"See You Again" is a song recorded by American singer Miley Cyrus for Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus (2007), the second soundtrack album from the Disney Channel original series Hannah Montana and the debut studio album of Cyrus. It was written by Cyrus (credited as Destiny Hope Cyrus) with the song's producers Antonina Armato and Tim James. It was remixed by Rock Mafia and released on August 11, 2008, as the second single from Cyrus' second studio album, Breakout (2008). Musically, the track is a dance-pop number that contains influences from various musical genres, including electronic music. Lyrically, the track speaks of teenage romance.
"See You Again" was a critical success, with contemporary critics praising its musical composition and vocal delivery. To follow, it also became Cyrus' first commercially successful single. The song introduced her to new audiences and new countries, paving the way for future hits. "See You Again" became Cyrus' best-charting single at the time by peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Its highest peak internationally was at number four on the Canadian Hot 100. Although an official music video for the song was never filmed, it was given a promotional music video, taken from a performance at the 2007 Disney Channel Games. The song was promoted through a multitude of live television performances. It was included on the set list of Cyrus' headlining tours, the Best of Both Worlds Tour (2007–08), the Wonder World Tour (2009) and the Gypsy Heart Tour (2011). "See You Again" has been covered by various notable artists, including Little Boots and Breathe Carolina.
Background[]
When Cyrus starred as Miley Stewart, a girl with a secret double life as the popstar Hannah Montana, on the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana, she developed fame as a teen idol and released the series' first soundtrack while being credited to Hannah Montana. In late 2006, Cyrus begun execution for her debut album. Cyrus' debut studio album Meet Miley Cyrus was attached to the series' second soundtrack, Hannah Montana 2, and released as the second disc of the Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus (2007) double-disc album. "See You Again" was written by Cyrus, who was credited to her birth name Destiny Hope Cyrus, Antonina Armato, and Tim James. The writing group has executed numerous songs recorded by Cyrus, contributing to a large part of all three of her studio albums. When composing tracks for Meet Miley Cyrus, Cyrus was originally very apprehensive in regards to adding "See You Again" to the album. "I'm not sure about this song. I don't think I want to put it on the album. I don't really like it that much. It's just O.K.", she said. However, she was convinced to record it and, once she listened to the finished product, she changed her mind. She thought it was odd, but in a positive light, and decided to include it on her debut album. Cyrus says "See You Again" is a dance song with a special meaning to her. The song was remixed by Rock Mafia for the release of Cyrus' second studio album Breakout (2008).
Composition[]
See You Again" is a pop rock song with a length of three minutes and ten seconds. The songs contains numerous influences from electronic, new wave, and techno music. The song is set in the time signature of common time and has a fast tempo of 138 beats per minute. It is written in the key of A minor and Cyrus' vocals span one octave, from G3 to A4. Throughout the song, Cyrus' edgy and sultry vocal performance maintains in the contralto range. "See You Again" follows a dance beat throughout verses and, with the arrival of refrains, the instrumentation switches focus to light electric guitars, accompanied by a dance-friendly bass line. Bill Lamb of About.com noted small similarities in the musical composition of "See You Again" and that of "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart.
The lyrics of "See You Again" are about a teenage romance. In verses, Cyrus discusses her sentiments and perceptions about her love interest, such as believing the couple had previously encountered in a previous incarnation. "See You Again"'s refrains detail previous scenes of an encounter between the couple: "The last time I freaked out / I just kept looking down / I st-st-stuttered when you asked me what I’m thinking ‘bout." Towards the conclusion of the refrains, Cyrus vows to redeem herself.
Critical Reception[]
Chuck Taylor of Billboard felt that, by offering meaningful airplay to "See You Again", mainstream radio stations were getting with the program. Taylor described the song "a sassy, uptempo stinger that adds appealing youthful buzz to the airwaves" and complimented Cyrus' vocals with comparisons with Hilary Duff and Avril Lavigne. "Cyrus [...] at last adds the missing link to TV and movie acclaim. Alas, FM, better late than never", he concluded. Bill Lamb of About.com rated the song four and half out five stars. Lamb stated, "Finally, it seems that US pop radio is starting to give in to the peppy, polished Disney pop selling droves of albums in a down music market, and this song is leading the way. Miley Cyrus personalizes the lyrics and delivers vocals like a pro. This song deserves to land in the top 10." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said, "The Hannah Montana star's 2007 single 'See You Again' managed to click with non-tween listeners thanks [to being] gustier than anything her fellow Disney Channel superstar Hilary Duff has ever put to digital.
Miley performing "See You Again" live.
Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times believed the song was "no shortage of crafty tween-rock gems". Ash Dosanjh of Yahoo! Music believed the Rock Mafia remix of the song was a so "glorious" that it signaled Breakout would do exactly that. Josh Timmermann of PopMatters referred to the remix as the best song on Breakout, describing it as a "marvelous slice of teenaged life set to club rock beats." Timmermann continued to praise the track, saying it felt "infinitely more genuine and thoughtful than" any other track on Breakout and that the small-time teen drama fit Cyrus' voice. "It sounds far less ludicrously melodramatic than it might have delivered by less forceful pipes", he concluded. George Lang of The Oklahoman thought the inclusion of the song's remix on Breakout was used to cover more musical genres in order to appeal to a wider fanbase. In 2008, the track was listed as a "Winning Song" by Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI).
Commercial Performance[]
On the week ending December 22, 2007, "See You Again" debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the succeeding week, the song ascended to number 78 and, on the week ending February 16, 2008, it charted at its newfound peak of number 17, therefore becoming Cyrus' best-charting effort on the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing the Hannah Montana-credited "Life's What You Make It", which peaked at number 25 in August 2007. On the week ending May 3, 2008, "See You Again" became Cyrus' first top ten single by reaching its peak at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. "See You Again" spent a total of 27 weeks upon the chart. It also peaked at number four on Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) and number twenty-one on Adult Pop Songs in the United States. The song entered at number 86 and peaked at number four on the Canadian Hot 100, its highest peak internationally. As of August 2013, "See You Again" has sold 2,456,000 copies in the United States.
In Australia, "See You Again" debuted at number 25 on the week ending June 22, 2008. The following week, it ascended to number ten and, after five weeks of ascending the top ten, reached its peak at number six, where it remained for three consecutive weeks. The single was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for the sale of over 70,000 copies. On the week ending August 4, 2008, "See You Again" debuted at number 32 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. It eventually peaked at number 11 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for the shipment of 7,500 copies. In the United Kingdom, the track peaked at number 11. The song is tied with "The Climb" and "Party in the U.S.A.", which charted in March and November 2009, respectively, for Cyrus' best-charting effort in the United Kingdom. Elsewhere in Europe, "See You Again" peaked at number 38 on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, number 14 on the Irish Singles Chart and number seven on the Hungarian Singles Chart.
Lyrics[]
I got my sights set on you |
| Meet Miley Cyrus | |
|---|---|
| June 26, 2007 • 33:08 • Hollywood Records | |
| Songs | |
| Released | See You Again • East Northumberland High • Let's Dance • G.N.O. (Girl's Night Out) • Right Here • As I Am • Start All Over • Clear • Good And Broken • I Miss You |
| Unreleased | Good Friend or Girlfriend • Beach Weekend • No Stopping Me • Not This Girl |
| Artists | |
| Miley Cyrus | |
| Tour | |
| Best of Both Worlds Tour | |
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