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The Real Meaning of Miley Cyrus' "Flowers" and Its Connection to Virginia Woolf
The former Voice Coach's Grammy-winning track is an empowering ode to self-reliance.
Pop star and former The Voice Coach Miley Cyrus delightedly won her first Grammy for her hit single "Flowers," an uptempo anthem to self-reliance that was on repeated throughout 2023.
The post-breakup bop was a chart-topper and will surely become a mainstay of Karaoke nights everywhere. And it's got a fantastic message.
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What Miley Cyrus' "Flowers" means
"Started to cry, but then remembered I / 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," Cyrus sings.
The song is from the POV of someone who didn't want their relationship to end, but realizes that she can make the best of it by taking all the good parts of the relationship with her. She can treat herself well, buy herself gifts, and have even better conversations alone than she did with her partner.
The chorus is also reminiscent of one of the most famous first lines of a classic English novel: “Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself," the opening of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Throughout the book, the character of Mrs. Dalloway feels anxiety over the fact that she does not have an independent identity or sense of self, which is what Cyrus' "Flowers" is all about.
There is still an air of heartbreak in the song, but not wallowing in it. The singer is reminding herself that she can still enjoy all the best parts of life. "The song is a little fake it till you make it, which I'm a big fan of," Cyrus explained in an interview, per Entertainment Tonight.
The music video is simple: Cyrus spends the day alone, happily. Perhaps returning from a party, she walks up a hill to her house and takes off her nice clothes, then goes for a swim in black lingerie. After a workout, she takes a shower, then dances around her house as the sun sets. Totally entertained by her own company.
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"Flowers" used to be a very different song
"I wrote it in a really different way. The chorus was originally: 'I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand, but I can't love me better than you can.'" Cyrus revealed in the same conversation. "It used to be more, like, 1950s. The saddest song. Like: 'Sure, I can be my own lover, but you're so much better.'" So glad she changed it!
The lyrics to "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus
We were good, we were gold
Kinda dream that can't be sold
We were right 'til we weren't
Built a home and watched it burn
Mm, I didn't wanna leave you
I didn't wanna lie
Started to cry, but then remembered I
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
Can love me better
I can love me better, baby
Can love me better
I can love me better, baby
Paint my nails cherry red
Match the roses that you left
No remorse, no regret
I forgive every word you said
Ooh, I didn't wanna leave you, baby
I didn't wanna fight
Started to cry, but then remembered I
I can buy myself flowers
Write my name in the sand
Talk to myself for hours, yeah
Say things you don't understand
I can take myself dancing, yeah
I can hold my own hand
Yeah, I can love me better than you can
Can love me better
I can love me better, baby
Can love me better
I can love me better, baby
Can love me better
I can love me better, baby
Can love me better
Oh, I
I didn't wanna leave you
I didn't wanna fight
Started to cry, but then remembered I
I can buy myself flowers (oh)
Write my name in the sand (mm)
Talk to myself for hours (yeah)
Say things you don't understand (you never will)
I can take myself dancing, yeah
I can hold my own hand
Yeah, I can love me better than
Yeah, I can love me better than you can
Can love me better
I can love me better, baby (oh)
Can love me better
I can love me better (than you can), baby
Can love me better
I can love me better, baby
Can love me better
I
