Miley Cyrus was (possibly!) spilling all the tea in her recent album Endless Summer Vacation — specifically alluding to moments with her former husband and actor Liam Hemsworth and why their relationship ended. Fans have been speculating that Cyrus would mention Hemsworth back when she released her lead single “Flowers” on Jan. 13 — the same day as his birthday (That alone got me interested in the deeper meanings behind all of her lyrics on the album).
Fans couldn’t help but notice that “Flowers” may directly mention her and Hemsworth’s relationship with the verse “Built a house and watched it burn,” which could be a reference to their shared home being burned down in November 2018 due to the Woosley fires that impacted areas in L. A and Ventura Counties. Brandi Cyrus, Cyrus’ older sister, even discussed the song being about Hemsworth in her podcast Your Favorite Thing, mentioning the birthday-song release coincidence and applauding fans for their internet sleuthing in search of the underlying meanings in Cyrus’ works. “I love Miley fans so much, they go hard in the paint,” she commented.
She didn’t say whether the rumors were true or not, instead claiming that only Cyrus knows the truth. The podcast’s mention of “Flowers” motivated me to put on my music conspiracy thinking cap once again and see if any other songs on the album are about Hemsworth — and believe me, some ideas are juicy. Her Campus reached out to Hemsworth’s team for comment on all of these lyrics and their potential connections to Hemsworth, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
“Island” may Reference Hemsworth’s rumored radio song dedication TO cyrus.
“Island” by Cyrus is about the loneliness she feels in a relationship, even if it appears to be a picture-perfect paradise. Towards the song’s bridge, Cyrus says, “I hear your voice like a song on the radio/All day long, ’cause, boy, I’ve been missin’ you,” which could be a reference to fan rumors that Hemsworth dedicated Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” in a phone call to a radio station; however, neither Cyrus nor Hemsworth confirmed the event.
So, what does a possible song request reference have to do with Cyrus shading Hemsworth? Fans have also noted similarities between the “Flowers” lyric “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 Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” lyric “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.”
DID CYRUS REVEAL THAT SHE WAS BEING CHEATED ON in “Muddy Feet”?
Cyrus discusses moments in a combative relationship where an ex “gets in her head” by “always questioning [her] questioning” in the explosive song “Muddy Feet,” which features a harmonization with Sia. In the pre-chorus, Cyrus refers to a shocking revelation that she may have been cheated on during a relationship, saying, “And you smell like perfume that I didn’t purchase/Now I know why you’ve been closing the curtains/Get the f*ck out of my house.”
Fans speculate that this verse refers to Hemsworth reportedly cheating on Cyrus multiple times in their home, though nothing was ever confirmed, and fans have had a lot to say about the song on Twitter.
Does Cyrus blame HEMSWORTH FOR THE RELATIONSHIP ENDING?
Cyrus’ song “Jaded” is about regretting a failed relationship and contemplating what could have been. Miley appears to be admitting that she did not speak up about the problem the relationship had at the time, but now that she has had time to reflect, she expresses specific issues, such as, “You’re not even willin’ to look at your part/You just jump in the car and head down to the bar ’til you’re blurry/ Don’t know when to stop, so you take it too far/I don’t know whеre you are and I’m left in the dark ’til I’m worried.”
“Jaded” connects to “Rose Colored Lenses,” which discusses avoiding problems for the sake of continuing a relationship in the lines “Wearing rose-colored lenses, let’s just play pretend/Wearing rose-colored lenses, pretend we’ll never end” and “Let’s stay like this forever.”
Unless Cyrus or Hemsworth ever confirm that the lyrics are indeed about Hemsworth, I guess we won’t know what really went down between them. Either way, this is juicy stuff — and I’m definitely going to keep listening.