Songfacts®:

• This is the title track and lead single from pop recording artist Miley Cyrus' third album. Miley co-wrote the song with the "7 Things" collaborators Tim James and Antonina Armato, who also produced the single.
• Miley's label, Hollywood Records, said this is "a self-empowering song in which Miley asserts that she has to stay true to herself in relationships, and it is sure to become an anthem among her legions of fans around the world."
• The song's raunchy music video was directed by Robert Hales, choreographed by Jamal Sims and shot on April 10 and April 11, 2010 at Sony Studios in Culver City. The clip features Cyrus, dressed in a black leotard and expansive black wings, dancing very intimately with male and female dancers throughout a museum. The singer is first trapped in a giant bird cage, being observed by spectators; she then escapes and trashes the museum. Cyrus said of the video to MTV News, "It's about the core of 'I don't wanna be in a cage. I want to be free and do what I love.'"
  
  Cyrus told MTV News that her performing with the backup dancers was "freestyle in the dark where they had one small light. We freestyled and danced around. The lighting is so amazing in this video. It's so cool, so much fun to dance with all your friends. I love the way it's slow-mo, and I can see all my friends' faces."
  
  She added about her costume: "I actually had a completely different [costume]. And that morning, creatively, I wasn't feeling the other one, so we made this one right there in the morning, and we added pieces throughout the day... more leather and more feathers. I think it's really fun and kept changing the look."
• Miley told Billboard magazine about her relationship with frequent songwriting collaborator Antonina Armato: "I call Antonina 'Mommy' because she's my second mom," Miley said. "No one could ever understand the relationship we have. I've been working with her for four years and every day I go into the studio and we just sit around and eat cupcakes and talk and I tell her everything about my life. I think that's why we make good music together."