Miley’s Original “Flowers” Lyrics Were A Total 180 From How They Ended Up
The OG version was def not the self-confidence anthem it became.
Miley Cyrus gave us one of the most empowering, self-confident breakup anthems when she released her single “Flowers,” but the song actually started off with a completely different vibe. Instead of being a track in which Cyrus took pleasure in being newly single, she revealed the the song was initially about longing to return to a failed relationship. Cyrus shared the original lyrics to “Flowers,” showing how just changing one word completely flipped the message on its head.
Cyrus discussed the surprising evolution of “Flowers” in her May 18 British Vogue profile. The kiss-off hit thanks to the empowering message in its chorus: “I can love me better than you can.” But at first, that line was drastically different. “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. “It used to be more, like, 1950s. The saddest song, like, ‘Sure, I can be my own lover, but you’re so much better.’”
But in the process of working on the song, Cyrus decided the lyrics should reflect how she wants to feel, rather than wallowing in how she may actually feel. “The song is a little fake it till you make it, which I’m a big fan of,” Cyrus admitted.
Cyrus did release a more morose demo version of “Flowers” as a bonus track on her album Endless Summer Vacation, but the lyrics are not changed from the official song. Still, this stripped-down ballad version of the song offers more of an insight into what its original message was going to be.
Cyrus previously discussed how “Flowers” bloomed into an uplifting pop song after it was first planted as a yearning ballad during her Endless Summer Vacation: Backyard Sessions special. “When you strip away all the sounds and big harmonies, there’s a lot of sadness to it,” Cyrus said of the hit single. “I’ve liked the idea of ‘fake it till you make it.’ On the first chorus, I’m kind of telling myself and I’m trying to convince myself, and by the third chorus, you can hear that there’s a confidence, that I finally believe it.”
