7 Things
Encyclopedia
"7 Things" is a pop rock
song performed by American recording artist Miley Cyrus
. The song was co-written by Cyrus, Antonina Armato
, and Tim James
and produced by John Fields
. It was released on June 17, 2008 by Hollywood Records
as the lead single
of the Cyrus' second album Breakout. Also registered as "Seven Things I Hate About You", Cyrus developed the song during the Best of Both Worlds Tour
while feeling numerous emotions for an ex-boyfriend, mainly being furious. The song's release brought allegations that it was about Nick Jonas
of the Jonas Brothers
, which Cyrus neither confirmed nor denied. Musically, "7 Things" bears aspects of both country
and punk pop, while the lyrics in the song's refrain list seven traits Cyrus hates about an ex-boyfriend.
"7 Things" received mixed reviews from critics but enjoyed worldwide commercial success, becoming a top ten hit on charts in Australia, Japan, Norway, and the United States. The single was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA), while its appearance on the Japan Hot 100
made "7 Things" Cyrus' first song to chart in an Asian country. The song's accompanying music video
was directed by Brett Ratner
and features Cyrus performing the song with a back-up band as many teenage girls lipsync along. The girls clutch a variety of props, such as love letter
s and snow globe
s, inspired by personal items Cyrus' ex had given her. The video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award at both the 2008 and 2009 award shows. Cyrus promoted the song through several venues including her world tours, the Wonder World Tour
and the Gypsy Heart Tour
.
of "Seven Things I Hate About You", as registered by Broadcast Music Incorporated
(BMI). Like most of the songs on Breakout, Cyrus conceived "7 Things" while traveling on the Best of Both Worlds Tour
from October 2007 to January 2008.
Cyrus says "7 Things" was inspired by an ex-boyfriend. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest
, Cyrus said that she was "going through [...] nine-hundred different emotions while trying to write [the] song" and that her use of the word "hate" demonstrated how furious she was. When Seacrest asked if she was worried the song's subject would hear it and be upset, Cyrus responded that while she was slightly worried, "I want him to be upset. That was my point." She showed her draft to co-songwriters and producers Tim James and Antonia Armato, who suggested adding it to Breakout. Originally, "7 Things" was more "soft and nice" but Cyrus says she "went nuts" during the recording process and gave the song a harder sound. Cyrus had initially chosen "Fly on the Wall" as the lead single
from Breakout, but replaced it with "7 Things" because she felt it was a "better introduction" to the album.
, lead singer of the Jonas Brothers
, sprouted soon after the song's premiere on the May 13, 2008 broadcast of the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show
. Cyrus and Jonas had dated for two years before breaking up in late 2007. Cyrus claimed, "Nick and I loved each other" and that after the breakup she "bawled for a month straight" while trying to rebel "against everything Nick wanted [her] to be".
Henry Freeland of Paste
described "7 Things" as "the list of reasons she hates an ex-boyfriend (who just might be lead Jonas Brother, Nick)" and her "concern [...] that all of this hatred only leads them to love Maybe-Nick [...] all the more". Blogger Molly Lambert, quoted in The New York Times
said, "[Cyrus] had recently broken up with her first serious boyfriend — a fellow Disney celebrity, Nick Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers, who was also her arena-concert tour mate during their secret two-year affair. In the video for '7 Things' she wears Nick’s diabetes dog tags while singing about how his vanity and insecurity undermined their relationship." Jessica Herndon of People
similarly points out the necklace and the fact that Jonas, "who split with Cyrus in late 2007 after two years of dating – has Type 1 diabetes and is a spokesperson for awareness of the disease." When asked if the allegations were true, Cyrus said,
While Jonas responded the allegations with, "I think it’s funny. Honestly, I’m not insecure, my friends are cool—so it can’t be about me!" According to Tiger Beat
magazine, when Cyrus' best friend Mandy Jiroux was asked if "7 Things" was about Jonas; she responded, "yes".
song with a length of three minutes and thirty-three seconds. According to Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
, the song's verses are tinged with country
while it's refrains bear pop punk
aspects. The song is set in common time
and has moderate rock tempo
of 108 beats per minute. It is written in the key of E major
while Cyrus' vocals span one octave
, ranging from G#3 to G#4. Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
called the song a "a three-tempo
patchwork quilt". In the song's introduction
, the band begins to strum acoustic guitars at a moderate tempo while Cyrus chants "sha". The tempo continues as Cyrus begins the first verse in the song's fourth bar
. At each chorus
, "7 Things" speeds up dramatically and Cyrus' vocals become aggressive and forceful; Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly
described the transition as "from sensitive breakup song in the strummy verses to punky-pop kiss-off in the double-time choruses." McAlpine noted the stress Cyrus places on vowels in the song: "'yerw' instead of 'you', 'erw' instead of 'oh', and so on...".
