"Who Owns My Heart" is a song by American singer
Miley Cyrus. The song was written by Cyrus,
Antonina Armato,
Tim James and Devrim Karaoglu, and produced by Armato and James. It was released on October 22, 2010 in Germany by
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...
as the second and final single from Cyrus' third studio album ''
Can't Be Tamed
''Can't Be Tamed'' is the third studio album by American singer Miley Cyrus. It was released on June 18, 2010, by Hollywood Records, and was her final album with the label; she signed with RCA Records in early 2013. Cyrus wrote and began re ...
''. It would become her final overall release with Hollywood Records after signing with
RCA Records in 2013. The song was written about the feelings a
club's environment can lead someone to believe. "Who Owns My Heart" is musically
club-oriented and driven by
synths
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...
. Lyrically, the song speaks of meeting a potential love interest at a nightclub.
The song garnered mixed reception from music critics; some argued it was dull and faceless, while others deemed it one of the best tracks on ''Can't Be Tamed''. It reached the top 40 in Austria, Germany, and Russia. A corresponding
music video for "Who Owns My Heart" was directed by
Robert Hales. It follows Cyrus throughout preparing herself for, arriving and dancing at a mansion party. The video was criticized by the
Parents Television Council for its sexual elements.
Background
The song was written by Cyrus in collaboration with
Antonina Armato,
Tim James, and Devrim Karaoglu. Cyrus described it as a "total
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
track" with a cool concept. "Who Owns My Heart" was written about the feelings a
club's environment can lead one to believe.
Cyrus depicted the club scene to be very sexy, which she thought was primarily composed by the music playing and intense lighting, and thought that it might trigger fake emotions with the person one is dancing with. She stated, "If you're out, dancing at a club, the way the whole vibe is
..Do you actually like the person you're dancing with or is just the whole ambiance of what's going on?"
Composition
"Who Owns My Heart" is an
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
song with a length of three minutes and 35 seconds.
It is an uptempo and predominantly
club-oriented number that is inspired by
1980s music
__NOTOC__
Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab u ...
.
The song is set in
common time and has a driving dance
tempo of 136 beats per minute. It is written in the
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
of
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major.
The A natural minor scale is:
:
Changes ...
and Cyrus' vocals span two
octave
In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
s, from G
3 to C
5. It follows the
chord progression Am–F–Dm–E.
"Who Owns My Heart" is heavy in rubbery and bubbling
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
synths
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...
.
Keyboard
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 ...
riffs
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accomp ...
also drive the song's instrumentation. Lyrically, "Who Owns My Heart" speaks of the thrill of meeting a potential love interest on the dance floor.
Verse
Verse may refer to:
Poetry
* Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry
* Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza
* Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme
* Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...
s and the
bridge describe the setting using comparisons to numerous things, including
tsunamis and
rodeo
Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...
s.
The song's
refrain
A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...
s proceed to question, "Who owns my heart? Is it love or is it art?"
Critical reception
Tanner Stransky of ''
Entertainment Weekly'' stated, "This song is a pulsy, possibly club-ready jam that deserves single status."
Heather Phares of
AllMusic used "Who Owns My Heart" as an example of, according to her, a recurring problem on ''Can't Be Tamed'': "too often, Cyrus equates grown-up with joyless".
Alexis Petridis of the United Kingdom magazine ''
The Guardian'' felt the song was a gamely attempt at
Lady Gaga. He said the chorus invites the answer: "probably that creepy bloke from the
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 ...
who went on about violating your godliness."
Evan Sawdey of
PopMatters also found an alternate answer to the song's chorus. "It’s commerce that owns your heart, Miley, and it always has been", he wrote. Mikael Wood 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 advertise ...
'' compared "Who Owns My Heart" to 2010 singles released by
The Black Eyed Peas. Nick Levine of
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
said it was a post-GaGa
Hi-NRG track inclined to the generic. However, he said lyrical references were a large reminder Cyrus sung the track.
Ed Masley of ''
The Arizona Republic'' deemed "Who Owns My Heart" to be one of the best tracks from ''Can't Be Tamed'', despite containing a "cheesy
ABBA-worthy chorus".
Jon Caramanica of ''
The New York Times'' also perceived the song to be "in the vein of
Cascada" and one of the most "exciting" on ''Can't Be Tamed''. He said it was a sound "Ms. Cyrus hasn’t previously shown any affinity for and may never again. Still, it’s a timely and sharp sound."
Commercial performance
The song debuted at number 35 on the
Austrian Singles Chart, on the week ending November 19, 2010. The following week, "Who Owns My Heart" descended to number 50 and, later, number 54 before completely falling from the chart.
On the week ending November 22, 2010, "Who Owns My Heart" debuted and peaked at number 24 on the
German Singles Chart. In the succeeding week, the song dropped to number 39. The track continued to descend in positions until spending its last week on the German Singles Chart on the week ending January 10, 2011. The song spent a total of seven weeks on the chart.
