Smilers (fans of Miley Cyrus) rejoice because Mother has arrived! After almost 3 years since her last album, Plastic Hearts, Miley Cyrus has announced that her long awaited 8th studio album Endless Summer Vacation is slated to release on March 10. Kicking off her new era is the release of the album’s lead single “Flowers”, a post breakup self-empowerment anthem that you will be playing on repeat. But “Flowers” is not all roses. The lyrics of the song and easter eggs in the music video all take a dig at her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth. While this is not her first time shading him, to add insult to injury, the single was released on January 13, the same day as Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. Miley Cyrus is coming for revenge in “Flowers” and I am right behind her. Keep on reading for the juicy clapbacks at Liam as I dissect the song!
The song starts with almost silence for 3 seconds before we hear a guitar scale. I found the delayed start interesting because almost all songs would want to make an impression within the first few beats. In this case, the pause reflected a sense of maturity from having time to reflect about her past relationship before speaking her mind. The first lines repeat the past tense “were”, emphasising a relationship that is long gone just like their Malibu home that they lost due to thewildfires in 2018 which she references in the line; “built a home and watched it burn”.
An insanely catchy and hard-hitting first verse and a pre-chorus that showcases her unique raspy tone set up the song to be a favourite on the first listen. But the disappointing chorus was where it took a turn for the worse. The beat and melody sounded generic and unoriginal. The song plays it safe for the chorus to be more commercially appealing after her more sonically experimental works did not chart well. Before “Flowers” there was the glam rock Plastic Hearts album and an amalgamation of R&B, pop and hip hop in the extended play She Is Coming which showcased her artistry without worrying about appealing to a mass audience.
Upon listening to it a few times, I realised it sounded unoriginal because I have heard this melody before in “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars. Take a look at this table where Miley Cyrus seems to reply to Bruno Mars through fiercely independent responses to relationship tropes:
| ’When I Was Your Man’ by Bruno Mars | ’Flowers’ by Miley Cryrus |
| ”I should have bought you flowers” | ”I can buy myself flowers” |
| ”And held your hand” | ”I can hold my own hand” |
| ”Take you to every party ’cause all you wanted to do was dance” | ”I can take myself dancing” |
There has been speculation online that Liam Hemsworth dedicated that song to her during their wedding. But I have my doubts about the credibility of the story as it’s such a sad song full of regret that would suck the energy out of a joyous wedding celebration. Regardless of whether the rumours are true, the possibility of her answer to “When I Was Your Man” in “Flowers” symbolises her being in control of and rewriting her own narrative .
Moving on to the music video, the jabs at Liam Hemsworth continue. According to a tweet by@ThePopTingz, the house the music video is set in was previously occupied by Liam Hemsworth where he allegedly cheated on Miley Cyrus with more than 14 women when they were married. Also, thesuitshe wears as she dances through the house makes a nod to the suit Liam Hemsworth wore when he publicly told her to behave on the red carpet.
As Miley Cyrus makes all these references, “Flowers” becomes an even more powerful confrontation of her past and the importance of self-love. If this is any indication of what we can expect from the album, I am excited. Looking at the album cover and “Flowers”, we can expect to hear a more pop sound from Miley Cyrus akin to her highly rated Bangerz album. While I do hope the other songs in the album reflect her love for experimentation and vocals, I will be impatiently counting down to March 10.