The song's lyrics are written in second person, a message from the singer to her ex-boyfriend detailing the hurt he caused her while they were dating. The refrain is a list of the seven traits the singer "hates" most about her ex, with the seventh item being her frustration that despite his flaws, he makes her love him. Ben Ratliff of The New York Times noted that the list actually "runs to 8 to 11 things, depending on how you parse it". Henry Freedland of Paste magazine compared it to a similar list featured as a poem in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You
. In one verse, Cyrus asks for a sincere apology and states, "If you text it, I'll delete it", which Molly Lambert of The New York Times said "perfectly captur[es] our confusing age of technologically mediated courtship." The song concludes with a variation of the refrain, in which Cyrus names the seven things she likes the most about her ex, again concluding with "you make me love you".
called the song "smashing", complimenting Cyrus' "punker attitude all wrapped up in an immaculate gloss". Todd Martens of The Los Angeles Times wrote that while he wished the song had played up Cyrus' frustration rather than concluding with the kind final verse, "the winning, full-on chorus -- and Miley's exuberance -- are enough to make it a success." Ben Ratliff of The New York Times said "7 Things" "lists with talky insecurity what she hates about a guy" and calls "the seven things she likes [...] a shameless Disney ending". Heather Phares of Allmusic contended, "7 Things" is a twangy, clever piece of love-hate pop that feels descended from Shania Twain
's flirty mix of rock and country" and marked it as one of the best tracks on Breakout. Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly called it one of Breakout' s "best tunes" because it "let Cyrus be feisty without graduating to Avril-like levels of petulance" while Josh Timmermann of PopMatters
finds it "appealing".
Mordechai Shinefield of The Village Voice
described the song as "hooky and catchy enough", but warned that "it's only a step away from warmed-over emo
platitudes". Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
claimed "[Avril] Lavigne
's brand of pop-punk snarl creeps into '7 Things'." Robert Christgau
labeled "7 Things" and "Breakout" the best songs on Breakout. Chris Richards of The Washington Post
claimed the album's "overproduction is apparent on the chorus of the album's first single, "7 Things," an avalanche of guitars and rushed syllables." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called the single "rather annoying" and not "a worthy follow-up to 'See You Again
'", while Bill Lamb of About.com
said the "winning performance" demonstrated that "Miley Cyrus does not intend to simply be a TV-generated phenomenon in the pop music world. She is a compelling pop artist in her own right."
. The song ascended to number seventy the week ending July 5, 2009 before jumping to number seventy in its third week due to sales of 130,000 digital downloads. "7 Things" moved up to number nine on the week ending July 26, 2008, surpassing "See You Again" and becoming Cyrus' best charting effort on the Hot 100. "7 Things" also peaked at number fourteen on the now-canceled Pop 100
chart. In Canada, the song debuted at number forty on the week ending July 5, 2008 and peaked at number thirteen on the week ending July 26, 2008.
"7 Things" was also a success in Australia and New Zealand. The song made its debut on the Australian Singles Chart at number thirty-eight on August 17, 2008. After five weeks, "7 Things" reached its peak on the chart at number ten. The song has been certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) for shipping over 35,000 copies. "7 Things" debuted at number twenty-seven on the New Zealand Singles Chart on August 17, 2008 and, after eight weeks on the chart, reached number twenty-four. "7 Things" also became Cyrus' first song to chart in an Asian country: On the week ending September 27, 2008, "7 Things" debuted at number eighty-one on the Japan Hot 100
; it reached number nine on the week ending October 17, 2008 and reached its peak at number eight on the week ending October 24, 2008.
In the UK Singles Chart
, "7 Things" made its entry at number eighty-seven on September 13, 2008 and reached its peak at number twenty-five on December 13, 2008. The song peaked at number twenty-six. In mainland Europe, the song peaked at number forty-four on Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
and at number fourteen in Austria. "7 Things" debuted and peaked at number eight on the Norwegian Singles Chart on August 19, 2008. The song experienced similar commercial outcomes throughout the rest of Europe; it charted within the top forty of charts in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Germany, and Switzerland.
, director of the "7 Things" music video
, to her home to tell him how much the song meant to her and what it was about. After proposing numerous ideas to each other, they decided to make the video "simple with a white backdrop". Cyrus said that neither she nor Ratner wanted the video to be "all about [her]" because the song's message was universal; "almost every girl in America could say they hate their ex or current boyfriend," claimed Cyrus. As a result, the video features numerous adolescent girls
including actresses Nicola Peltz
, Liana Liberato
, and Maiara Walsh
. During the planning session, Cyrus showed Ratner a collection of personal items her ex had given her, such as photographs and his dirty socks, which she had stowed away beneath her bed. They decided to include some of these items as props in the music video. For example, the necklace Cyrus wears in the video was her ex-boyfriend's medical identification tag
, which he received because of his diabetes mellitus
.
