September 9th, 2013 
James Shotwell 
A week after everyone stopped talking about her Video Music Awards performance, Miley Cyrus is attempting to sell her emotional side with the Terry Richardson directed video for her new single “Wrecking Ball.” Don’t worry, she still hasn’t put her clothes on.
Appearing in a tank top and white panties, Miley opens “Wrecking Ball” with a single tear streaking down her otherwise pristine face. She sings of love, or at least the loss of it, and just for a moment all the twerking and overtly sexual gesticulating in recent weeks is stripped away to reveal a truly talented singer.
Cut to 10 seconds later and everything I just wrote can pretty much be forgotten as the camera cuts to Cyrus getting overly affectionate with a sledge hammer. She attempts to provocatively walk with said hammer while a literal wrecking ball destroys the set around her. This is all well and fine, of course, as it fits with the theme of the song (getting hit by love like a wrecking ball). It’s what happens next that is going to have midwest conservatives blogging heavily in the days ahead.
After about 90 seconds of relatively clean content, the camera cuts to a nude Cyrus straddling the aforementioned wrecking ball in her now destroyed room. She spins and dips, revealing every inch of skin possible without breaching YouTube’s rules about sexually explicit content. When this isn’t happening, Miley rolls around the destruction with the sledgehammer, showing tongue every opportunity she has, before ending the clip with a cut back to the original, somewhat sentimental opening closeup.
If we’re being completely honest I had to restart “Wrecking Ball” three times before realizing whether or not the song was any good. It could be very successful at radio with the proper push, but I fear Cyrus’ obsession with selling herself via sex appeal is going to superbly overshadow everything she is doing musically. She does not need sex to sell these singles, yet continues to rely on it as if she feels being on TMZ is the only way to solidify her celebrity. It’s getting to the point that it’s as maddening as it is saddening, and I truly question if the release of Bangerz will be overlooked due to Miley’s antics. People aren’t tuning in for the music, but the controversy, and that does not equate to album sales last time I checked.
Bangerz is set for release October 8. You can preorder the album via iTunes.
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Maybe it is a distracting video, but when Gaga does a video, people seem more primed to analyze it. Maybe Miley bared all literally as a metaphor that she is baring all emotionally. And maybe it also serves to show her vulnerabilty. And, yes, maybe it also serves to get Youtube views and sales. A trifecta.
This song is actually a decent song, something that Miley hasn’t always been able to say, and she is ruining it with this music video. She is pushing way to hard to establish herself as someone with sex appeal to come out from underneath the disney thing that imho is still haunting her (in her mind anyways). The problem for me is she is a MUSIC artist not a pornstar if she wants to show all this off that’s fine I am sure the porn industry would love to have her but if she really wants to prove shes a big girl to get out of her old life she should do it with songs like this one performed without nudity and twerking.
oh really.. then why does she lick the f’ sledgehammer? She’s just trash.
“it’s as maddening as it is saddening”, sums her up well.
While the song has merit, Ms Cyrus just doesn’t connect to it emotionally. I just don’t believe she has been ‘wrecked’ by this failed affair.
Props to the director, the set, lighting and pacing was well done. The star just is not in the class of P!nk who would have pulled this off excellently.
Has this guy checked Madonna’s bank account lately?