"Fly on the Wall" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Miley Cyrus | ||||
from the album Breakout | ||||
Released | February 27, 2009 | |||
Format | CD single, digital download | |||
Length | 2:31 | |||
Label | Hollywood | |||
Songwriter(s) | Miley Cyrus, Antonina Armato, Tim James, Devrim Karaoglu | |||
Producer(s) | Antonina Armato, Tim James | |||
Miley Cyrus singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
Music video | ||||
"Fly on the Wall" on YouTube |
"Fly on the Wall" is a song recorded by American recording artist Miley Cyrus for her second studio album, Breakout (2008). It was released as the third and final single from the album on February 27, 2009 by Hollywood Records. The song's lyrics have been interpreted in a number of ways, such as a description of an abusive boyfriend. In actuality, Cyrus says the song describes paparazzi and their extensive personal privacy invasions.
The song received critical praise, with several critics claiming it defied teen pop expectations and was Breakout's best track. Despite only reaching number eighty-four on the United States chart Billboard Hot 100, "Fly on the Wall" performed better commercially in various European regions. "Fly on the Wall" reached its highest international peak on the UK Singles Chart, at number sixteen. The single's music video was directed by Philip Andelman and premiered on FNMTV. The "Thriller" inspired video takes place mainly in a parking garage in which Cyrus encounters and attempts to escape the paparazzi. Cyrus promoted the song through several venues, including a performance on her second headlining tour, the Wonder World Tour, that incorporated a short segment of the "Thriller" dance. Cyrus also performed the song in the Gypsy Heart Tour. The song, along with "Start All Over" and ""Who Owns My Heart" are the only singles released by Cyrus that haven't been certified at least platinum in the United States.
The song's lyrics, written by Cyrus, Antonina Armato, Tim James and Devrim Karaoglu, have been mistakenly interpreted in a variety of ways. The song's protagonist sings in first person perspective while condemning an unspecified subject for wanting to invade her privacy. The majority of reviewers thought the protagonist was referring to a "controlling boyfriend". Ben Ratliff of The New York Times sided with the boyfriend, and believed the song's protagonist was "bullying some poor boy for the sin of wanting to know what she talks about with her friends." Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe believed the song could have described a number of subjects, such as "a former boyfriend, the media, and even her fans." However, in an interview with Jocelyn Vena of MTV News, Cyrus said the song was about "the media" and "how they think they know everything about [her], when they don't. They want to be a fly on my wall and watch [her] 24/7." Cyrus elaborated on the concept in an interview with Nancy O'Dell of Access Hollywood. She stated,