Break-up song turned to self-love anthem
Behind the scenes of Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers”
Following the release of Miley Cyrus’s newest single “Flowers” on Jan. 13, the song topped charts and set new records.
On Jan. 20, Spotify announced that “Flowers” had broken the record for most streams in one week on their platform. According to Variety, as of that morning the song had gained 101,838,799 streams.
“Flowers” topped the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart during the first week of its release. During this time, this track also reached No. 1 on Apple Music Charts.
Many fans have noticed a certain meaning behind the lyrics. The chorus is speculated to be a play on Bruno Mars’s 2012 hit “When I Was Your Man.”
In the chorus, Mars sings:
“That I should have bought you flowers / And held your hand / Should have gave you all my hours / When I had the chance/ Take you to every party ‘cause all you wanted to do was dance.”
However, in the chorus of “Flowers,” Cyrus samples these same ideas and fl ips them to create a positive empowerment by saying:
“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.”
With elements of disco funk and her unmistakable vocals, Cyrus transformed a regretful breakup song into an anthem of self-love.
There is a deeper interpretation of the true dedication of this song. It is believed that Cyrus directed this at her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s house where he cheated on her with other women. Additionally, Hemsworth’s birthday is Jan. 13, the day that “Flowers” was released.
In 2013 during the time of their relationship, Hemsworth dedicated “When I Was Your Man” to Cyrus. This brings more of a relation to the similarity in lyrics. Th e lyrics imply that Cyrus does not need him to find her own happiness.
This song has become a symbol of female empowerment. The lyrics indicate a sense of self-love when Cyrus sings “I can love me better than you can.” What started as another breakup song quickly turned into this powerful anthem of independence and feminine power.
More from Cyrus will be seen in the coming months with the anticipation of her upcoming album, “Endless Summer Vacation,” expected on March 10 of this year.
