Cyrus has stated that " We Ca n't Stop " represents " where I 'm at in my life now " . Lyrically , the track describes a house party , as mentioned in the opening lines " It 's our party , we can do what we want / It 's our party , we can say what we want / It 's our party , we can love who we want / We can kiss who we want / We can live how we want " . It also makes several references to recreational drug use , including " dancing with molly " , using a slang term for ecstasy , and " trying to get a line of cocaine in the bathroom " . After initial confusion whether the former lyric was " dancing with molly " or " dancing with Miley " , Cyrus clarified that she was referring to ecstasy , commenting that " if you ’re aged ten it ’s ' Miley ' , if you know what I 'm talking about then you know . I just wanted it to be played on the radio and they ’ve already had to edit it so much . " " We Ca n't Stop " received mixed reviews from music critics , who appreciated its overall production but were negative towards its lyrical content . Adam Carlson of '' Entertainment Weekly '' provided a favorable review , writing that the lyrics were questionable but " infectious " , adding that it reminded him of " Kesha on Benadryl . " Sam Lansky from Idolator noted that stands apart from other songs recently played on mainstream radio , adding that it " just feels strange , and kind of wonderful " , while the '' Los Angeles Times '' Mikael Woods labeled it " the calmest , most clear-eyed rebel yell since Janet Jackson 's " Control . " Sean Daly of the '' Tampa Bay Times '' and '' The Wall Street Journal '' staff both appreciated the catchy melody , while Lyndsey Parker from Yahoo! Music felt that " We Ca n't Stop " acted as a sequel to Cyrus ' earlier single " Party in the U.S.A. " , with the difference that " she 's just partying a little harder now . " However , in a more mixed review , Randall Roberts of the '' Los Angeles Times '' felt that the song " seems as if it were written by a ninth-grader imagining her rebellious college sister ’s lifestyle " and felt that it lacked creativity within Cyrus ' catalog . Writing for '' Rolling Stone '' , Jon Dolan was skeptical of Cyrus ' increasingly provocative image , stating that the lyrics in the chorus would be " an odd fit for any singer " and opining that " there 's still a bit too much Disney in her voice to fill the track . " Naomi Zeichner of '' The Fader '' praised the song , writing , " Cyrus said in her recent MTV doc ( Miley : The Movement ) , that she chose it to be her album 's first single : ' Not everyone came to me and said okay , you 've got the first single . I had to say no , I know this is it and I 'll go to battle if I have to , against anyone who does n't believe in it . Now I have this freedom to do whatever I want , because people trust me . ' She was right about this one . The song 's straightforward party is now tied to a sordid universe of visuals - the official video and the VMA performance . " Common Sense Media gave the song two stars out of five saying that " After listening to the weird intro to " We Ca n't Stop " you 'll kind of wish the song did just stop right there . " " We Ca n't Stop " won the award for " Choice Summer Song " and was nominated for " Choice Single : Female Artist " at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards in August . In December , '' Billboard '' critics listed it as the best song of 2013 for being " one of the bolder musical choices in recent memory , and that risk paid off tremendously . " '' The Village Voice '' s Pazz & Jop annual critics ' poll ranked " We Ca n't Stop " at number nine on their poll to find the best music of 2013 . Pitchfork Media ranked " We Ca n't Stop " at number 131 on the websites list of the 200 Best Tracks of the Decade So Far ( 2010-2014 )
2013 Teen Choice Awards
2013 Teen Choice Awards
We Can't Stop