“Wake Up America” by Miley Cyrus

Cover of Miley Cyrus’ 2008 album Breakout featuring the song “Wake Up America” (from Wikipedia).

  • “Wake Up America” is a song released in 2008 in Miley Cyrus’ album Breakout. This was her first album not associated with Disney Channel, as reflected in the name of the album. 
  • It is an upbeat pop-rock song that implores Americans to pay attention to climate change and to do something about it. The fast-paced and catchy nature of the song makes its message more effective at reaching people than a slow rhythm with depressing lyrics. 
  • You can listen to the song here, and read the lyrics here.

How is this related to climate?

  • Miley Cyrus wrote this song to raise awareness about climate change and pollution. The singer-songwriter wanted Americans to stop burying their heads in the sand and pay attention to what is happening to our planet.
  • The lyrics “We’re all in this together, It’s our home so let’s take care of it” encourage people to work together as a community to take care of our home, Earth. One person can’t solve climate change. Only as a community, working together, can we create positive change. 
  • With the lyrics “And everything you do matters, Yeah, everything you do matters in some way” Miley Cyrus attempts to get people to realize that every decision they make has an impact on this world. Many people think that what individuals do doesn’t matter because they are just one person. This attitude leads people to make choices that are not good for the planet, such as using single-use plastic, littering, and not voting for politicians who care about the environment. 
    • This song also implies that thinking about climate change and pollution can be  difficult and upsetting, and can make people feel depressed and hopeless.  Because of this many choose to ignore the problem and just focus on living their lives. It is much easier to look away from climate change than it is to think and do something about it. With the lyrics “Oh, it’s easy to look away, But it’s getting harder day by day,” Miley Cyrus is highlighting this issue and making listeners realize that if we all ignore climate change it will only get worse. 

References and additional resources