Miley Cyrus “Party in the U.S.A” released

Party in the U.S.A. Miley Cyrus

Writer(s): Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, Jessica Cornish, Claude Kelly (see lyrics here) Released: August 4, 2009 First Charted: August 9, 2009 Peak: 2 US, 16 DG, 11 RR, 13 A40, 11 UK, 3 CN, 6 AU, 21 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 12.0 US, 1.2 UK, 14.54 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.3 radio, 950.71 video, 1254.57 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Miley Cyrus, the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, was born in 1992 in Franklin, Tennessee. She became a child star in the Disney TV show Hannah Montana (2006-2011). During that time, she charted as Hannah Montana, reaching #1 on the album chart three times and reaching a #10 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 with “He Could Be the One.” In 2007, she released an album under her own name. That album, Meet Miley Cyrus, and its follow-up, Breakout, gave her two more chart-topping albums as well as two more top-ten hits with “See You Again” and “7 Things.” However, in 2009 she reached her highest peak with “Party in the U.S.A.,” a twelve-time platinum smash from her EP The Time of Our Lives. The song debuted and peaked at #2 behind the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.” The song was written and produced by Dr. Luke with Jessie J and Claude Kelly. It was originally intended for Jessie J, but she thought “its cheerful tone was at odds with the darker, edgy material she preferred.” WK It was given to Miley instead. The lyrics initially reflected on Jessie J’s move from the UK to Los Angeles, but were reworked to reflect Miley’s move from Nashville to Hollywood. WK Cyrus has said she also preferred songs with more of an edge and that “Party in the U.S.A.” was not the best reflection of her musically. WK The song references Jay-Z and Britney Spears and, coincidentally, the three artists were back-to-back-to-back on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated October 31, 2009. “Party in the U.S.A.” was #3 while Jay-Z was at #4 with “Run This Town” and Spears was at #5 with “3.” SF Miley said at the time of her song’s release that she’d never even heard a Jay-Z song. The Guardian’s Michael Hann called it “a cute pop song” and said “that manufactured pop need not be a bad thing – if the manufacturing is good enough.” WK Erik Ernst of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said the song was “ridiculously catchy.” WK Yahoo! Music’s Jaime Gill called it a “breezily brilliant hit” WK and AllMusic.com’s Heather Phares described it as “a brothy party anthem.” WK The video was shot as an homage to the movie Grease and included tributes to Miley’s parents and their courting days. The drive-in featured in the video was named Corral Drive-in after the Kentucky drive-in her parents went to when they were first dating. In the video, Miley is featured in a 1979 black Pontiac Trans Am, the car her mom used to drive. SF Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/27/2023.

Miley Cyrus “The Climb” charted

The Climb Miley Cyrus

Writer(s): Jessi Alexander, Jon Mabe (see lyrics here) Released: March 5, 2009 First Charted: February 15, 2009 Peak: 4 BB, 5 RR, 115 AC, 5 A40, 25 CW, 11 UK, 5 CN, 5 AU, 13 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 1.2 UK, 9.26 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.3 radio, 654.99 video, 822.92 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Singer/songwriter and actress Destiny Hope “Miley” Cyrus was born in 1992 in Tennessee. She was born into fame as the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. As a young teen, she found success as the star of Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel. While on the show, she released music under her own name and the Hannah Montana identity. In 2009, she starred in Hannah Montana: The Movie which produced her biggest hit to date, the top-five hit “The Climb.” The country-pop power ballad was nominated for a Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media but was withdrawn from consideration because it hadn’t been specifically written for the film. Jessi Alexander came up with the melody while diving to his songwiting partner Jon Mabe’s house. Mabe developed it into a “song about overcoming life’s obstacles inspired by their personal struggles in the music industry.” WK The song was rejected by several country artists before Peter Chelsom, the director of the Hannah Montana movie, picked it up. He asked them to adapt the song so it would fit the movie. WK He thought the song “turned up the film’s music level by tapping into Cyrus’s newfound vocal range.” WK The filmmakers told the songwriters, “This is perfect for Miley. It’s gonna change her life, gonna change your life.” WK The song was woven into the movie as a moment when Miley writes a song addressing her frustrations in leading a double life as the pop star Hannah Monana and her real identity as Miley Stewart. WK Resources: WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/24/2026.