Miley Cyrus Says ‘Flowers’ Was Originally the ‘Saddest Song’

Miley Cyrus. Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Gucci

The internet harped on the meaning of “Flowers” until the conspiracy theories blossomed into a self-perpetuating marketing machine. The final version of Miley Cyrus’s long-running No. 1 hit is largely viewed as a triumph over her relationship with former spouse Liam Hemsworth, complete with an empowering chorus. “I can hold my own hand / Yeah, I can love me better than you can,” she sings. The first version, however, was more of the bleeding-heart variety. “I wrote it in a really different way,” she told British Vogue. “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.’ It used to be more, like, 1950s. The saddest song. Like: ‘Sure, I can be my own lover, but you’re so much better.’” Miley Cyrus was never trying to dupe anybody on that Endless Summer Vacation lead single, though. “I never need to be a master at the craft of tricking an audience,” she said. “It will set itself on fire all by itself.” Now, the track is a little “fake it till you make it,” she explained, which she is “a big fan of.” No word yet on how this new information will feed into the internet discourse about her past relationship.