SONG ANALYSIS: WE CAN’T STOP - MILEY CYRUS
Click to viewIt’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 screw who we want
Red cups and sweaty bodies everywhere
Hands in the air like we don’t care
Cause we came to have so much fun now
Bet somebody here might get some now
If you’re not ready to go home
Can I get a “hell no”?
Cause we gonna go all night
Till we see the sunlight, alright
So la-da-di-da-di
We like to party
Dancing with Miley
Doing whatever we want
This is our house
This is our rules
And we can’t stop
And we won’t stop
Can’t you see it’s we who own the night?
Can’t you see it we who bout that life?
And we can’t stop
And we won’t stop
We run things, things don’t run we
Don’t take nothing from nobody
To my homegirls here with the big butt
Shaking it like we at a strip club
Remember only God can judge ya
Forget the haters cause somebody loves ya
And everyone in the line in the bathroom
Trying to get a line in the bathroom
We all so turned up yeah
Getting turned up yeah yeah yeah yeah
Miley said this song is meant to inspire her fans to be themselves and do what they want. It isn’t. But that’s OK, because if you feel like you need someone to tell you to be yourself in order to be yourself, you don’t really want to be yourself anyway. For these people, the song does what it’s supposed to do: it tells who you are and what you want, then tells you what to do about it.
For instance, the drive to party is framed as inherent (“And we can’t stop”), and instead of repressing these urges, they are unabashedly embraced (“And we won’t stop”). The party-drive is accepted as a given. The lyrics and video then demonstrate how this drive should be expressed (e.g. sex, drugs, sleep deprivation). Everything “bout that life” is already scripted; no self-exploration/expression required.
There is a second purpose to the song. There’s a lot of talk about “we”, and when there’s a “we” there’s a “they”. Listen to the song closely and you can hear the unspoken messages. “And we won’t stop […because they can’t stop us.]” “We can do/say/love/kiss/screw who we want [… no matter what they have to say about it.]” “Can’t you see it’s we who owns the night [… and not them.]” “Don’t take nothing from nobody [… especially not them.]” “Remember only God can judge ya [… and those judgmental people are powerless against us.]”
The song is a taunt to some vague, faceless group of party oppressors. Or rather, the song invents party oppressors, taunts them, and invites you to join in taunting them. There is no reason to think that Miley’s partying was ever under any threat. In fact, everyone would have remained oblivious to Miley’s antics had she not gone out of her way to display them.
No one is going to physically prevent these parties; no one cares that much. Yet this song leads you to believe that there are people who are deeply invested in what you do, implying that what you do is important. It also leads you to believe that there are attempts to sabotage your parties, so continuing to party becomes an act of defiance and empowerment.
People were up in arms that Miley, a former Disney figure, was modeling bad behavior for children/teenagers. Sure, a couple of the behaviors described are generally inadvisable, yet compared to, oh, let’s say, parties in Ancient Rome, her party seems tame, if not downright dull. In the video there are a series of random events which have the suggestion of being enjoyable such as using Pepto-Bismol to make it look like you cut off fingers, making out with a doll, roasting marshmallows with candles, bashing a piñata filled with hotdogs, putting sunglasses on a taxidermy animal... tee hee?
The party itself isn’t fun. The party becomes fun only when there is perceived exhibition that some group of people is watching with shock, disgust, and disapproval. Without party-oppressing scorn, these actions are vacuous, meaningless, even boring. They need onlookers, real or imagined, in order to be validated and thrilling. These “outrageous” behaviors are means to an end; illusions of recasting contempt and of rebellion are the true payoffs.
Miley did not write this song. In fact, most pop songs are manufactured based on money-making formulas and then dispensed to pop stars. There is a large demand in the general population to feel important and powerful through membership to an elite minority. As long as the people are making these demands, studios will oblige them. This "rebellion" is about feeling, not fact. Instead of changing the world (which currently works in the favor of Miley and many of her fans) the point is to feel defiant and brave, regardless of whether it’s true or not. As long as these songs make people feel a certain way and gets them to believe what they want to believe about themselves, they sell.
The backlash against this song and Miley’s new image is largely unwarranted. It is not the sign of the end of civilization or degradation of a generation, not even close. It’s fantasy play that's been around since the beginning of mankind. Many of those watching and listening are not going to act on this fantasy, and the vast majority of those who do will dabble in it until it grows tiresome. No real harm done.