Miley Cyrus’s ‘Flowers’ reclaims her independence after loss

Changing the narrative from a melody we all know and love ten years later.

Two years after her “Plastic Hearts” album era, Miley Cyrus released the “Flowers” music video and single, a perfectly calculated release, some fan theories have said. Fans theorize the song’s themes are influenced by her past relationship with ex-husband Liam Hemsworth whose birthday landed on the release date. Ever since the song’s release, it has grown in success due to the empowering message behind it, surpassing “Thank u, Next” records on charts with more than 100 million streams in its first week, according to Spotify. 

It’s never too late for a break-up song. The song pays homage and is a response to a song that is known and loved: “When I Was Your Man,” by Bruno Mars. The narrative has switched, and in this song, we get to hear how Miley can do all these things without relying on her significant other. Fans even have gone deep into this comparison by making videos of  Bruno Mars “When I Was Your Man” and “Flowers” to connect the storyline together.

The theme of this song shows a more positive outlook while ending a cycle in her life,“Flowers,” contrasting most of Miley’s previous music. The song begins with a solo electric guitar string strum, a rippling synth riff; isolated vocals that calmly introduce the song.

“We were good, we were gold/ Kinda dream that can’t be sold. / We were right till we weren’t. / Built a home and watched it burn,” sings Miley.

As a bass string continuously strums, some rasp grows in her tone. In a way, this signifies more strength and frustration. She continues, “Mm, I didn’t want to leave you, I didn’t want to lie/ Started to cry but then remembered I,” Miley sings as she jumps into the chorus where a known melody can be recognized.

“I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand/ Talk to myself for hours, say things you don’t understand/ I can take myself dancing, and I can hold my own hand/ Yeah, I can love me better than you can,” she sings as the upbeat tempo accompanies her lower riffs. Background vocals support her as she repeats “I can love me better.” 

It’s clear with this song that the verses have a simple sound musically, which can be repetitive to some. For a song like this, I believe it’s important for the message to focus on the lyrics and musical arrangements rather than just one theme.

And with a stable bass strum, Miley sings, “Paint my nails cherry red, match the roses that you left/ No remorse, no regret/ I forgive every word you said.”

I think it’s important to note how each chorus is being repeated, as it sounds different each time. In the first, there is a more neutral sound with the chorus but as the song went on, we received more excitement and the overall quality of her voice grew. 

The listener will continue to hear more growls as the second chorus goes on, but as we reach the final bridge we hit a pause, “I didn’t want to leave you, I didn’t want to try/ Started to cry, but then remembered I,” sings Miley. 

In the ending chorus, listeners can hear a more empowered Miley with a smooth high note, her singing accompanied by visuals of dancing around her house or freely on rooftops in the music video. She is also seen doing the infamous dance from the 2019 “Joker” movie.

A very sensual, fun and empowering way of ending the decade-long romance, that was once as powerful as this song has become. 

You can listen to “Flowers,” on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, and watch the music video on YouTube.