From the moment Miley mounted the black orb of destruction, the wrecking ball became more than a construction tool; it became a symbol of the foam finger queen’s legacy. “Wrecking Ball” opens with the powerful lyrics “we clawed, we chained, our hearts in vain. We jumped, never asking why”. A single tear rolls down Ms. Cyrus’ left cheek. This is a symbol of how her break up with Liam Hemsworth left her: an emotional wreck.
Could her lack of clothing possibly represent the raw feelings the track emulates? Next, Ms. Cyrus, in her dirty maroon Doc Martens, picks up another tool of destruction: the hammer. Miley licks the hammer. She can taste the bitter flavor of the emotional defeat dealt by Liam, the biggest tool of them all.
The camera pans as the wrecking ball demolishes the surrounding structures. The lyrics “all I wanted was to break your walls, but all you ever did was wreck me” suggest that perhaps, Miley’s walls of stability have also fallen. The video comes to an end as scenes flash by showing Miley lying in the wreckage weeping; however, she foreshadows that the wrecking ball will swing again with the final lines “don’t you ever say I just walked away. I will always want you”.