
** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone
* Now, the time that is perceived directly, present
* The current, present era
Arts, entertainment and m ...
'' as part of their Toyota Concert Series. She appeared on ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of the '' Late Night'' franchise. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, '' and ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
'' later that month, and sang the track during both programs. In November, Cyrus traveled to Europe again to sing "We Can't Stop" at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2013 MTV EMAs (also known as the MTV Europe Music Awards) were held at the Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 10 November 2013. This was the second time the awards had taken place in the Netherlands, the last time being in 1997.
Several ...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
on November 10; she garnered media attention for smoking a joint of marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
on-stage. In December, she performed at Jingle Ball concerts in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
( KIIS-FM Jingle Ball), Saint Paul
Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...
, Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, New York City, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, Tampa
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
and Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon.
Terminology
Although the S ...
. An episode of ''MTV Unplugged
''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...
'' starring Cyrus premiered through MTV on January 29, 2014; Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
appeared as a surprise guest that evening to sing an acoustic medley of "We Can't Stop" and her 2000 single " Don't Tell Me". Later that year, Cyrus performed "We Can't Stop" during her headlining Bangerz Tour. A critic from the ''Nashville Scene
''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...
'' praised Cyrus's performance, writing, "We Can't Stop was sung by Miley and hilariously lip-synced by a kitten on screen." Blake Hannon provided a positive review, writing, "The crowd erupted for the opening notes of We Can't Stop." Cyrus returned to perform the song during the musical festival on June 21, 2014, Summertime Ball
Capital's Summertime Ball is a mini-festival in London, usually held on either first or second Saturday or Sunday of June by the radio station Capital (radio network), Capital. The first ball was at Emirates Stadium in 2009, and it has since b ...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
of London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, in front of 80,000 people.
MTV Video Music Awards
In August 2013, Cyrus became the subject of widespread international media attention and public scrutiny following a performance and duet with Robin Thicke
Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 single " Blurred Lines" (featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams), which peaked atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, received ...
at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Marking the 30th installment of the award show, they were the first to be held in New York City not to use a venue within the borough of ...
at Barclays Center
Barclays Center ( ) is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liber ...
in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The performance began with Cyrus performing "We Can't Stop" in bear-themed attire. Following this, Thicke entered the stage and Cyrus stripped down to a flesh-colored two-piece latex outfit while they performed "Blurred Lines
"Blurred Lines" is a song by American singer Robin Thicke featuring American rapper T.I. and American musician Pharrell Williams from Thicke's sixth studio album of the same name (2013). Solely produced by Williams, it was released as the a ...
" in a duet. Cyrus subsequently touched Thicke's crotch
In humans, the crotch is the bottom of the pelvis (the region of the body where the legs join the torso) and is the part of the body that includes the groin and genitals.
Etymology
''Crotch'' is derived from ''crutch''; it was first used in 1 ...
area with a giant manicured foam finger and twerked against him. ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' described the performance as "crass" and "reminiscent of a bad acid trip
A psychedelic experience (known colloquially as a trip) is a temporary altered state of consciousness induced by the consumption of a psychedelic substance (most commonly LSD, mescaline, psilocybin mushrooms, or DMT). For example, an acid ...
". The 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 Cyrus stole the show with a "raunchy performance". The performance generated 306,100 tweets per minute on Twitter, breaking the record for the most tweeted-about event in the history of the social network; the previous record, held by the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show
The Super Bowl XLVII halftime show occurred on February 3, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans as part of Super Bowl XLVII. Beyoncé headlined with special guests Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams f ...
featuring Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
, generated 268,000 tweets per minute. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
magazine published an article on the presentation of Cyrus at the MTV Video Music Awards 2013, writing that "Miley was the one star in the room who truly understood what the MTV Video Music Awards are all about — waggling your tongue, grabbing your crotch, rocking a foam finger, going to third with the Care Bears, twerking and shrieking and acting out America's goriest pop-psycho nightmares. She showed up Robin Thicke as one uptight douche, though he helped by dressing as the world's edgiest Foot Locker manager. Miley stole the night, which is why the nation is still in recovery today. Thanks, Miley." According to ''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'', Cyrus's performance resulted in a gain of over 213,000 Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
followers, 226,000 likes on Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
, and 90,000 downloads of her new promotional single, "Wrecking Ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a Crane (machine), crane, that is used for Demolition, demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1940s and 1950s. Several wrecking companies claim to have inve ...
", within days of the controversial performance. This amounted to a total 112% increase in Cyrus's social media activity.
Cover versions
In July 2013, Rebecca Black
Rebecca Renee Black (born June 21, 1997) is an American singer, songwriter, YouTuber, and DJ. She gained extensive media coverage when the music video for her 2011 debut single "Friday (Rebecca Black song), Friday" went viral video, viral on You ...
released an acoustic cover of "We Can't Stop", for which there were lyrical changes made. In September 2013, Scott Bradlee
Scott Bradlee (born September 19, 1981) is an American musician, pianist, and arranger. He is best known for his viral videos on YouTube, including his work under the moniker Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ) — an ever-evolving, revolving collective ...
's band Postmodern Jukebox
Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ), also known as Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, is a rotating musical collective founded by New York-based pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011. Postmodern Jukebox is known for reworking popular modern music into different vi ...
made a doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
cover of the song. Later in September, British band Bastille
The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...
performed a rock version of the song at BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
's Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...
, using portions of "Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 film '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers, and Luis Resto. ...
" by Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
in the introduction, "I Just Can't Wait to Be King
"I Just Can't Wait to Be King" is a 1994 song written by Elton John (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics) for the Disney animated feature film ''The Lion King'' (1994). The song was performed in 1992 by American actor and singer Jason Weaver as the sing ...
