Miley Cyrus- Wrecking ball video

analysisLucy Collings

I’ve chosen to do my video on Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking ball. I will be splitting the music video into 8 screenshots in which I found most suggestive and meaningful throughout the video.

Genre-pop music

Introduction

Shot 1In this shot we see the artist set in the centre from a close up angle, holding a hammer behind her neck and holding her head back with her eyes closed. The colour scheme is all neutral except for her red lipstick. From the position she is in we can assume she is upset and feels guilty, hence her holding her head of tiredness, the song is about her having a recent break up so the poisition she is in suggests the artist is fed up and tired.

Shot 2 In this close up shot all we can see is Miley’s face in the centre of the shot. Her facial expression suggests she is very upset, her eyes are almost gripped shut and her lips are stuck together. She is trying to hold back her tears by closing her eyes and mouth. As this shot is presented the lyrics “dont you ever say, I just walked away, I will always want you” are played. By showing this shot at the same time the artist is trying to show how much she means what she is singing, getting more personal with her audience.

Shot 3Here we see Miley in a mid-shot, the white background contrasts with her skin, drawing all your attention onto her. Her hands are held to her forehead, pulling her hair back with rage. During this shot the chorus begins “I came in like a wrecking ball, I never hit so hard in love”. The movement of her throwing her head in her hands shows her anger and sadness. She is standing nude, the only bright colour being her red lips, this could be suggesting she has been stripped of happiness, it also quite suggestive and provocative.

Shot 4This long-shot of the room and the artist show Miley placed in the centre, infront of a 3 walled space, one wall being crashed down by a wrecking ball. The wrecking ball could be symbolising her and how the breakup hit her hard and she hurt herself shut down people around her.In the shot the wall is knocked down as she walks towards the camera, paying no attention to her surroundings. Suggesting she is moving on.

Shot 5This close up shot shows the artist licking a hammer in which she has hit the wall with during the video. Suggesting she still loves the pain through her relationship. Her white clothing and red lips cause the black sledge hammer to stand out, drawing your attention to that area.

Shot 6The artist is again set in the centre of the shot, naked on the wrecking ball with a wall on either side knocked down. In my opinion this shot shows how her relationship destroyed her, she is naked because she is naked and stripped of emotion, hurting on the inside. The wrecking ball symbolises a destructive love, hence the two knocked down walls, and Miley is all that is left.

Shot 7This close up of shot of the artist shows her emotion, her head rested in one hand as she is crying to the camera. By this she is using a direct mode of address, become more personal with her audience, showing the song is very delicate. The white background contrasts with her nude body drawing all your focus to her face as she is crying and singing “don’t you ever say I just walked away, I will always want you”, by assuming we can guess that by using the direct mode of address she is using it as a way of communicating with her newly ex boyfriend.

Shot 8Here we see a mid-shot of the wrecking ball, during this shot it slowly moves in towards the camera, eventually covering the lense as it turns black. Suggesting that the pain is over as all we can see is the left over rubble on the floor.

Goodwins theory best matches this music video, the lyrics tell a story and the music video features a wrecking ball throughout, along with the title and lyrics of the song.

Theories

We clawed, we chained our hearts in vainA love no one could denyWe jumped never asking whyWe kissed, I fell under your spell.

Don't you ever say I just walked awayI will always want youI can't live a lie, running for my lifeI will always want you

I came in like a wrecking ballI never hit so hard in loveAll I wanted was to break your wallsAll you ever did was wreck meYeah, you, you wreck me

I put you high up in the skyAnd now, you're not coming downIt slowly turned, you let me burnAnd now, we're ashes on the ground

Don't you ever say I just walked awayI will always want youI can't live a lie, running for my lifeI will always want you

I came in like a wrecking ballYeah, I just closed my eyes and swungLeft me crashing in a blazing fallAll you ever did was wreck meYeah, you, you wreck me

I never meant to start a warI just wanted you to let me inAnd instead of using forceI guess I should've let you winI never meant to start a warI just wanted you to let me inI guess I should've let you win

The lyrics are emotional and have meaning, “I came in like a wrecking ball” also links to the video as the artist is physically swinging on a wrecking ball. The lyrics definitely match to the genre of pop music and Goodwins theory.

Lyrics