Hannah Montana: The Movie (soundtrack)
Hannah Montana: The Movie is the soundtrack for the film of the same name. The film is an adaptation of the popular Disney Channel original series Hannah Montana, which first aired in 2006. In the television series and film, American singer and actress Miley Cyrus portrays Miley Stewart, a girl with a secret double life as the popstar Hannah Montana. Cyrus performs twelve of the songs on the album, seven of which are credited to Hannah Montana. American singers Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and Rascal Flatts and English singer Steve Rushton also have songs on the soundtrack.
Hannah Montana: The Movie
March 24, 2009
61:20
- Adam Anders
- Glen Ballard
- Mark Bright
- Nathan Chapman
- the Collective
- Scott Cutler
- Rascal Flatts
- Alana da Fonseca
- Matthew Gerrard
- Jason Gleed
- Dann Huff
- Mitchell Lieb
- Kai Mckenzie
- Miles Millar
- Anne Preven
- Raz
- Steve Rushton
- John Shanks
- Alan Silvestri
- Smidi
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- Taylor Swift
- Ali Dee Theodore
This album was released on March 24, 2009, by Walt Disney Records.[3] All of the songs in the album were approved by the film's director Peter Chelsom. He felt the film needed music that was tightly woven into the film's plot and the character's background. Several producers worked on the album, mainly John Shanks and Matthew Gerrard. Shanks was more involved with Cyrus than the other artists. Meanwhile, Gerrard produced Cyrus' songs as Montana; he previously wrote her hit song "The Best of Both Worlds" (2006). A remix of "The Best of Both Worlds" is featured as the album's closing track. Musically, the album merges heavy influences from pop and country. Songwriters include Cyrus, Gerrard and Swift, among others. The songs' lyrics primarily discuss the film's themes of fame, family, and love.
Contemporary critics were pleased with the album. Cyrus was praised for being natural and reflected while performing as herself. They also complimented Swift's performance and debated if she or Cyrus were more dominant. The soundtrack received a nomination for a 2009 American Music Award for Favorite Soundtrack, but lost to the Twilight soundtrack. Hannah Montana: The Movie reached the top ten in many nations, and topped charts in countries such as Austria, Canada, and New Zealand. In the United States, it peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. By May 2009, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album platinum. The album was promoted through exclusive releases to Radio Disney and live performances at numerous venues. Cyrus performed four songs from the album on her first worldwide concert tour.
"The Climb", performed by Cyrus, was released as the lead single on March 5 on iTunes and later on a CD single. "Hoedown Throwdown" served as a promotional single released on March 10, 2009. "Let's Get Crazy", performed by Cyrus as Hannah Montana, was released in Italy as the album's second and final single on May 29, 2009.
Writing and development[edit]
Most of the songs on the soundtrack were offered to Peter Chelsom, the film's director, for inclusion on the film.[4][5] Producer Alfred Gough said, "Peter Chelsom describes the Stewart family [Cyrus' character's family in the film] as a bilingual family whose second language is music, and that's very true in this movie."[5] Chelsom says the film's numerous songs are tightly woven into the fabric of the story and the characters, which is why he believes the film will feel like a musical without being one.[5] "We continuously dance very close to the convention of a musical but are more integrated. Songs are going to sit within the film, not apart from the film. At times, you won't notice the music is happening; it'll just move the story along."[5][6]
In regards to Cyrus' songs, Chelsom said, "We realized this was an opportunity to move forward with the music, to update it and make it more sophisticated, to move with Miley’s age. I’ve never had a better musical experience on any film."[5] Cyrus noted that most of the songs included on the soundtrack were inspired by the return of Cyrus' character, Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana, to her Nashville roots.[7][8] She explained, "The soundtrack is all about Nashville, and that's where I'm from, that's my roots. I think that's a lot of the reason I am who I am."[7][8] Cyrus co-wrote "Don't Walk Away" because it was to be included on her own studio album Breakout (2008). "Hoedown Throwdown", a song in which Cyrus calls dance steps, took much time to write. It became an ongoing collaboration between Chelsom, Cyrus, choreographer Jamal Sims, and the song's writers, Adam Anders and Nikki Hasman.[5]
Jessi Alexander said she was inspired to write "The Climb" while driving to the home of her songwriting partner, Jon Mabe. Once she arrived, they decided to write a song about overcoming obstacles. Alexander referred to the process as a form of "therapy".[9] It had initially been passed over by several artists until Chelsom chose it and offered it to Cyrus.[9] Under the name Hannah Montana, Cyrus performs the song "Let's Do This", which was originally written and recorded by American country singer Adam Tefteller. The last track is a remixed version of Cyrus' hit "The Best of Both Worlds" (2006). The song is used as the theme song of the Disney Channel television show Hannah Montana, the basis of the film, and was originally released on the television series' first soundtrack.[3]
Several other artists appear on the soundtrack. Billy Ray Cyrus' song on the album, "Back to Tennessee", is the title track of his eleventh studio album. Written by Cyrus, Tamara Dunn and Matthew Wilder, the song reflects the desire of both Cyrus and his character in the film, Robbie Ray Stewart, to return to their roots.[5][7][10] Disney artist Steve Rushton sings "Everything I Want" and "Game Over".[11] Rascal Flatts perform acoustic versions of previous efforts originally released on Feels Like Today (2004) and Me and My Gang (2006).[11] When approached about participating in the soundtrack, Taylor Swift sent her ballad "Crazier" because it "was perfect to fall in love to".[5] Swift also wrote the opening track "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" with Martin Johnson of Boys Like Girls.
Awards and accolades[edit]
Hannah Montana: The Movie was nominated for "Choice Music: Album Soundtrack" and "Favorite Soundtrack" at the Teen Choice Awards and 2009 American Music Awards but lost to the Twilight soundtrack, respectively.[70][71][72][73] Five of the songs, "Back to Tennessee", "Butterfly Fly Away", "Don't Walk Away", "Hoedown Throwdown", and "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" were included on the short list for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.[74]