The document analyzes and summarizes 8 screenshots from Miley Cyrus's music video for "Wrecking Ball". The screenshots show Cyrus in various emotional poses that represent her sadness and anger over a recent breakup. They symbolize feelings of being tired, upset, stripped of happiness, and destroyed by the relationship. The analysis finds the video effectively uses imagery like the wrecking ball and demolished walls to represent the song's theme of a destructive love that left the artist hurt. It concludes the video is an example of Goodwin's theory that a music video should illustrate and match the lyrics and story of the song.

1. Lucy Collings

2.  I’ve chosen to do my video on Miley Cyrus’s
Wrecking ball. I will be splitting the music
video into 8 screenshots in which I found
most suggestive and meaningful throughout
the video.
 Genre-pop music

3. In this shot we see the artist
set in the centre from a
close up angle, holding a
hammer behind her neck
and holding her head back
with her eyes closed. The
colour scheme is all neutral
except for her red lipstick.
From the position she is in
we can assume she is upset
and feels guilty, hence her
holding her head of
tiredness, the song is about
her having a recent break
up so the poisition she is in
suggests the artist is fed up
and tired.

4. In this close up shot all we
can see is Miley’s face in
the centre of the shot. Her
facial expression suggests
she is very upset, her eyes
are almost gripped shut
and her lips are stuck
together. She is trying to
hold back her tears by
closing her eyes and
mouth. As this shot is
presented the lyrics “dont
you ever say, I just walked
away, I will always want
you” are played. By
showing this shot at the
same time the artist is
trying to show how much
she means what she is
singing, getting more
personal with her
audience.

5. Here we see Miley in a mid-shot,
the white background
contrasts with her skin,
drawing all your attention
onto her. Her hands are held
to her forehead, pulling her
hair back with rage. During
this shot the chorus begins “I
came in like a wrecking ball, I
never hit so hard in love”.
The movement of her
throwing her head in her
hands shows her anger and
sadness. She is standing
nude, the only bright colour
being her red lips, this could
be suggesting she has been
stripped of happiness, it also
quite suggestive and
provocative.

6. This long-shot of the
room and the artist show
Miley placed in the
centre, infront of a 3
walled space, one wall
being crashed down by a
wrecking ball. The
wrecking ball could be
symbolising her and how
the breakup hit her hard
and she hurt herself shut
down people around her.
In the shot the wall is
knocked down as she
walks towards the
camera, paying no
attention to her
surroundings.
Suggesting she is
moving on.

7. This close up shot
shows the artist licking
a hammer in which she
has hit the wall with
during the video.
Suggesting she still
loves the pain through
her relationship. Her
white clothing and red
lips cause the black
sledge hammer to stand
out, drawing your
attention to that area.

8. The artist is again set in the
centre of the shot, naked on
the wrecking ball with a wall
on either side knocked
down. In my opinion this
shot shows how her
relationship destroyed her,
she is naked because she is
naked and stripped of
emotion, hurting on the
inside. The wrecking ball
symbolises a destructive
love, hence the two knocked
down walls, and Miley is all
that is left.

9. This close up of shot of the
artist shows her emotion, her
head rested in one hand as
she is crying to the camera. By
this she is using a direct mode
of address, become more
personal with her audience,
showing the song is very
delicate. The white
background contrasts with her
nude body drawing all your
focus to her face as she is
crying and singing “don’t you
ever say I just walked away, I
will always want you”, by
assuming we can guess that
by using the direct mode of
address she is using it as a
way of communicating with
her newly ex boyfriend.

10. Here we see a mid-shot of the
wrecking ball, during this shot
it slowly moves in towards the
camera, eventually covering
the lense as it turns black.
Suggesting that the pain is
over as all we can see is the
left over rubble on the floor.

11.  Goodwins theory best matches this music
video, the lyrics tell a story and the music
video features a wrecking ball throughout,
along with the title and lyrics of the song.

12.  We clawed, we chained our hearts in vain
A love no one could deny
We jumped never asking why
We kissed, I fell under your spell.
Don'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 you
I 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, you wreck me
I 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 ground
Don'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 you
I came in like a wrecking ball
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung
Left me crashing in a blazing fall
All you ever did was wreck me
Yeah, you, you wreck me
I 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 win
I never meant to start a war
I just wanted you to let me in
I guess I should've let you win
The lyrics are emotional and have
meaning, “I came in like a wrecking ball”
also links to the video as the artist is
physically swinging on a wrecking ball.
The lyrics definitely match to the genre of
pop music and Goodwins theory.