“We Can’t Stop” is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus, from her fourth studio album Bangerz (2013). It was released on June 3, 2013 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Mike Will Made It, P-Nasty, and Rock City, with additional songwriting provided by Cyrus, Doug E. Fresh, and Slick Rick. “We Can’t Stop” is a pop and R&B song about a house party and recreational drug use.
“We Can’t Stop” received mixed reviews from music critics, who appreciated its overall production but were scathing towards its lyrical content. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and tied her earlier track “Party in the U.S.A.” (2009) as her highest-peaking single in the country at the time. It was kept off the top spot by “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell and T.I. As of January 2014, it had sold over two million copies in the United States. The song experienced varying success internationally; it reached the peak position in countries including New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and peaked moderately in several national record charts in Europe.
An accompanying music video for “We Can’t Stop” was released on June 19, 2013. It received generally mixed reviews from critics, who were divided in their opinions regarding Cyrus’ increasingly provocative image. With 10.7 million views in the first twenty-four hours of its release, the clip held the record for having the most views in that time-frame across Vevo platforms; after reaching 100 million views within thirty-seven days, it also set the record for being the fastest music video to attain a Vevo certification. Both records were eventually broken by the music video for Cyrus’ follow-up single “Wrecking Ball” in September 2013. “We Can’t Stop” was additionally promoted with a highly controversial performance during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