" from the 1994 film ''The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Produced by Walt Disney ...
'' at the end of each chorus, and referencing "Achy Breaky Heart
"Achy Breaky Heart" is a song written in 1990 by Don Von Tress. First released in 1991 by the Marcy Brothers with the title "Don't Tell My Heart", it was later recorded by American singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus and released on his debut al ...
" by Cyrus's father Billy Ray. They won an award for this cover at the MTV Woodies
The MTV Woodies (formerly known as the MTVU Woodie Awards) was an annual music show presented by MTVU with awards voted on by fans.
Ceremonies
Category
Woodie of the Year
*2004: Modest Mouse - "Float On (Modest Mouse song), Float On"
**Anthon ...
. Mike Wass from Idolator
An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry.
Idolator or Idolater may also refer to:
* Idolator (website), an American music blog
* ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child
* ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud
* "Idolater", a ...
commented that they brought "emotional depth and a previously absent musicality" and that they turned the song into "an eerily pretty mid-tempo ballad". Later that month, indie musician Logan Lynn
Logan Dennis Lynn (born October 15, 1979) is an American musician, writer, producer, filmmaker, television personality, mental health advocate, and LGBT activist.
Since 1998 he has released eleven studio albums, and he is the former host of Logo ...
released a cover version of the track, which Lindsey Weber of ''New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City.
Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...
'' called "dreamy ndguitar-heavy" and an editor from ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' called "bold" and "warmer" than the original. British singer Neon Hitch
Neon Hitch (born 25 May 1986) is a Romani people, Romani singer and songwriter from England. She was signed to Mike Skinner (musician), Mike Skinner and Ted Mayhem's label, The Beats, before it closed down. She was later discovered on MySpace b ...
released a cover of "We Can't Stop" with lyrical adjustments, which Jenna Hally Rubenstein from MTV Buzzworthy called a "kinda-reggae-kinda-jazz-kinda ska-definitely-awesome cover". The track was also performed by Avery, the Vamps, and Tay Zonday
Adam Nyerere Bahner (born May 21, 1982), better known by the pseudonym Tay Zonday or as "Chocolate Rain Guy",Fox News report about Numa Numa also mentions: ...fellow viral video star, 'Chocolate Rain Guy', aka Tay Zonday (Sep 22, 2010)Foxnews.co ...
. In 2014, the Electrical Fire released a cover version of the song, as well as an alternate version which combined it with Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
's " Runaway", pointing out the similarity between the two songs. Later in 2014 Bastille won Best Cover Woodie award in the mtvU Woodie Awards
MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. MTVU programming initially served 750 college and uni ...
for covering the track.
A marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...
version of the song, by Sonic Boom of the South, Jackson State University's marching band, is featured at the end of the 2018 black comedy film ''Assassination Nation
''Assassination Nation'' is a 2018 American satirical black comedy horror thriller film written and directed by Sam Levinson. It stars an ensemble cast led by Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef, and Abra. The film takes place in the fi ...
''.
Lawsuit
In 2018, Jamaican artist Flourgon filed a copyright infringement suit in the against Cyrus and RCA Records, alleging that Cyrus had unlawfully used the "original, creative and unique lyrical phraseology" of his 1988 reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
song "We Run Things" as the repeated chorus and hook of "We Can't Stop"; specifically, he alleged that the phrase "We run things/ Things don't run we" from "We Can't Stop" was substantially similar to the phrase "We run things/Things no run we" from "We Run Things".
The parties settled
A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...
the lawsuit out of court and the case was subsequently dismissed in early 2020.
Track listing and formats
;Digital download
#"We Can't Stop" – 3:52
;CD
#"We Can't Stop" – 4:00
#"We Can't Stop" (instrumental) – 3:57
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Bangerz
''Bangerz'' is the fourth studio album by the American singer Miley Cyrus. It was released on September 30, 2013. It was her first body of original work since leaving Hollywood Records after the release of her third studio album '' Can't Be Tam ...
''.
;Recording
*Recorded at NightBird Recording Studios (West Hollywood
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757.
History
Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...
, California); Conway Recording Studios (Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California); Glenwood Studios, (Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
)
*Mixed at The Penua Project/Innersound Management at Larrabee Sound Studios (North Hollywood, California
North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...
)
;Personnel
*Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...
– backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
, lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
, songwriter
* Douglas Davis – songwriter
*Mike Gaydusek – assistant
*Trehy Harris – assistant
*Stephen Hybicki – recording
*Jaycen Joshua – mixing
*Mike Will Made It
Michael Len Williams II (born March 23, 1989), known professionally as Mike Will Made It (often stylized as Mike WiLL Made-It) or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hi ...
– songwriter, producer
*Chris "TEK" O'Ryan – mixing
*Eva Reistad – assistant
*Ruben Rivera – recording
*Tim Roberts – recording
*Pierre Ramon Slaughter – songwriter, producer
* Timothy Thomas – songwriter, producer, vocal production
* Theron Thomas – songwriter, producer, vocal production
*Ricky Walters – songwriter
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
* List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2010s
References
{{Authority control
2013 singles
2013 songs
Miley Cyrus songs
Song recordings produced by Mike Will Made It
Music videos directed by Diane Martel
RCA Records singles
Rebecca Black songs
Songs written by Miley Cyrus
Songs written by Timothy Thomas
Songs written by Theron Thomas
Number-one singles in New Zealand
Number-one singles in Scotland
UK singles chart number-one singles
Songs about drugs
Obscenity controversies in music
Songs written by Pierre Ramon Slaughter
American contemporary R&B songs
Songs involved in plagiarism controversies