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See You Again (Miley Cyrus song)

"See You Again" is the debut single by American singer Miley Cyrus as the lead single from Meet Miley Cyrus (2007), the second soundtrack album from the Disney Channel original series Hannah Montana and also the opening track of the debut studio album of Cyrus. It was written by Cyrus (credited as Destiny Hope Cyrus) with the song's producers Antonina Armato and Tim James. Later, it was remixed by Armato and James (then credited as Rock Mafia) as the second single and closing track from Cyrus' second studio album, Breakout (2008). Musically, the track is a dance-rock song that contains influences from various musical genres, including electronic music. Lyrically, it speaks of teenage romance. The original version of the song was only released as a single in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The song was released internationally remixed by Rock Mafia.

"See You Again"

December 29, 2007

3:10
3:17 (new mix)

  • Antonina Armato
  • Tim James

"See You Again" received acclaim from music critics, with many complimenting its composition and Cyrus' vocals. It was her first commercially successful song; it introduced her to new audiences and new countries, paving the way for future hits. The song went top ten in the US, Canada, Hungary and Australia. Although a music video for the song was never filmed, it was given a promotional clip for the remix version, taken from a performance at the 2008 Disney Channel Games. The song was promoted through a multitude of live television performances. It was included on the setlist of Cyrus' headlining tours, the Best of Both Worlds Tour (2007–08), the Wonder World Tour (2009), Gypsy Heart Tour (2011), and the Attention Tour (2021–2022). "See You Again" has been covered by various notable artists, including Little Boots and Breathe Carolina. The song wasn't originally considered for a single, and a music video for the song was never produced. Hollywood Records chose Start All Over and produced a video for it, as they thought it was the song with potential. Instead, See You Again started to take off, and the release of Start All Over was cancelled, and was only released in Australia. [1]

Background[edit]

When Cyrus starred as Miley Stewart, a girl with a secret double life as pop star Hannah Montana, on the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana, she developed fame as a teen idol and released the series' first soundtrack while being credited as Hannah Montana.[2] In late 2006, Cyrus began execution for her debut album.[3] Cyrus' debut studio album Meet Miley Cyrus was attached to the series' second soundtrack, Hannah Montana 2, and released as the second disc of the Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus (2007) double-disc album.[4] "See You Again" was written by Cyrus, who was credited as her birth name Destiny Hope Cyrus, Antonina Armato, and Tim James.[5] The writing group has executed numerous songs recorded by Cyrus, contributing to a large part of all three of her studio albums.[6]


When composing tracks for Meet Miley Cyrus, Cyrus was originally very apprehensive in regards to adding "See You Again" to the album. "I'm not sure about this song. I don't think I want to put it on the album. I don't really like it that much. It's just O.K.", she said.[6] However, she was convinced to record it and, once she listened to the finished product, she changed her mind. She thought it was odd, but in a positive light, and decided to include it on her debut album.[6] Cyrus says "See You Again" is a dance song with a special meaning to her.[6] It was later remixed by Rock Mafia for the release of Cyrus' second studio album Breakout (2008).[7] It was released as the second single from Breakout on August 11, 2008.[8]

Composition[edit]

"See You Again" is a dance-rock song with a length of three minutes and ten seconds.[9] The songs contains numerous influences from electronic, new wave, and techno music.[10][11] The song is set in the time signature of common time and has a fast tempo of 138 beats per minute. It is written in the key of A minor with Cyrus' vocal range spanning one octave, from the low note of G3 to the high note of A4. Throughout the track, her edgy and sultry vocals[11] maintain in the contralto range.[12] The lyrics of "See You Again" are about a teenage romance.[12][13] In verses, Cyrus discusses her feelings and perceptions about her love interest, such as believing the couple had previously encountered in a previous incarnation.[13] "See You Again"'s refrains detail previous scenes of an encounter between the couple: "The last time I freaked out / I just kept looking down / I st-st-stuttered when you asked me what I'm thinking 'bout."[12] Towards the conclusion of the refrains, Cyrus vows to redeem herself.[12]

Commercial performance[edit]

On the week ending December 22, 2007, "See You Again" debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100.[18] In the succeeding week, the song ascended to number 78 and, on the week ending February 16, 2008, it charted at its newfound peak of number 17, therefore becoming Cyrus' best-charting effort on the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing the Hannah Montana-credited "Life's What You Make It", which peaked at number 25 in August 2007.[19] On the week ending May 3, 2008, "See You Again" became Cyrus' first top ten single by reaching its peak at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100.[20] "See You Again" spent a total of 27 weeks upon the chart.[21] It also peaked at number four on Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) and number twenty-one on Adult Pop Songs in the United States.[21] The song entered at number 86 and peaked at number four on the Canadian Hot 100, its highest peak internationally.[21] As of March 2023, "See You Again" has sold over 3,000,000 copies in the United States and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[22]


In Australia, "See You Again" debuted at number 25 on the week ending June 22, 2008. The following week, it ascended to number ten and, after five weeks of ascending the top ten, reached its peak at number six, where it remained for three consecutive weeks.[23] The single was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for the sale of over 70,000 copies.[24] On the week ending August 4, 2008, "See You Again" debuted at number 32 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. It eventually peaked at number 11[25] and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for the shipment of 7,500 copies.[26] In the United Kingdom, the track peaked at number 11.[27][28] Elsewhere in Europe, "See You Again" peaked at number 38 on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles,[21] number 14 on the Irish Singles Chart[29] and number seven on the Hungarian Singles Chart.[30]

promotional clip on YouTube (posted by Polydor Records)

"See You Again"