Thoughts of A-Not-Quite-Old-Fart on Finally Being Exposed to “Wrecking Ball”

Maybe it’s because I missed all but the most cursory bits of the earlier “discussion” around Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” video, or maybe it’s because I first heard her performance of it on SNL, and then for a while could only find the “Director’s Cut” of the video (which is just a closeup of her singing).

1.  I think the song – in lyrics, tempo, and performance – captures damn near perfectly the intensity of relationships when you’re in your teens and twenties – and if you’re lucky (hi honey!) later in life.
2.  I like the director’s cut video better.  The bare severity of it serves the song well.
3.  The woman can sing.  Don’t believe me?  Hear her knock out Jolene.   Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.
4.  The “controversial” video isn’t bad, though.  The imagery actually matches and complements the song, which is kind of rare anymore.
5.  The “controversial” video… doesn’t have anything inherently scandalous about it.  We’ve seen worse in prime-time television ads.
6.  This quote from Entertainment Weekly illustrates exactly why it had to be made (and how bloody sexist our society is):

Watch [the video] here and be scandalized/titillated/disappointed in Billy Ray Cyrus’ parenting skills:

She’s twenty.  And the main quote is about her dad’s parenting skills?  Bloody hell.  Go back to those comments on “Jolene” – and see how many are wanting this twenty-year-old grown woman to be a child.  (I’m not even counting the attempts at slut-shaming, just the pining for Hannah-bloody-Montana.)  Wow.

I can’t imagine what it’s like to be her – having so many people wanting you to be nothing but a child forever.  But it’s clear that Miley isn’t going to stand for that.  Come hell or high water, she seems to be determined to not let herself be molded by other people’s stereotypes, and I applaud her for it.