Party In The U.S.A.

“Party in the U.S.A.” is one of infamous musician Miley Cyrus’ most well-known songs from her earlier career. Written by British singer Jessie J (Jessica Cornish), producer and songwriter Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald – a well-known man in the industry for not only his work, but his relationship with his clients and his unethical contracts) and songwriter Claude Kelly, the track was originally meant for Jessie J. However Jessie J turned down the track and explained why in an 2011 interview with the Associated Press: “That was my first week of writing after I signed to (Universal) Republic (Records), so it was like the first big kind of writing session for my debut album … and it was one of the first songs we did. And I remember thinking this song is amazing, but I don’t know if it’s me 110 percent, you know. You can kind of feel it. It was cool but it wasn’t edgy enough.”

The track eventually got passed down to Miley Cyrus, who was only 16 at the time and had just started releasing her own music and was about to release her first EP. The lyrics were changed to match’s Cyrus’ life and her move from Nashville, Tennessee to Hollywood in Los Angeles. The track discusses the struggles Cyrus has faced fitting into the LA lifestyle from the Nashville lifestyle: “It’s definitely not a Nashville party / ‘Cause all I see are stilettos / I guess I never got the memo.” The chorus has Cyrus reiterating that she knows she will be fine in her move, and that there’s a “party in the USA”.

The music video was released in September 2009, over a month after the track was released. Directed by Chris Applebaum, the video acts as a tribute to the infamous 1978 musical film “Grease”, as well as the earlier days’ of her parents’ relationship. This consisted of filming at a drive-in theatre named “Corral Drive-In”, after a drive-in in Kentucky that her parents had a date, as well. Using the same car in the video that Cyrus’ mother used to drive: a ’79 black Pontiac Trans Am”. As of August 2019, the video has almost 700 million views on YouTube and over 2.6 million likes.

Release Date: 11th August 2009

Songwriter/s: Lukasz Gottwald, Jessica Cornish & Claude Kelly

Producer/s: Dr. Luke

Label/s: Hollywood

Music Video Release Date: 25th September 2009

Music Video Director: Chris Applebaum

Chart Rankings, Certifications & Awards: “Party in the U.S.A” charted in many countries in their top 10 charts, including Australia, Canada, France, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand and the US. The track has a long list of certifications: Gold in Italy, Platinum in the UK, New Zealand and Japan, 2x Platinum in Australia, 4x Platinum in Canada, and finally, 7x Platinum in the United States. The track won the 2010 Award for “Best International Artist Video” at the MuchMusic Video Awards.