Music video
The
music video for "Who Owns My Heart" was directed by
Robert Hales, who previously directed the video for "
Can't Be Tamed
''Can't Be Tamed'' is the third studio album by American singer Miley Cyrus. It was released on June 18, 2010, by Hollywood Records, and was her final album with the label; she signed with RCA Records in early 2013. Cyrus wrote and began re ...
", and filmed on August 6–7, 2010 at the
Meadow Brook Hall in
Rochester Hills, Michigan
Rochester Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 76,300. It is the 14th-largest city in Michigan.
The area was first occupied by settlers of European descent in 1 ...
. The video commences with Cyrus asleep, blindfolded on a mattress in a bedroom. She awakens and writhes on the mattress. Following, Cyrus proceeds to a bathroom, her attire is composed of a white tank top, white boy shorts, a fishnet hair wrap, rollers, and heavy metal jewelry. While in the bathroom scenes, Cyrus sings as she sits on the edge of a bathtub and prepares herself for an upcoming party. With the arrival of the song's refrains, Cyrus appears writhing in the backseat of a limousine, costumed in a low-cut gold halter top, black hot pants, a black jacket with shoulder pads, and big hair. Once arrived at the mansion party, she is first seen dancing atop a big, wooden table. In the continuation of the video, Cyrus dances with multiple people on the dance floor. Cut-scenes feature Cyrus in all prior scenes or dancing with others in the mansion's study. The video concludes with Cyrus back in her bedroom, once again waking up.
The video for "Who Owns My Heart" was premiered in
MSN
MSN (meaning Microsoft Network) is a web portal and related collection of Internet services and apps for Windows and mobile devices, provided by Microsoft and launched on August 24, 1995, alongside the release of Windows 95.
The Microsoft Net ...
Spain on October 8, 2010. 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 ...
wrote, "There comes a time in every pop princess' career when she must throw a sexy dance party and proclaim her womanhood. Back in 2001
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 ...
did as much in '
I'm a Slave 4 U,' and this week, Miley Cyrus is doing the same in the video for her club-ready track 'Who Owns My Heart.'" Tanner Stransky of ''Entertainment Weekly'' assumed the theme of the video were the divergent hairstyles, but acclaimed the video for its fun.
Stransky further wrote that the sultry aspect of the video added to its frothy, "thumpa-thumpa deliciousness".
Edith Zimmerman of ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
'' magazine viewed it as "awkward". Megan Vick of ''Billboard'' thought the video followed the same steps as the video for "Can't Be Tamed" — dark lighting, many bare Cyrus parts and writhing around on flat surfaces. Vick recalled
Amy Winehouse's "
Rehab
Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to:
Health
* Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished
* Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
" video when seeing the bathroom scene and viewed the ending as a relief. Tim Winter, president of the
Parents Television Council, criticized the video for its suggestiveness and sexual elements.
Winter continued, "It is unfortunate that she would participate in such a sexualized video like this one. It sends messages to her fanbase that are diametrically opposed to everything she has done up to this point. Miley built her fame and fortune entirely on the backs of young girls, and it saddens us that she seems so eager to distance herself from that fanbase so rapidly."
Cyrus performed "Who Owns My Hearts" for the
iHeartRadio Music Festival 2020. She created visual content for the 2020 "iHeartRadio Music Festival". The backdrop music video was released on Cyrus's
YouTube account due to high demand by fans.
Live performances
Cyrus first performed "Who Owns My Heart" at a concert at the
House of Blues in
Los Angeles, California, which was streamed across over thirty websites owned by
MTV Networks. Dressed in a cut-out leotard that and black, leather pants, Cyrus single-handedly roamed throughout the stage to perform the song. Cyrus embarked on a European promotional tour for the single in October 2010. On November 6, 2010, Cyrus performed the track on the German television program ''
Wetten, dass..?''. On November 7, 2010, Cyrus performed "Who Owns My Heart" at the
2010 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards took place on 7 November 2010 at Caja Mágica in Madrid, Spain. The awards ceremony was presented by Eva Longoria and Justin Bieber was the official MTV EMA 2010 digital host. Nominations were announced on 20 Septem ...
at the
Caja Mágica in
Madrid, Spain. The performance featured elaborate costuming that had Cyrus bearing white bodysuit with a turtle neck while female dancers in lingerie and male dancers in suits, challenging dance routines, and symbolism. Cyrus explained,
The song was the closing number of Cyrus'
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 ...
. Cyrus performed "Who Owns My Hearts" for the
iHeartRadio Music Festival 2020.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
{{Good article
2010 singles
Electropop songs
Miley Cyrus songs
Music videos directed by Robert Hales
Songs written by Miley Cyrus
Songs written by Antonina Armato
Songs written by Tim James (musician)
Hollywood Records singles
Songs written by Devrim Karaoglu
2010 songs