This took longer then I thought it would, but I'm still trying to keep my promises, so I'm just gonna go right ahead and eliminate #7.
It's a lead single.
It's a classic.
Can't Be Tamed was written by Miley, Antonina Armato, Tim James, Marek Pompetzki and Paul NZA, and produced by Rock Mafia, Devrim Karaoglu and Pompetzki for Miley's album of the same name. Marek has a long list of credits that you can check out
here, and Paul NZA's credits can be found
here. It was released as the lead single for the album on May 18, 2010. I think it's easy to understand why Miley wanted this to be the lead single as well as the title track. It's a statement - an "I'm an adult now" statement, one plenty of artists have done before. Though different lyrically from previous ones - I'm A Slave 4 U is about being a slave to the music, with production that was more mature and hip-hopish then anything Britney had done up till then, Dirrty is about owning your sexuality no matter what, again with a bit more of a hip-hop sound, and Play With Fire is about teasing an ex you've moved on from. Can't Be Tamed however, is more about being out of control, and not caring, while refusing to apologize for who you are. And it worked out well for her - it got peaks of #5 in Ireland and New Zealand, #6 in Canada, and #8 in the U.S. as well as top 20 in 7 more countries, including a #13 peak in the U.K. I've always loved this song. I actually didn't hear it until a few years after it came out - after Bangerz was released even. But since then, it's been one of my anthems. It's just so fun, flirty and confident. Miley owns every single second with her attitude and her voice, and the electro-glam stomping beat is so much fun and so easy to dance to. It's pretty much impossible not to get my whole damn life to this. There's a lot of little things about this that I like: Miley's rapid-fire speak singing of the verses while still being catchy and almost melodic, her perfect diction, the way the final "tamed" of the first two choruses overlaps with the first word of their following verse and bridge, the second pre-chorus, and the way it's repeated before the final chorus - I don't know why, but I've always loved the lyrics "I wanna fly, I wanna drive, I wanna go. I wanna be a part of something I don't know." Probably cause I just feel that so much, and relate hard. But I relate even more to the bridge. Undoubtedly the best part, it's catchy, anthemic, relatable to my queer self, and something I just always scream along with her when it comes up. So yeah. I just really love this song. That said, I don't always love it as the lead single/title track. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why it was chosen, and I'm happy it ended up working for her, but it's not really indicative of the album as a whole, and I also feel that Robot would've been a much more interesting lead single and title track, while still getting her point across. Obviously it doesn't matter now and it's too late, but one can imagine what that could've been like. The song was of course included in her sets for the House Of Blues, Rock In Rio, and the Gypsy Heart Tour, as well as being only one of two songs from her back catalog to be included in the Bangerz Tour, and she included it near the end of her sets for her festival performances throughout last year, giving it a more rock-based arrangement with the rest of the songs she did, though Miley tends to rock up her songs in general when she performs them. Critically speaking, it got pretty mixed reviews.
AllMusic made it one of their track picks and called it "stomping",
BBC compared it to other Ensexification Moments of the past, and said "And really, classy is the key word. If Miley's gonna weather the Ensexification Moment it'll be because she's doing it during a period of extrema GaGa, when videos are less about acreage of flesh and more about feathers and Victorian scientists. Oh, and because she's got the songs and the voice, that always helps" and gave the song four stars,
The Boston Globe said it "splits the difference between Spears’s If U Seek Amy and Flo Rida’s Right Round",
Rolling Stone said "It's no Party in the USA or See You Again, but the chorus packs plenty of electro-fizz pizzazz",
About.com didn't like it, saying the lyrics head "into selfish territory",
The New York Post loved it, saying "Can't Be Tamed is the title and the vibe is naughty old school Britney Spears. Translation: totally catchy. The chorus alone promises to be blaring out of every beach-side bar and tinted window Neon the moment temperatures cross the 72 degree mark" and the
Irish Times did too, saying "Miley’s taken a sexy electro-edge. Less
Party in the USA, more
Party With My Parents Away, we like this. A LOT." I feel like that's the most reviews I've ever linked here.
Now, most of the commenters were the people who liked, but didn't love the song. So this won't be as celebratory as I would like. Still, it could be worse. We could have gotten a bunch of comments that are like what
@iheartpoptarts (5) said:
Every pop girl has this moment and some do it with a better song than others. This one is okay. We’ve had worse. Hey! Just because we've had better doesn't mean this isn't amazing. Don't worry, I still love you. And it's not like you
hate it. Anyway,
@phily693 (7) a similarly themed classic:
Not a lead song at all, more of a buzz single (back when those were the thing). Not a bad song, but I think her team thought that the “scandal” and “grit” of it all would be enough to sell it as if it was her Dirrty moment. Difference is that Dirrty is genuinely one of the best pop songs of the 00s, this is forgettable. I love it, and am not upset it was the lead but yeah...there are better leads on the album. That said, this is still amazing, but yes, not as amazing as Dirrty, but it's certainly not forgettable.
@pop3blow2 (7.5) has issues with the production:
Rock Mafia’s production is real hit or miss for me. Actually, I see there are three producers here… that might explain why it seems so messy to me. Not a good title track for this album. Danger! Again, I love it, and I get why it's the title-track, but Robot would've been a cooler album title/theme, though maybe too similar to Christina's Bionic, since it was released the same month. And you might have wanted to add "for this album" after the hit or miss thing, cause I'm sure there are songs produced by them you love ddd.
@Entropy (8) manages to be wrong, but it's okay: O
h Miley, you thought you were being so rebellious with this. I bet she looks back on this now and cringes. I remember when she was teasing this, there was a little clip going around with this “I’m not a trick you play, I’m wired a different way” and it got me so hyped. That bit still send shivers down my spine. She still performs it to this day, so...probably not dddd. But you did highlight my favorite part, so you get bonus points.
@savilizabeths (8) makes a very good point:
I’ve never really been a major fan of this one but I can appreciate it for what it is. It both works and doesn’t for me. I’ve never enjoyed the chorus. It sounds a bit earsplitting to me. But at the same time, it’s a really fun song and constantly gets stuck in my head. I get that. I also get thinking it's really repetitive, and not necessarily in a good way, which is why it wouldn't be my first choice for lead single from the album. But, as you said, it's catchy and gets stuck in your head, and it went top 10, so clearly it worked well enough.
@DJHazey (9.5) only has praise for it: Always imagine Miley literally grabbing the microphone and commanding every word into a listener's skull so it'll never leave their soul. That pulsating beat from Rock Mafia is of course genius. A classic. Yeah, she's really aggressive on this, and I think it works extremely well. And finally, we have our sole-10 commenter
@M24, who remembers the past:
I remember the video already showed a more mature and controversial Miley. This was like the end of old Miley. And it's a great electropop song, probably not my favorite in her discography but can't help but give it a 10. This was like...the locking up and throwing away the key off old Miley, and Bangerz was the true death dddd.
The classic music video:
Live on the Gypsy Heart Tour:
Live at the House Of Blues:
Live at Rock In Rio:
Live on the Bangerz Tour. Seizure warning cause of the lights, but she shows off vocally so I recommend listening to it at least:
