The title of this series is “Music with Meaning,” and to be quite frank, all music has meaning. This song is no exception. The meaning may not be for every person why it is for another or even the artist, but all music carries meaning. I’m going to log out on a limb here with this song, but it’s been on my heart for a while now.
Not too long ago, Miley was, and continues to be, on a media hot seat over spreading her wings – and that’s exactly what she’s doing. It just so happens to be in whee public eye. When you grow up in the public eye, every decision you make and action you take will be criticized ad nauseum. it’s just the way life is, and I bluntly will say that we are hard, unforgiving humans.
I personally don’t care for Miley Cyrus and never really have. But I’m able to see a little bit where this girl needs grace, and we’re just so mean that we refuse to give it. Has she made bad choices? Yes. Have we made bad choices? Yes. Aren’t we fortunate that our decisions aren’t on display for the whole world to see and judge??
Miley wrote this song, I’m sure, about a relationship. I see it more as a message to the world. Maybe even a vey for help, or at least empathy. She’s been trying to spread wings and break free of the Disney channel image she’s first been under. She made, in my opinion, a poor decision at the VMAs, but in reading and listening to the words of this song, I think the VMAs are a living out of this song and her desire to shed the “goodie two shoes” image and show that she’s an adult.
I wasn’t asked to defend her, but in defense of her and as a mom of a girl, I’d ask you to refrain from the judgements such as, “if you want to be an adult, act like one.” Remember that she’s grown up in the entertainment industry herself and as a daughter of an entertainer. That’s really all she knows. She doesn’t seem to have people around her that help her make sage decisions, so what we see is what she and her staff consider to be wise decisions about how to shed one image and create another…you do it like a wrecking ball storming in with the new and tearing down the old. And she’s just asking us to let her in. The words of this song even seem to admit that she goes about “it” (the relationship, or by analogy the transformation) the wrong way.
I may be wrong, but this is what I’m reading into it all.
Read the lyrics from the point of view of a girl, in the spotlight, asking for love & attention, and see if you can’t find a little bit of empathy for that girl. We all need grace, and thank goodness the media doesn’t have a say in whether or not we non-famous people receive that grace we need. Aren’t we so lucky?
Miley is a girl in need of grace.
Are we able and willing to grant her some?
Wrecking Ball
by Miley CyrusWe clawed, we chained our hearts in vain
We jumped, never asking why
We kissed, I fell under your spell
A love no one could denyDon’t you ever say I just walked away
I will always want you
I can’t live a lie, running for my life
I will always want youI came in like a wrecking ball
I never hit so hard in love
All I wanted was to break your walls
All you ever did was wreck me
Yeah, you wreck meI put you high up in the sky
And now, you’re not coming down
It slowly turned, you let me burn
And now, we’re ashes on the groundDon’t you ever say I just walked away
I will always want you
I can’t live a lie, running for my life
I will always want youI came in like a wrecking ball
I never hit so hard in love
All I wanted was to break your walls
All you ever did was wreck me I came in like a wrecking ball
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung
Left me crouching in a blaze and fall
All you ever did was wreck me
Yeah, you wreck meI never meant to start a war
I just wanted you to let me in
And instead of using force
I guess I should’ve let you in
I never meant to start a war
I just wanted you to let me in
I guess I should’ve let you in
Don’t you ever say I just walked away
I will always want youI came in like a wrecking ball
I never hit so hard in love
All I wanted was to break your walls
All you ever did was wreck me
I came in like a wrecking ball
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung
Left me crouching in a blaze and fall
All you ever did was wreck me
Yeah, you wreck me
walking emmaus 