Miley Cyrus’ Song Lyrics About Love Get To The Heart Of Heartbreak

This gentle, hand-clapping track is from Cyrus' SHE IS COMING EP, aka, the project that rocked our worlds with "Mother's Daughter" this summer. The song is a confession from Cyrus: From time to time, she acts up and receives unconditional love that she doesn't feel like she deserves. Cyrus sings:

Your tender touch is the healing that I seek / I come to you when my judgement becomes weak / All that you are is all I ever need / I don't know why you still believe in me

There's a raw vulnerability in this song that listeners can probably relate to, since this is a feeling that, safe to say, everyone's experienced at one point or another.

Debuted during Cyrus' 2019 VMAs performance, "Slide Away" is the first single from Cyrus' upcoming album, SHE IS HERE. The song was produced by long-time Cyrus collaborator, Mike WiLL Made-It. But unlike "23" (remember "J's on my feet?") and "Party Up the Street," this song is more melancholy. The opening lines are sobering:

Once upon a time, it was paradise / Once upon a time, I was paralyzed / Think I'm gonna miss these harbor lights / But it's time to let it go / Once upon a time, it was made for us / Woke up one day, it had turned to dust / Baby, we were found, but now we're lost / So it's time to let it go

Is "Slide Away" about Liam Hemsworth? There's no concrete telling, but anyone who can put two and two together will know that this song was released just after the ex-couple announced their split. There are also a bunch of little details in the song, like mentions of being 17 years old. In the "Slide Away" video, there's a Ten of Hearts playing card at the bottom of a pool, probably signifying the 10 years the two were together. There are also depictions of heavy partying, which is one of the reported reasons Cyrus and Hemsworth went their separate ways. Safe to say it's one of Cyrus' most heart-wrenching song yet.

Cyrus has had some missteps when it comes to social justice issues, but the way that she shows up for the LGBTQ+ community is not one of them. She's proudly embraced the pansexual label and founded the Happy Hippie Foundation to champion homeless and LGBTQ+ youth.

Likewise, during the Younger Now release party, Cyrus explained she released "She's Not Him" to "normalize bisexuality, saying, “I don’t think there’s any songs, any films, any music — anything — that makes bisexuality feel normal for us.” The pronouns in the title alone hold an inherent queerness. (Fans think it's about reported ex-girlfriend Stella Maxwell). The slow piano, tambourine shakes, and lyrics remind us that regardless of who we love, the sting of a breakup and rebound are so real:

There's no other girl that looks like ya, darling / Those eyes, that tongue, those teeth, that face, that body / Even though we’ve gone to outer space / Still no way you can take his place

As Halsey aptly pointed out after Cyrus' kiss with Kaitlynn Carter, bi and pan people are always bi and pan — regardless of their partner's gender. Considering the timing of Miley's new reported relationship, it's only fair to mention that "She's Not Him" is one of her best, most on-point songs about love, and probably one of the ones that best mirrors her real-life experiences.

"Malibu," another song about Hemsworth, is vastly different from "Slide Away." Cyrus sings of happier times, when she and Hemsworth re-connected and started fresh after spending years apart. The clean guitar and angelic vocals are timeless, as we see in the video, it's about love that makes you feel as light as a balloon. It's about love that makes you feel like the rush of a waterfall, a fresh-cut flower, tousled beach waves, and running through open field.

We watched the sun go down as we were walkin'/ I'd sped the rest of my life just standing here talkin'/ You would explain the current, as I just smile/ Hoping that you'll stay the same and nothing will change

Even though it has a nostalgic, wistful feeling now, "Malibu" has been an instant classic since it dropped.

"Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" is Cyrus' collaboration with Mark Ronson, who also produced "The Most". The song appears on Ronson's album, Late Night Feelings, which is exactly like what you'd expect based on the title. Just listen to it, trust.

"Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" has a disco-meets-Western vibe that's reflected perfectly in the lyrics:

We'll leave each other cold as ice / And high and dry, the desert wind / Is blowin', is blowin' / Remember what you said to me? / We were drunk in love in Tennessee / And I hold it, we both know it

Cyrus' lyrics present a vivid picture of drunkenly whispered sweet nothings that you have to reconcile later, in the light of day. And goodness, haven't we all been in that situation before?

But luckily, Cyrus' music exists with its high highs and low lows. Whether you're feeling fierce, or simply in your feelings, you can always count on Miley.