Hoedown Throwdown facts for kids

Quick facts for kids "Hoedown Throwdown"
Single by Miley Cyrus
from the album Hannah Montana: The Movie
Released	March 10, 2009 (2009-03-10)
Genre	Country rap
Length	3:01
Label	Walt Disney
Songwriter(s)	Adam Anders Nikki Hassman
Producer(s)	Adam Anders Raz
Miley Cyrus singles chronology
"The Climb" (2009) "Hoedown Throwdown" (2009) "Party in the U.S.A." (2009)

"Hoedown Throwdown" is a fun song by American singer Miley Cyrus. It was released digitally on March 10, 2009. This song is part of the soundtrack for the movie Hannah Montana: The Movie. You can even find a karaoke version of it!

"Hoedown Throwdown" is a special dance song that mixes country and hip hop styles. The dance moves were created by Jamal Sims and are inspired by line dancing. The song got mixed reviews from critics but became very popular. It reached the top twenty in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its highest spot was number ten on the Irish Singles Chart. There wasn't an official music video, but a clip from Hannah Montana: The Movie was used to promote it. Miley Cyrus also performed "Hoedown Throwdown" during her first world concert tour, the Wonder World Tour.

Making the Song: The Story Behind "Hoedown Throwdown"

"Hoedown Throwdown" was made for the 2009 musical film Hannah Montana: The Movie. In the movie, Miley Cyrus plays a famous pop star who goes back to her country roots and family. The film's director, Peter Chelsom, wanted a big dance scene, like the famous "Macarena" from 1995.

Chelsom wanted a song where Miley's character, Miley Stewart, would "call out" dance steps. He wanted the song to show Miley's fun and silly side. He also wanted it to mix Miley Stewart's L.A. hip-hop and pop style with her country background. Because it's a dance instruction song, many people worked on it together. This included director Peter Chelsom, choreographer Jamal Sims, Miley Cyrus, and the songwriters Adam Anders and Nikki Hasman. Chelsom said they called the song "The Project" for a long time before naming it "Hoedown Throwdown." They also nicknamed it "Miley's Macarena."

Music and Lyrics: What Does it Sound Like?

"Hoedown Throwdown" combines country and hip hop sounds. It has a steady beat of 104 beats per minute. The song is written in the key of E♭ major. Miley's voice covers two octaves, from B♭₃ to F₅.

The song starts with Miley repeating "Boom Boom clap, boom di-clap di-clap" four times. This catchy line is also used at the end of the song. AllMusic described the song as a tribute to "down-home family times." Miley Cyrus said that "Hoedown Throwdown" was one of the songs on the movie's soundtrack that truly showed her Nashville roots.

Learning the Dance: The "Hoedown Throwdown" Moves

The dance for "Hoedown Throwdown" is mostly line dancing with some hip-hop moves mixed in. A special video called "How to Do the Hoedown Throwdown" came out on Disney Channel on February 20, 2009. This video starred Miley Cyrus and the movie's choreographer, Jamal Sims.

In the video, Miley and Jamal, along with backup dancers, are in a pink room wearing workout clothes. They show and explain each dance move step by step. At the end, they put all the moves together in a "Hoedown Throwdown Showdown." Miley said the dance needs "semi-coordination." Ann Donahue from Billboard magazine noted that kids learned the dance by watching YouTube and talking to friends on the phone. She also compared it to the dance for Billy Ray Cyrus' song "Achy Breaky Heart." MTV News reported that the "Hoedown Throwdown" made many young people interested in country music. Miley Cyrus said in an interview, "It's really cool that they're getting to dance to it."

Song Success: How Well Did it Do?

"Hoedown Throwdown" became popular because people bought it digitally. It first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number sixty-eight in March 2009. It then climbed higher, reaching number eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100. This was thanks to many digital downloads, which put it at number eight on the Hot Digital Songs chart.

In Canada, the song reached number fifteen. In Australia, it started at number forty and went up to number twenty. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) gave "Hoedown Throwdown" a gold certification. This means it sold over 35,000 digital copies there. In New Zealand, the song reached number forty.

In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number sixty-two and later peaked at number eighteen. Its biggest success internationally was in Ireland, where it reached number ten on the Irish Singles Chart. In Europe, it reached number fifty on the European Hot 100 and number seventeen in Norway. The song also appeared on charts in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

Music Video: A Scene from the Movie

Cyrus (center) performing "Hoedown Throwdown" in its music video, an excerpt from Hannah Montana: The Movie.

The music video for "Hoedown Throwdown" is actually a scene from Hannah Montana: The Movie. It was directed by Peter Chelsom and first shown on Disney Channel on February 16, 2009.

The video starts with a black screen and blue words like "boom" and "boom, clap, boom dee clap" appearing. Then, there's a quick mix of clips featuring Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart. The main part of the video takes place in a busy barn. Miley Cyrus is on a stage, wearing a plaid shirt, jean skirt, and boots. Blue words showing the song's lyrics pop up as Miley tries to teach the crowd the dance.

After the crowd learns the moves, you see other actors from the movie doing the "Hoedown Throwdown." These include Mitchel Musso, Moises Arias, Vanessa Williams, Tyra Banks, Jason Earles, and Emily Osment. When the video returns to Miley, she is off the stage and dancing with everyone else. The video ends with Miley finishing her song on stage and the audience cheering.

Live Performances: Dancing on Stage

Miley Cyrus never sang "Hoedown Throwdown" live on TV shows. However, she often performed the dance to the song's recorded track. On April 3, 2009, Miley danced to "Hoedown Throwdown" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She also performed the dance on Good Morning America on April 8, 2009. On April 10, 2009, Miley and some of her movie castmates danced to the song on The Tyra Banks Show.

"Hoedown Throwdown" was also part of Miley's set list for her first world tour, the Wonder World Tour. During these performances, Miley wore a short white tutu-like dress and danced with her background dancers. In the middle of the song, will.i.am appeared on the screens to congratulate Miley. He kept talking as she left the stage. After he finished, the dancers performed to a remix of "Boom Boom Pow" by The Black Eyed Peas.

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