Miley Cyrus’ lead single off her album Endless Summer Vacation, “Flowers,” was one of the hottest hits of 2023, winning Grammy Awards for Best Record and Best Pop Solo Performance. Thanks to her empowering lyrics, an amazing music video and plenty of speculation that the song is about her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, “Flowers” shot up the charts. But while people all over the world found strength in the concept of looking within for the things we seek out in relationships, Cyrus said she actually thinks the anthem is one of the saddest things she’s ever written.
In the new season of David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (available to stream with a Netflix subscription), the “Wrecking Ball” artist sat down with the iconic talk show host. One topic that came up was her huge hit from last year that skyrocketed to the top of the charts, and Letterman mused that while buying yourself flowers and holding your own hand is a great concept, it’s not actually that easy in practice. Miley Cyrus agreed, noting “a real sadness to it.” She said:
There is a difference in having outside love from someone else. There is a different feeling of buying flowers for yourself and receiving them from someone that cares about you. There is. And then, the celebration that I guess I had never even thought about it that way. I had never thought so many of the things that we’re looking for in a relationship we actually can just bring to ourselves, but first you gotta have a healthy relationship with yourself. You gotta love being you.
MIley Cyrus has previously said that the original lyrics to the chorus were “I CAN’T love me better than you can,” and it’s pretty crazy how just that one word can make such a difference. David Letterman said the song made him think about all things you might miss in a relationship, saying sure, you can do all this for yourself, but that’s not really what you were hoping for. Again, he hit the nail on the head, and the artist agreed, saying:
That’s why it’s kind of one of the sadder, I think it’s one of the sadder songs that I’ve actually ever written.
It really shows how talented Miley Cyrus is and how personal this song is to her that “Flowers” can take on two completely opposite — but both totally valid — meanings. The song, as she said, is absolutely a celebration of not needing to look to a partner for fulfillment, but at the same time, there is heartbreak, because it’s also nice to be loved and spoiled and not have to do it all by yourself.
I may need to hold my own hand as I process how I feel about this new perspective on the Endless Summer Vacation banger. Miley Cyrus and David Letterman talked about a host of other things, so check out the full episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, and see what else is new and coming soon to Netflix.