The video was shot on May 30, 2008 in Los Angeles, California
. Unexpectedly, several girls began crying during the shoot; Cyrus attributed this to the emotions in the song. Ratner was impressed with Cyrus' instinct and ability to address emotional issues while making them "fun at the same time". Ratner compared her to Madonna
, saying, "she can be hanging out and laughing, and then you put the camera on her and it's like, 'Holy shit!'" The effervescence made editing more difficult for the director. He said, "It was the hardest video I've ever edited because every moment was great. Every moment that she was on camera, she was amazing. She's got an incredible quality about her. She gets the camera, and that's what it takes to make a great music video." Cyrus commented that she felt the video was "more honest than [the] song" and that she was "singing out to [...] that special person".
The video commences with a close-up shots
of Cyrus' face as she counts in the backup band behind her. For a moment, she is replaced by a different girl holding a small stuffed monkey
. Cyrus then reappears, holding onto her necklace and wearing a multicolored sequin
sundress
designed by Sass & Bide, black Chuck Taylor All-Stars
, and leg warmers. Her wavy hair styled loose and in front of her shoulders. As Cyrus continues to sing, she is replaced by more girls holding different items, including teddy bears, stuffed animals, snow globes, and love letters. As the song approaches its chorus, Cyrus and the girls start dancing and jumping. Cyrus continues singing as she holds a white rose
and a girl deletes a text message from her boyfriend. At one point, Cyrus holds a photograph of her and an ex-boyfriend with black curly hair, his face obscured by a doodle
on a piece of notebook paper. At the end of the video, Cyrus blows the camera a kiss, mouths "I love you," and turns away.
. It was the most watched music-related video on YouTube
until it was surpassed by Lady GaGa's "Bad Romance
" music video in Spring 2010. Todd Martens of The Los Angeles Times was disappointed with the video's special effects and production values, adding that it looked "as if it were filmed with one camera on a tripod
in a single-bulb basement". However, he complimented how they "show[ed] off Miley's universal appeal". Henry Freeland of Paste magazine said, "Cyrus wiggles to and fro, mugging for the camera like her face is fighting gravity and barely winning." A Pop Cultured review from MTV
described the video as PG and "Disney
approved". The review continued that it was mildly angry, comparing Cyrus to "a watered-down version of Avril Lavigne
's kid sister, and Lindsay Lohan
's pseudo-rebellious character in Freaky Friday
— minus the eyeliner". Leigh Holmwood of The Guardian
commented, "Miley's new music vid, reminds me, creepily enough, of early Britney
." Molly Lambert of the New York Times described Cyrus as the video's "charismatic center" and writes, "When she flashes Nick’s dog tags and a picture of the two of them together, she seems so vindictive and so embarrassingly vulnerable, just like . . . a 15-year-old suffering her first serious heartbreak, basically." The video received a nomination for MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
, but lost to Tokio Hotel
's music video for "Ready, Set, Go!
". At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
, the video received a nomination for MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing
, but lost to Beyoncé Knowles
' music video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
".
, an annual summer concert put on by radio station Z100
. Later that summer, she promoted the song at outdoor concerts hosed by Good Morning America
and The Today Show and while hosting the 2008 Teen Choice Awards
. Cyrus began promotion for "7 Things" in Europe in fall 2008, performing the track on the United Kingdom channel GMTV
, the French television show Le Grand Journal, and the British singing competition The X Factor
among other venues. She performed the song twice on FNMTV
; once on August 1, 2008, and again while co-hosting New Year's Eve
of 2008 with Pete Wentz.
Cyrus performed "7 Things" along with several other songs on April 24, 2009 in a London Apple Store. These performances were recorded and sold exclusively by the United Kingdom iTunes Store
as a live extended play
titled iTunes Live from London. On June 7, 2009, Cyrus performed the song at twentieth annual A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival, an outdoor carnival supporting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
. "7 Things" was also included in the set list of Cyrus' first world tour, the Wonder World Tour
; Cyrus performed the song in a black leather ensemble paired with a silver rosary
while overhead video screens projected a conflagration
. Melinda M. Thompsen of The Oregonian
said Cyrus' performance of "7 Things" the September 14 concert in Portland, Oregon at the Rose Garden Arena "showed what a powerhouse she can be using her voice and influence to get her message out". The song's performance in the September 22 concert in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center
was referred to as "aggressive athleticism" by Lael Loewenstein of Variety
and as a "tween-rock gem" and "up-tempo highlight" by Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times. She later performed the song at the Rock in Rio concerts in Lisbon, Portugal and Madrid, Spain.
Cyrus performed the song in her current tour, Gypsy Heart Tour
.
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
song performed by American recording artist Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
. The song was co-written by Cyrus, Antonina Armato
Antonina Armato
Antonina Armato is a songwriter and music producer who is most known for co-writing the #1 single "I Still Believe" and co-writing another #1 single "She Ain't Worth It." She has written or produced over 20 Top Ten singles...
, and Tim James
Tim James (music producer)
Timothy James Price is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. James is the co-founder of Rock Mafia. James co-wrote the songs "Potential Breakup Song" by Aly & AJ, "Come Back to Me" by Vanessa Hudgens, "See You Again" by Miley Cyrus, and "Naturally" by Selena Gomez & the Scene. James...
and produced by John Fields
John Fields (producer)
John Fields is an American record producer and musician. Fields has produced for a number of musical artists, including the Jonas Brothers, Switchfoot, Pink, Andrew W. K., Har Mar Superstar, Miley Cyrus, and Demi Lovato...
. It was released on June 17, 2008 by Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
of the Cyrus' second album Breakout. Also registered as "Seven Things I Hate About You", Cyrus developed the song during the Best of Both Worlds Tour
Best of Both Worlds Tour
The Best of Both Worlds Tour was the first concert tour by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. The tour was held to promote the double-disc album Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus , which consisted of the soundtrack to Hannah Montanas second season and her debut studio album...
while feeling numerous emotions for an ex-boyfriend, mainly being furious. The song's release brought allegations that it was about Nick Jonas
Nick Jonas
Nicholas Jerry "Nick" Jonas is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor best known as one of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band he formed with his brothers Joe and Kevin. The Jonas Brothers originally started as an attempted solo singing career for Nick, but the record producer liked the...
of the Jonas Brothers
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
, which Cyrus neither confirmed nor denied. Musically, "7 Things" bears aspects of both country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and punk pop, while the lyrics in the song's refrain list seven traits Cyrus hates about an ex-boyfriend.
"7 Things" received mixed reviews from critics but enjoyed worldwide commercial success, becoming a top ten hit on charts in Australia, Japan, Norway, and the United States. The single was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA), while its appearance on the Japan Hot 100
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....
made "7 Things" Cyrus' first song to chart in an Asian country. The song's accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...
and features Cyrus performing the song with a back-up band as many teenage girls lipsync along. The girls clutch a variety of props, such as love letter
Love letter
A love letter is a romantic way to express feelings of love in written form. Delivered by hand, by mail or romantically left in a secret location, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation of feelings...
s and snow globe
Snow globe
A snow globe is a transparent sphere, usually made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a landscape. The sphere also encloses the water in the globe; the water serves as the medium through which the "snow" falls. To activate the snow, the globe is...
s, inspired by personal items Cyrus' ex had given her. The video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award at both the 2008 and 2009 award shows. Cyrus promoted the song through several venues including her world tours, the Wonder World Tour
Wonder World Tour
The Wonder World Tour is the second concert tour by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. The tour was held to promote her second studio album Breakout and first extended play The Time of Our Lives...
and the Gypsy Heart Tour
Gypsy Heart Tour
The Gypsy Heart Tour was the third concert tour by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. Primarily visiting South America and Australia, the tour supported her third studio album, Can't Be Tamed....
.
Background
"7 Things" is also under the legal titleTitle (property)
Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...
of "Seven Things I Hate About You", as registered by Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
(BMI). Like most of the songs on Breakout, Cyrus conceived "7 Things" while traveling on the Best of Both Worlds Tour
Best of Both Worlds Tour
The Best of Both Worlds Tour was the first concert tour by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. The tour was held to promote the double-disc album Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus , which consisted of the soundtrack to Hannah Montanas second season and her debut studio album...
from October 2007 to January 2008.
Cyrus says "7 Things" was inspired by an ex-boyfriend. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
, Cyrus said that she was "going through [...] nine-hundred different emotions while trying to write [the] song" and that her use of the word "hate" demonstrated how furious she was. When Seacrest asked if she was worried the song's subject would hear it and be upset, Cyrus responded that while she was slightly worried, "I want him to be upset. That was my point." She showed her draft to co-songwriters and producers Tim James and Antonia Armato, who suggested adding it to Breakout. Originally, "7 Things" was more "soft and nice" but Cyrus says she "went nuts" during the recording process and gave the song a harder sound. Cyrus had initially chosen "Fly on the Wall" as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from Breakout, but replaced it with "7 Things" because she felt it was a "better introduction" to the album.
Nick Jonas allegations
Allegations that "7 Things" was about Nick JonasNick Jonas
Nicholas Jerry "Nick" Jonas is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor best known as one of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band he formed with his brothers Joe and Kevin. The Jonas Brothers originally started as an attempted solo singing career for Nick, but the record producer liked the...
, lead singer of the Jonas Brothers
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
, sprouted soon after the song's premiere on the May 13, 2008 broadcast of the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show
Elvis Duran and the Morning Show
Elvis Duran and The Morning Show is the name of an American syndicated radio program hosted by Elvis Duran. The daily morning radio show currently airs on New York Top 40 station Z100...
. Cyrus and Jonas had dated for two years before breaking up in late 2007. Cyrus claimed, "Nick and I loved each other" and that after the breakup she "bawled for a month straight" while trying to rebel "against everything Nick wanted [her] to be".
Henry Freeland of Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
described "7 Things" as "the list of reasons she hates an ex-boyfriend (who just might be lead Jonas Brother, Nick)" and her "concern [...] that all of this hatred only leads them to love Maybe-Nick [...] all the more". Blogger Molly Lambert, quoted in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said, "[Cyrus] had recently broken up with her first serious boyfriend — a fellow Disney celebrity, Nick Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers, who was also her arena-concert tour mate during their secret two-year affair. In the video for '7 Things' she wears Nick’s diabetes dog tags while singing about how his vanity and insecurity undermined their relationship." Jessica Herndon of People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
similarly points out the necklace and the fact that Jonas, "who split with Cyrus in late 2007 after two years of dating – has Type 1 diabetes and is a spokesperson for awareness of the disease." When asked if the allegations were true, Cyrus said,
While Jonas responded the allegations with, "I think it’s funny. Honestly, I’m not insecure, my friends are cool—so it can’t be about me!" According to Tiger Beat
Tiger Beat
Tiger Beat is an American fan magazine marketed primarily to adolescent girls. It is currently published by Laufer Media, Inc. of Los Angeles, California, which also produces its sister publication, Bop....
magazine, when Cyrus' best friend Mandy Jiroux was asked if "7 Things" was about Jonas; she responded, "yes".
Composition
"7 Things" is a pop rockPop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
song with a length of three minutes and thirty-three seconds. According to Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
, the song's verses are tinged with country
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
while it's refrains bear pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
aspects. The song is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
and has moderate rock tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 108 beats per minute. It is written in the key of E major
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
while Cyrus' vocals span one octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
, ranging from G#3 to G#4. Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
called the song a "a three-tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
patchwork quilt". In the song's introduction
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
, the band begins to strum acoustic guitars at a moderate tempo while Cyrus chants "sha". The tempo continues as Cyrus begins the first verse in the song's fourth bar
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
. At each chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, "7 Things" speeds up dramatically and Cyrus' vocals become aggressive and forceful; Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
described the transition as "from sensitive breakup song in the strummy verses to punky-pop kiss-off in the double-time choruses." McAlpine noted the stress Cyrus places on vowels in the song: "'yerw' instead of 'you', 'erw' instead of 'oh', and so on...".
The song's lyrics are written in second person, a message from the singer to her ex-boyfriend detailing the hurt he caused her while they were dating. The refrain is a list of the seven traits the singer "hates" most about her ex, with the seventh item being her frustration that despite his flaws, he makes her love him. Ben Ratliff of The New York Times noted that the list actually "runs to 8 to 11 things, depending on how you parse it". Henry Freedland of Paste magazine compared it to a similar list featured as a poem in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You
10 Things I Hate about You
10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film. It is directed by Gil Junger and stars Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, and Larry Miller...
. In one verse, Cyrus asks for a sincere apology and states, "If you text it, I'll delete it", which Molly Lambert of The New York Times said "perfectly captur[es] our confusing age of technologically mediated courtship." The song concludes with a variation of the refrain, in which Cyrus names the seven things she likes the most about her ex, again concluding with "you make me love you".
Critical reception
"7 Things" received mixed reviews from critics. Fraser McAlpine of the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
called the song "smashing", complimenting Cyrus' "punker attitude all wrapped up in an immaculate gloss". Todd Martens of The Los Angeles Times wrote that while he wished the song had played up Cyrus' frustration rather than concluding with the kind final verse, "the winning, full-on chorus -- and Miley's exuberance -- are enough to make it a success." Ben Ratliff of The New York Times said "7 Things" "lists with talky insecurity what she hates about a guy" and calls "the seven things she likes [...] a shameless Disney ending". Heather Phares of Allmusic contended, "7 Things" is a twangy, clever piece of love-hate pop that feels descended from Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
's flirty mix of rock and country" and marked it as one of the best tracks on Breakout. Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly called it one of Breakout
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
finds it "appealing".
Mordechai Shinefield of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
described the song as "hooky and catchy enough", but warned that "it's only a step away from warmed-over emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
platitudes". Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
claimed "[Avril] Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
's brand of pop-punk snarl creeps into '7 Things'." Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
labeled "7 Things" and "Breakout" the best songs on Breakout. Chris Richards of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
claimed the album's "overproduction is apparent on the chorus of the album's first single, "7 Things," an avalanche of guitars and rushed syllables." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called the single "rather annoying" and not "a worthy follow-up to 'See You Again
See You Again
"See You Again" is a pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus. The song was composed by Cyrus , Antonina Armato, and Tim James and produced by Armato and James...
'", while Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
said the "winning performance" demonstrated that "Miley Cyrus does not intend to simply be a TV-generated phenomenon in the pop music world. She is a compelling pop artist in her own right."
Chart performance
On the week ending June 21, 2008, "7 Things" debuted at number eighty-five on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song ascended to number seventy the week ending July 5, 2009 before jumping to number seventy in its third week due to sales of 130,000 digital downloads. "7 Things" moved up to number nine on the week ending July 26, 2008, surpassing "See You Again" and becoming Cyrus' best charting effort on the Hot 100. "7 Things" also peaked at number fourteen on the now-canceled Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
chart. In Canada, the song debuted at number forty on the week ending July 5, 2008 and peaked at number thirteen on the week ending July 26, 2008.
"7 Things" was also a success in Australia and New Zealand. The song made its debut on the Australian Singles Chart at number thirty-eight on August 17, 2008. After five weeks, "7 Things" reached its peak on the chart at number ten. The song has been certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) for shipping over 35,000 copies. "7 Things" debuted at number twenty-seven on the New Zealand Singles Chart on August 17, 2008 and, after eight weeks on the chart, reached number twenty-four. "7 Things" also became Cyrus' first song to chart in an Asian country: On the week ending September 27, 2008, "7 Things" debuted at number eighty-one on the Japan Hot 100
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....
; it reached number nine on the week ending October 17, 2008 and reached its peak at number eight on the week ending October 24, 2008.
In the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, "7 Things" made its entry at number eighty-seven on September 13, 2008 and reached its peak at number twenty-five on December 13, 2008. The song peaked at number twenty-six. In mainland Europe, the song peaked at number forty-four on Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,...
and at number fourteen in Austria. "7 Things" debuted and peaked at number eight on the Norwegian Singles Chart on August 19, 2008. The song experienced similar commercial outcomes throughout the rest of Europe; it charted within the top forty of charts in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Germany, and Switzerland.
Music video
Cyrus invited Brett RatnerBrett Ratner
Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...
, director of the "7 Things" music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, to her home to tell him how much the song meant to her and what it was about. After proposing numerous ideas to each other, they decided to make the video "simple with a white backdrop". Cyrus said that neither she nor Ratner wanted the video to be "all about [her]" because the song's message was universal; "almost every girl in America could say they hate their ex or current boyfriend," claimed Cyrus. As a result, the video features numerous adolescent girls
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
including actresses Nicola Peltz
Nicola Peltz
Nicola Peltz is an American actress. Her most notable role to date is Katara in the 2010 film The Last Airbender, directed by M. Night Shyamalan.-Career:...
, Liana Liberato
Liana Liberato
Liana Daine Liberato is an American television and film actress. Liana is known for the 2010 film, Trust. She starred in the Fox Faith film The Last Sin Eater and recently appeared in the House episode "It's a Wonderful Lie"...
, and Maiara Walsh
Maiara Walsh
Maiara Walsh is a Brazilian American actress and singer known for playing Ana Solis on the sixth season of the hit ABC show, Desperate Housewives, and as Meena Paroom on the Disney Channel sitcom Cory in the House...
. During the planning session, Cyrus showed Ratner a collection of personal items her ex had given her, such as photographs and his dirty socks, which she had stowed away beneath her bed. They decided to include some of these items as props in the music video. For example, the necklace Cyrus wears in the video was her ex-boyfriend's medical identification tag
Medical identification tag
A medical identification tag is a small emblem or tag worn on a bracelet, neck chain, or on the clothing bearing a message that the wearer has an important medical condition that might require immediate attention...
, which he received because of his diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
.
The video was shot on May 30, 2008 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Unexpectedly, several girls began crying during the shoot; Cyrus attributed this to the emotions in the song. Ratner was impressed with Cyrus' instinct and ability to address emotional issues while making them "fun at the same time". Ratner compared her to Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, saying, "she can be hanging out and laughing, and then you put the camera on her and it's like, 'Holy shit!'" The effervescence made editing more difficult for the director. He said, "It was the hardest video I've ever edited because every moment was great. Every moment that she was on camera, she was amazing. She's got an incredible quality about her. She gets the camera, and that's what it takes to make a great music video." Cyrus commented that she felt the video was "more honest than [the] song" and that she was "singing out to [...] that special person".
The video commences with a close-up shots
Close-up
In filmmaking, television production, still photography and the comic strip medium a close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots . Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene...
of Cyrus' face as she counts in the backup band behind her. For a moment, she is replaced by a different girl holding a small stuffed monkey
Stuffed animal
A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibres, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw,...
. Cyrus then reappears, holding onto her necklace and wearing a multicolored sequin
Sequin
Sequins are disk-shaped beads used for decorative purposes. They are available in a wide variety of colors and geometrical shapes. Sequins are commonly used on clothing, jewelry, bags, shoes and lots of other accessories. Large sequins, fastened only at the top, have been used on billboards and...
sundress
Sundress
A sundress is a dress intended to be worn by women in warm weather. Typically, it is an informal or casual dress in a lightweight fabric, most commonly cotton, and usually loose fitting. The dress is intended to be worn without a layering top, and the design must therefore cut a balance between...
designed by Sass & Bide, black Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Chuck Taylor All Stars, or Converse All Stars, also referred to as "Chuck Taylors", "Converses", "All Stars", "Chucks" or "Cons", are canvas and rubber shoes produced by Converse. They were first produced in 1917 as the "All Star," Converse's attempt to capture the basketball shoe market...
, and leg warmers. Her wavy hair styled loose and in front of her shoulders. As Cyrus continues to sing, she is replaced by more girls holding different items, including teddy bears, stuffed animals, snow globes, and love letters. As the song approaches its chorus, Cyrus and the girls start dancing and jumping. Cyrus continues singing as she holds a white rose
White Rose
The White Rose was a non-violent/intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany, consisting of students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor...
and a girl deletes a text message from her boyfriend. At one point, Cyrus holds a photograph of her and an ex-boyfriend with black curly hair, his face obscured by a doodle
Doodle
A doodle is an unfocused drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be abstract shapes....
on a piece of notebook paper. At the end of the video, Cyrus blows the camera a kiss, mouths "I love you," and turns away.
Video reception
The video premiered on June 28, 2008 on ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. It was the most watched music-related video on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
until it was surpassed by Lady GaGa's "Bad Romance
Bad Romance
"Bad Romance" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released as the lead single from her third extended play , and second major release The Fame Monster . Written by Lady Gaga and produced by RedOne, the track was inspired by Gaga's fear of negative love relationships and the...
" music video in Spring 2010. Todd Martens of The Los Angeles Times was disappointed with the video's special effects and production values, adding that it looked "as if it were filmed with one camera on a tripod
Tripod
A tripod is a portable three-legged frame, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The word comes from the Greek tripous, meaning "three feet". A tripod provides stability against downward forces, horizontal forces and moments about the...
in a single-bulb basement". However, he complimented how they "show[ed] off Miley's universal appeal". Henry Freeland of Paste magazine said, "Cyrus wiggles to and fro, mugging for the camera like her face is fighting gravity and barely winning." A Pop Cultured review from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
described the video as PG and "Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
approved". The review continued that it was mildly angry, comparing Cyrus to "a watered-down version of Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
's kid sister, and Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
's pseudo-rebellious character in Freaky Friday
Freaky Friday (2003 film)
Freaky Friday is a 2003 film based on the novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers. It stars Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman and Jamie Lee Curtis as her mother. In the film their bodies are switched due to an enchanted Chinese fortune cookie...
— minus the eyeliner". Leigh Holmwood of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
commented, "Miley's new music vid, reminds me, creepily enough, of early Britney
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
." Molly Lambert of the New York Times described Cyrus as the video's "charismatic center" and writes, "When she flashes Nick’s dog tags and a picture of the two of them together, she seems so vindictive and so embarrassingly vulnerable, just like . . . a 15-year-old suffering her first serious heartbreak, basically." The video received a nomination for MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
The MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984...
at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios , honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at...
, but lost to Tokio Hotel
Tokio Hotel
Tokio Hotel is a pop rock band from Germany, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bassist Georg Listing...
's music video for "Ready, Set, Go!
Übers Ende der Welt
"Übers Ende der Welt" and "Ready, Set, Go!" are rock songs by German alternative rock band Tokio Hotel. The German version of the song, "Übers Ende der Welt", was released as the first single from their second album Zimmer 483 and it is the album's opening track.The song was later translated into...
". At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, honoring the best music videos from June 19, 2008, to June 29, 2009. Comedian Russell Brand hosted the event for the second time in a row. The awards were held a few months after Michael...
, the video received a nomination for MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing
MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Editing in a Video. Five artists are tied for the record of biggest winner in this category, each having won the award twice: Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., Madonna, The White Stripes, and Gnarls Barkley. The latter two, in fact, won...
, but lost to Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
' music video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
".
Live performances
Cyrus first live performance of "7 Things" took place on May 17, 2008 at the 2008 ZootopiaZootopia
Zootopia is an annual summer concert put on by New York top-40 radio station Z100. The show is usually performed in either New York or New Jersey and includes the artists who garner great airplay on the station in the year.- 2009 Zootopia performers :...
