We Can't Stop is from Miley Cyrus' fourth studio album, Bangerz (2013).
It was released on June 3, 2013 by RCA Records as the lead single from
the album, following Cyrus' departure from Hollywood Records in early 2013.
The Lyrics of the song talk about a party. There has been speculation that the songwriting has drug references,
when it says "Everyone's in line at the bathroom / Tryna get a line in the bathroom".
This is believed to be alluding to the use of cocaine, which is usually taken in lines.
Drug references speculation also arose when listeners thought one of the lines said
"We like to party/ Dancing with Molly"; "Molly" is a slang term for MDMA aka ecstasy.
Producer Mike WiLL
Made It stated :
"If you want to dance with Molly, then you gonna enjoy the line 'Dancing with Molly.'
You know what I'm saying? But whoever wants to dance with Miley, and whoever enjoys Miley Cyrus,
then you know what I'm saying, then they're going to take it as 'Dancing with Miley.'
So however y'all want to take it. It's not really for us to just really lay out. We just put the record out."
In addition, Cyrus herself later confirmed in an interview with the Daily Mail that the Lyrics were
indeed referring to MDMA, and that the confusion between "Miley" and "Molly" was intentional, stating that,
"It depends who's doing what. If you're aged ten it's 'Miley', if you know what I'm talking about then you know.
I just wanted it to be played on the radio and they've already had to edit it so much."
Cyrus told E! News the song is dedicated to her fans, the people who have never stopped believing in her. She said: "I feel like this song really is for them and how I feel, that I can't stop and I'm going to be who I am and they should be who they are and that they can't stop and no one can stop us."
Cyrus added: "It really is an inspiring song for my fans. We don't care, we can do what we want."
The song was originally intended for Rihanna. "When I originally worked on 'We Can't Stop,' we had did it for Rihanna. The idea was more towards Rihanna," Mike WiLL Made It told MTV News. "Rihanna, she heard 'Pour It Up' right away, and she didn't even hear 'We Can't Stop.'"
After he'd finished working on Rihanna's Unapologetic album, Mike Will switched his attention to Cyrus, and when Sony first heard the song, the label decided it was "perfect" for the pop star. "They played it for her, she liked it, so I thought we were just gonna knock out one record," he said. "But we ended up going in and caught a good vibe. She's real cool, a regular person."
Miley Cyrus made her VMA debut in 2013 when she emerged from the belly of a giant teddy bear to perform this song.
Following her performance of the song, she was then joined onstage by Robin Thicke
as she stripped off to a flesh-colored bra and panties and sung Pharrell Williams' parts on "Blurred Lines."
Miley was upbeat about the amount of attention her frolics received on the social networking website.
"Smilers! My VMA performance had 306.000 tweets per minute. That's more than the blackout or Superbowl! #fact.,"
she tweeted.
From the Album:
Bangerz (2013)
Released:
June 3, 2013
Format:
CD single
digital download
Genre:
Pop
R&B
dance
Length:
3:51
Writers:
Mike L. Williams II
Pierre Ramon Slaughter
Timothy Thomas
Theron Thomas
Miley Cyrus
Douglas Davis
Ricky Walters
Producer:
Mike WiLL Made-It
P-Nasty
Rock City
Music video:
"We Can't Stop" on YouTube
The song's house party-themed music video was directed by Diane Martel, who also helmed the clip for
Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." It was filmed in Los Angeles, California, during the last week of May 2013.
The button-pushing visual served as a major contribution in the rebranding of Cyrus as the former
Disney star throws a crazy house party.
"I think the indirect message is to be free," said Martel
in an interview with Celebuzz. "Miley has a very open mind and, like the lovely kids born with
the internet as their companion, she's got a wealth of references to play with. We spoke at first
about intimacy between friends, but I think the video is more about her intimacy with her audience.
She's very playful and silly in the video. She's not self-serious and boorish like so many singers."
Miley Cyrus Tour Dates: