*full reflections on each song coming soon!(:
Welcome Back to Disney!!👋😊🎉I hope you enjoyed my last post on A Definitive Ranking of Every Song from the Hannah Montana 3 Soundtrack, because today we’re continuing this Month of Miley blog post series and talking all about another ICONIC and UNFORGETTABLE Miley album…Well, not a full-length about, but her FIRST EP, The Time of Our Lives.💿🎶🤍💜🖤🩶But as always, before we get into my official ranking of the songs from this EP, I just want to give you a brief history about it, along with some of my memories associated with this EP. So, let’s get into it!
The Time of Our Lives EP, the FIRST extended play by Miley Cyrus, was released on August 28, 2009 by Hollywood Records.💿🎶🎉With most of the album being produced by John Shanks; Dr. Luke also produced it. It was initially released as a Walmart exclusive in the U.S., and was originally created as a release to accompany Miley’s apparel line with Max Azria (a clothing line that I definitely bought stuff from when I was a tween😊). In fact, surprisingly, Miley had fairly limited involvement in the composition of this EP release.😲 As she only has writing credits on ONE track from the EP, which is the live version of the previously released Jonas Brothers collaboration, “Before the Storm”.🤍🩶
Not surprisingly, The Time of Our Lives received generally positive reactions from critics at the time of its release. With some reviews suggesting that the EP was an effective step into adulthood for Miley. However, of course, some reviews were critical of the ballads which appear on the record. But the EP was a commercial success, charting within the TOP 10 in nine countries upon its release.👏 Specifically, in the U.S., The Time of Our Lives peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).👏👏The EP also had success internationally, too, peaking at #3 in Greece, #5 in Austria, and at #6 in Spain.👏👏👏🌍🌎🌏
Only two singles were released from The Time of Our Lives. The ICONIC, OH-SO GREAT and just TIMELESS lead single, “Party in the U.S.A.”, peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Miley’s best-selling effort up to that point.👏❤🤍💙🎆Deservedly so, that song also became one of the best-selling singles in the U.S. and Hollywood Records’ best- and fastest-selling single.👏👏While the second and final single released from the EP was the ICONIC and UNFORGETTABLE, “When I Look At You”.🤍🎶🎹 A song that was used to promote the also ICONIC and UNFORGETTABLE 2010 film The Last Song that Miley starred in.📺“When I Look At You” was unable to match the success of “Party in the U.S.A.”, but the single still peaked within the TOP 20 in the U.S. and in Australia.👏👏 And to promote the EP, in late 2009, Miley embarked on her FIRST world tour, the Wonder World Tour.
Like I briefly mentioned before, an EP was chosen to be released by Miley in order to support her then newly launched, joint apparel line with Max Azria, that was sold exclusively by Walmart.👖👚👓👗👟👞👜👢 As Miley once stated about it all, “I feel it goes perfectly for that kind of look”. The Time of Our Lives was a transitional EP for Miley as well as a method of re-introducing herself to new audiences. When discussing the transition she experienced during the production of The Time of Our Lives, Miley once stated, “It is a transitioning album. Everything is like a stepping stone. And that was really to introduce people to what I want my next record to sound like and with time I will be able to do that a little more and timing is just everything. So it is really about us working our way up to being able to do the music you really love.”💜
When speaking about the EP’s sound, she (Miley) once said, “I kind of kept it in the lines of what I usually do, which is kind of a pop rock sound — I don’t even like using the word ‘rock’, because I feel like it’s an honor to be put in that title. This is kind of my transition. The next record, I definitely want to be able to step it up a bit.” She originally planned for her succeeding album to be edgier and more predominant in rock music. In other words, after completing promotion for The Time of Our Lives, she wanted to “step out and maybe take a break” for some time in order to compose music that inspired her. Which she did do ten months later. As she released her next album, Can’t Be Tamed, on June 18, 2010.🤎🖤💿🎶Which was definitely more rock and much edgier and out-of-the-box than this EP. But more on that specific album later.😉😊Though, I can see now that this album was definitely the stepping stone for the one that came after it, which was Can't Be Tamed.
The Time of Our Lives was, at first, released exclusively through the American retail company Walmart, and was available in American stores and at Walmart.com. The EP was originally planned for release on August 31, 2009, but it ended up being released three days prior than intended because of a confusion at various stores. Beginning with the UK, on October 16, 2009, an international edition of the EP was released in numerous countries several months after its release in the U.S.. The UK edition featured new cover artwork with photography by Annie Leibovitz, as well as the song “The Climb” from the Hannah Montana movie.💛💜The EP became available for purchasing on other digital retailers in the U.S. on January 5, 2010.
As mentioned briefly before, The Time of Our Lives is a mostly pop rock EP, but other musical styles and genres are present as well.🤍💜🖤🩶🎤🎸 “Kicking and Screaming” is the most prominent representation of rock music on the EP. While “Party in the U.S.A.” is a pop song with reggae elements, and the instrumentation includes a “clash between feathery jazz guitar chords and a booming synth bassline serving as a hook”. With Miley’s vocals on the song displaying an undertone of alternative country twang.🎷🎸🤠 “When I Look At You” is a power ballad that transitions in instrumentation, from piano to electric guitar.🎹🎸 “The Time of Our Lives” is a bouncy, dance-pop song characterized by 1980s synths, and a fizzy sound caused by a bubblegum pop background, with Miley’s vocals displaying influences from new wave music. “Talk Is Cheap” is a pop-punk, garage rock song with disco influences.🎸🪩 “Obsessed” is another power ballad with soft rock characteristics, while “Before the Storm” is a country pop ballad. And lyrically the songs cover the topics of love, teenage lust, romantic breakups, jealousy, failing relationships, relocating to new places, letting go, focusing on the present, partying, and just having a good time, THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE.🤍💜🖤🩶
Like I also mentioned earlier, “Party in the U.S.A.” was released on August 11, 2009 through digital distribution, as the lead single for The Time of Our Lives.❤🤍💙It received praise, for its musical composition reflecting aspects of R&B and its catchy effect, from critics.👏The song was also a commercial success for Miley Cyrus. As it charted within the TOP 10 in eight countries.👏The song also peaked at #2 in the U.S., becoming Miley’s best-charting single up to that point and the sixth best selling digital single of 2009.👏👏 It was also deemed Hollywood Records’ fastest and best-selling single to date.👏 “Party in the U.S.A.” was certified thirteen-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and quadruple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).👏👏 And fun fact, apparently, the music video for “Party in the U.S.A.” pays tribute to the 1978 film Grease, as it's mainly set at a drive-in theater. Also, apparently being a tribute to Miley’s parents’ courting days. Like I also mentioned briefly before, the song “When I Look At You” became the EP’s second and last single to be released, and it was released to promote the 2010 film The Last Song, which Miley starred in. According to my research, the song received average to mixed critical reception, ranging from “inevitable hit single” to “inferior ballad”, and therefore was unable to duplicate the commercial success of “Party in the U.S.A.”👎😔But again, what do the critics really know? 'Cause as a fan, I’ve always believed the song to be an “inevitable hit” right alongside "Party in the U.S.A.".🤍😊 “When I Look At You” reached #16 in the U.S., which was its highest international peak achieved.👏 Followed by Australia, where the song peaked at #18.👏
When it came to further promotion of the EP, Miley’s first live performance of “Party in the U.S.A.” was during the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, which was held August 10, 2009. Which I won’t even get into all the media uproar that surrounded that, because it doesn’t matter.🙄I’ll just say, I never saw anything wrong with it. I believe people just made that part of her performance a bigger deal than it was, as usual. However, crazily enough, her Teen Choice Awards performance did cause The Walt Disney Company at the time to issue a statement distancing themselves from the performance. While other critics came to Miley’s defense, stating that the viewers should have focused on Miley’s accomplishments that night, her winning six awards, rather than on the sexuality of the performance.👏👏 In which I totally agree.😊Miley continued to promote the EP in the U.S., on shows like The Today Show, VH1 Divas, etc.📺 And in December, she (Miley) undertook promotion in the UK at 95.8 Capital FM’s Jingle Bell Ball❤💚🎄, the Royal Variety Performance, which is the annual gala for the British Royal Family👑🏰, as well as at various other venues.
In order to promote the EP, “The Time of Our Lives” was also released for airplay exclusively on Radio Disney. The song peaked at #23 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Chart (Billboard Hot 100-123), and at #51 on the Canadian Hot 100.👏👏Miley also embarked on her second concert tour, the Wonder World Tour, to promote The Time of Our Lives as well as her second 2008 studio album Breakout.💛🤎🤍💜🖤🩶That tour was announced in June 2009, with dates first revealed for American venues and then later venues for the UK.🌎🎶🌍The Wonder World Tour was also Miley’s FIRST to not have her costumed as Hannah Montana, and expanded from September 14, 2009 to December 29, 2009.
The Time of Our Lives entered the Billboard 200 at #3 on the week ending September 12, 2009, having sold a total of 62,000 copies, which became Miley’s eighth release to chart within the TOP 10.👏The following week, the EP peaked at #2, due to a 154 percent increase in sales (153,000 copies sold).👏 Spending yet another consecutive week at its peak, the EP continued to sell strongly throughout the remainder of 2009.👏 The Time of Our Lives experienced a sudden increase in sales, on the week ending December 12, 2009, rising from #29 to #7 with sales of 150,000 copies.👏For shipments of over three million copies, The Time of Our Lives was certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).👏 According to Nielsen SoundScan, as of July 2013, the EP had sold 1.4 million copies in the U.S..👏And on the week ending January 30, 2010, The Time of Our Lives debuted and peaked at #9 on the Canadian Albums Chart.👏
The EP also debuted and peaked at #11 on the Australian Albums Chart, on the week ending November 11, 2009.👏 But later dropped to #13, and ascended and descended until its last week on the chart, which was May 18, 2010. For shipments exceeding 35,000 copies, The Time of Our Lives was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).👏 It also entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at its peak of #9.👏However, during the following week, The Time of Our Lives dropped to #11, where it stayed for two consecutive weeks. Though it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for shipments exceeding 7,500 copies.👏 After selling an estimated 15,000 copies, the EP debuted at #10 on the Japanese Albums Chart, on the fourth week of January 2010.👏 However, The Time of Our Lives descended to #19 in its second week on the chart.
The Time of Our Lives debuted and peaked at #17 on the UK Albums Chart on the week ending November 26, 2009.👏 It was also certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 100,000 copies.👏For shipments exceeding 15,000 copies, the EP peaked at #9 in Ireland, and was certified platinum by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA).👏👏The Time of Our Lives peaked at #33 in mainland Europe on the European Top 100 Albums Chart, at #5 on the Austrian Albums Chart, at #9 on the German Albums Chart, and at #3 on the Greek Albums Chart.👏👏👏👏The Time of Our Lives debuted and peaked at #6 in Spain, on the week ending November 1, 2009, where it was also certified platinum by the Productores de Musica de Espana (PROMUSICAE) for shipments of more than 60,000 copies.👏👏The EP also reached the TOP 20 of charts elsewhere in Europe, such as in Portugal and the Czech Republic.👏
Again, like I’ve said many times before already when talking about these albums, those are all just words and numbers to me. That chart stuff really means nothing to me, but I still thought it was all worth noting here because they were wins for Miley. Though, those facts did not make me like and/or enjoy this album any more or any less than I already did. Nor did it affect my thought process when ranking the songs for this post. So, in other words, no matter where this album or the songs themselves ranked on the charts back then, I didn’t know or care about any of that either back then when I was a kid hearing these songs for the first time and listening to this album. ‘Cause I was just a fan of anything Miley at the time, and therefore I LOVED the songs on this album no matter what anyone else said. Or what any chart said. Although, I will say I only really knew and listened to FOUR main songs on this EP when I was a kid and it first came out, which were the songs “Party in the U.S.A”, “When I Look At You”, “Before the Storm”, and "Time Of Our Lives". Which was probably because this is one of the very few Miley albums that I didn’t own as a kid, so I didn’t get to listen to all the songs on this EP at the time anytime I wanted, because I didn’t have the EP for myself. And I was mostly big on just listening to my CDs. Speaking of that, I guess I’ll now get into my earliest memories when it comes to this EP. How I came to know and LOVE it.😊🤍💜🖤🩶
Well, like I said, this EP and the FIRST Hannah Montana soundtrack were the only two Miley/Hannah soundtracks/albums that I didn’t own as a kid, because my older sister Ariel got them first.😔👎And with this one specifically, her birthday was closer to right around when this EP came out, so I'm sure that's why she was able to get it before me. But of course, because we’re sisters, she would still let me listen to both CDs.😊 Or I would just listen to them when she was listening to them. But I actually now have my sister's (Ariel's) old CD of this EP, because she gave me ALL of her old CDs a long time ago.😊💿🎶So, I didn’t own this EP on a CD as a kid then, but I do now.😊And any and every time I listen to this EP by Miley Cyrus I do instantly think of my sister (Ariel), because I can definitely see why she owned this EP on CD when we were younger, because it was definitely her vibe then. So, I always just picture my teenage older sister whenever I listen to this EP.🤍💜🖤🩶Especially whenever I play the song “Time of Our Lives”, I don’t know why but that song specifically always instantly makes me think of my older sister when she was a teenager, and of all the fun times and moments of her and I, and our little sister (Amber) had listening, dancing, and singing along to this EP when we were kids.👧👧👧💕💿🎶🎤💃
In fact, I actually have such a fond, vivid, special memory of it being my older sister’s birthday or something...maybe it was just a night our cousins were spending the night at our house...but I remember it being late at night and us all just blasting this EP in Ariel's radio along with some other CDs she had, like Vanessa Hudgens' old album. We just had these songs going while we hung out, talked, danced, and just were being silly in my older sister’s (Ariel's) room with our cousins. And again, because we were having a party of some sort, I never paid that much close attention to every song during that time as it was playing because we more-so just had it playing in the background while we did other stuff. But I knew "Party in the U.S.A." and "When I Look At You" without even having to pay too much attention to them playing, because those were just ones you knew. So, that’s one specific memory that I’ll never forget because literally every time I listen to this EP it instantly takes me back to that time and moment in 2009. And of course, I just remember listening to this EP in the car back then whenever my family and I would be traveling to places. Memories like that.😊🤍💜🖤🩶
And when my sister gave me her CD of this EP years ago (when I was maybe in my late teens or early 20s), because she didn’t want her CDs anymore… which was crazy, but GREAT for me…that’s when I actually listened to this whole EP and took in every song and lyric and appreciated it even more than I did before. And I’ve gone back to listen to it a few times since then, but it had been awhile. I mean, I of course try to listen to "Party in the U.S.A." every 4th of July because it's a must. But other than that, and of me periodically throughout the past few years, listening to “Before the Storm” and “When I Look At You”, I hadn’t really listened to this whole EP in a long while. That’s why I was SO EXCITED to listen to this whole EP again from start to finish for this post, and to finally share my thoughts and opinions about each song here with you.😊Sadly though, this is only an EP, that only has SEVEN songs. So, there's not a whole lot of songs to discuss, but they’re all GREAT songs. Okay, there’s maybe one or two that aren’t SO GREAT, but I’ll get into those soon. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s have the TIME OF OUR LIVES, a PARTY IN THE U.S.A., and finally get into A Definitive Ranking of EVERY Song from Miley Cyrus’ The Time of Our Lives EP!🎉💿🎶🤍💜🖤🩶
🎶🤍💿💜🎶🖤💿🩶🎶🤍💿💜🎶🖤💿🩶🎶🤍💿💜🎶🖤💿
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🎶🤍💿💜🎶🖤💿🩶🎶🤍💿💜🎶🖤💿🩶🎶🤍💿💜🎶🖤💿
Well, that concludes A Definitive Ranking of EVERY Song from Miley Cyrus’ The Time of Our Lives EP! 🎉🎶💿I really enjoyed getting to go back and listen to this EP once again, and I hope you had the time of your life reading this post as much as I did creating it.😊This was definitely one of the easiest Miley/Hannah albums to rank, simply because there are not a lot of songs. Plus, some songs on this EP are definitely better than others, which made it even easier to rank. But even though there are a couple of not-so-good songs on this EP, each of the six songs are definitely still worth listening to at least once. Having said that, I was a little surprised at my TOP 3. Well, just the song I ranked at #3, because it was hard to choose between “Time Of Our Lives” and “Before the Storm”, because I've always loved "Before the Storm". But for the sake of this post, it had to go lower just because it’s the live version, and like I mentioned when talking about the song, I don't like the live version as much as I do the studio version where you can hear the song more clearly without interruptions. But also, "Time of Our Lives" is a REALLY GREAT song, so for all the reasons I said above, it had to go in my TOP 3. But really my TOP 4 on this list have ALWAYS been my TOP 4 favorite songs from this EP. So, nothing has really changed when it comes to that.😊Now, having said all that, I definitely suggest to anyone reading this, even though I just kind of made you re-listen to these songs through this post, to still go give this EP another listen.. 'Cause If for nothing else, at least for some 2009 nostalgia, because it’s always usually worth it. Anyway, hit that follow button so that you get notified when my next post goes up, and come Back to Disney tomorrow for more GREAT MUSIC from Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana!!!🎉😊🤍💜🖤🩶👋✌
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