, an annual summer concert put on by radio station Z100
WHTZ
WHTZ — branded Z100 — is a commercial pop/contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
. Later that summer, she promoted the song at outdoor concerts hosed by Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
and The Today Show and while hosting the 2008 Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
. Cyrus began promotion for "7 Things" in Europe in fall 2008, performing the track on the United Kingdom channel GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
, the French television show Le Grand Journal, and the British singing competition The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
among other venues. She performed the song twice on FNMTV
FNMTV
FNMTV is a music video program on MTV focused on premiering new music videos and airing viewers' instantaneous feedback from its website...
; once on August 1, 2008, and again while co-hosting New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
of 2008 with Pete Wentz.
Cyrus performed "7 Things" along with several other songs on April 24, 2009 in a London Apple Store. These performances were recorded and sold exclusively by the United Kingdom iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
as a live extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
titled iTunes Live from London. On June 7, 2009, Cyrus performed the song at twentieth annual A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival, an outdoor carnival supporting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs...
. "7 Things" was also included in the set list of Cyrus' first world tour, the Wonder World Tour
Wonder World Tour
The Wonder World Tour is the second concert tour by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. The tour was held to promote her second studio album Breakout and first extended play The Time of Our Lives...
; Cyrus performed the song in a black leather ensemble paired with a silver rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
while overhead video screens projected a conflagration
Conflagration
A conflagration or a blaze is an uncontrolled burning that threatens human life, health, or property. A conflagration can be accidentally begun, naturally caused , or intentionally created . Arson can be accomplished for the purpose of sabotage or diversion, and also can be the consequence of...
. Melinda M. Thompsen of The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
said Cyrus' performance of "7 Things" the September 14 concert in Portland, Oregon at the Rose Garden Arena "showed what a powerhouse she can be using her voice and influence to get her message out". The song's performance in the September 22 concert in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
was referred to as "aggressive athleticism" by Lael Loewenstein of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
and as a "tween-rock gem" and "up-tempo highlight" by Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times. She later performed the song at the Rock in Rio concerts in Lisbon, Portugal and Madrid, Spain.
Cyrus performed the song in her current tour, Gypsy Heart Tour
Gypsy Heart Tour
The Gypsy Heart Tour was the third concert tour by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. Primarily visiting South America and Australia, the tour supported her third studio album, Can't Be Tamed....
.
Track listings
- US Digital Download
- "7 Things" (Album Version) – 3:36
- US / EU 2-Track CD Single
- "7 Things" (Album Version) – 3:36
- "7 Things" (Instrumental) – 3:36
- EU 2-Track CD Single / Digital Download / JP CD Single
- "7 Things" (Album Version) – 3:36
- "See You AgainSee You Again"See You Again" is a pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus. The song was composed by Cyrus , Antonina Armato, and Tim James and produced by Armato and James...
" (Rock Mafia Remix) – 3:42
- US / UK / EU 2-Track CD Single
- "7 Things" (Album Version) – 3:36
- "See You Again" (WideboysWideboysThe Wideboys are UK house, Bassline and UK garage Record producers and remixers.The Wideboys are managed by Matt Waterhouse from MWR/Hyperactive. In 2008, they signed to Sony ATV Music Publishing. Prior to this, The Wideboys had been signed in various deals with the likes of Warner, Univeral and...
Radio Edit) – 3:42
- EU Remix Maxi-CD Single
- "7 Things" (Bimbo JonesBimbo JonesBimbo Jones is a UK dance music group comprising producers Lee Dagger and Marc JB and vocalist Katherine Ellis. Known for their remix work and white label releases, they produced a remix of Meck's 2006 UK number-one single "Thunder in My Heart Again"...
Club Mix) – 6:33 - "7 Things" (Bimbo Jones Dub Mix) –
- "7 Things" (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit) – 2:58
- "7 Things" (Radio Edit) – 3:24
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
10 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
14 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
22 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wallonia) |
22 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
13 |
| Czech Airplay Singles Chart Rádio Top 100 Oficiální Rádio Top 100 Oficiální is the name of the Czech national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis.Besides the main Top 100 record chart, also two component charts are effective. While the Rádio CZ 50 Oficiální features songs released exclusively by Czech and/or Slovak... |
11 |
| Dutch Mega Single Top 100 Mega Single Top 100 The Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales and legal downloads and composed by MegaCharts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dutch Top 40 and the Mega Top 50. The difference is that these charts also include airplay data.The list is... |
80 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 Singles Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
44 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
17 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
26 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
8 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 24 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
8 |
| Slovakian Airplay Singles Chart Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna is the name of the Slovakian national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis since the cancellation of the Slovakian national section on December 31, 2009.... |
25 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
35 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
25 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
9 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
14 |
Year-end charts
| Charts (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
50 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
86 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
170 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 92 |
External links
- "7 Things" music video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
(posted by Hollywood RecordsHollywood RecordsHollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
)