"Flowers" is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus, taken from her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation (2023). Cyrus wrote the song with Gregory Aldae Hein and Michael Pollack, while Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson handled the production. Columbia Records released "Flowers" as the album's lead single on January 12, 2023.[4][5][6] A pop song with disco, rock, and funk influences, its lyrics express an ex-lover's acceptance of being independent after no longer feeling the need to be complete by relying on someone else.
"Flowers" received positive reviews from music critics and was a massive commercial success, breaking many records. In the United States, the single debuted at number one and spent eight non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to becoming Cyrus's second number one song on the chart since "Wrecking Ball" (2013). It also debuted at number one on the Billboard Global 200 chart and stayed on top for thirteen non-consecutive weeks. The song was also a commercial success elsewhere, topping the charts in 37 other countries. It also broke a string of records on streaming platforms, including the Spotify record for the most streamed song in a week (during both its first and second week) and the fastest song in Spotify history to surpass one billion streams (doing so in 112 days). "Flowers" also became the longest-running number one-song in the history of the BillboardAdult Contemporary chart, with 38 weeks at the top. It won Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, and also received a nomination for Song of the Year.
"Flowers" was written by Miley Cyrus, Gregory "Aldae" Hein, and Michael Pollack in January 2022 in Sunset Sound Recorders studio in Hollywood, California.[7] Pollack said: "We started with the chorus and, if I remember correctly, the lyric, melody, and progression started to form simultaneously. It's one of those 'circle of fifths's songs where the melody informs the progression and vice versa. It practically wrote itself." The initial demo version of the song was a stripped-back ballad, only consisting of Cyrus singing and Pollack playing the Rhodes piano. Then it evolved into the uptempo song.[8] Its final version was produced by Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon.[9]
On December 31, 2022, while hosting her NBC live special Miley's New Year's Eve Party, Cyrus announced "Flowers" would be released simultaneously in all markets on January 13, 2023.[10] The song was released on January 13 at UTC+00:00, which was still January 12 in some parts of the world.[11][12][13] The demo version of the song was released digitally on March 3, 2023.[14] It was also included on the digital version of Endless Summer Vacation album.[15]
"Flowers" is a pop song with disco and funk influences.[1][3] Anna Gaca of Pitchfork described it as a "twangy" disco funk song with a string section reminiscent of flamenco.[3] Gabrielle Sanchez of Yahoo! said, "A funky bassline guides the song, paired with a swooning string line and fizzy cymbals".[16] Mary Siroky of Consequence thought that Cyrus's "raspy vocals offer an edge to the disco-toned anthem" and that the song interpolatesGloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" (1978). She further opined that "Flowers" sounds like "if the hazy, peaceful California tone of 'Malibu' were to be applied to a dance pop track".[17]Alexis Petridis of The Guardian noted its "shimmering electric guitar and understated yacht-rock mood," comparing it to Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours.[18]
Gabrielle Sanchez of Yahoo! called "Flowers" "a spunky track about flaunting one's self-reliance and independence, no longer depending on someone else to feel complete".[16] Anna Gaca from Pitchfork described it as a "revenge anthem".[3] Mary Siroky of Consequence felt that Cyrus is "embracing her story as her own, stepping into her autonomy in a fully realized way".[17] Dale Maplethorpe of Gigwise felt that "the theme of the song is self-love and acceptance".[19] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard compared the song to Cyrus's 2019 single "Slide Away", adding that "Flowers" "focuses far more on self-sustainability than revenge, trading the melancholy of a song like ... 'Slide Away' for a more assertive outlook".[1]
The song's chorus is a paraphrase of Bruno Mars's "When I Was Your Man" (2012).[20][21] Editors of Billboard noted that the songs only feature similar lyrical elements and ideas, meaning that the writers of "When I Was Your Man" are not required to be credited as co-writers of "Flowers".[22] Following its release, several publications suggested that "Flowers" was supposed to be a response song directed at Cyrus's ex-husband Liam Hemsworth. It was released on Hemsworth's birthday, and the lyrics refer to their Malibu, California home which burned down in November 2018 during the Woolsey Fire. Hemsworth had reportedly dedicated "When I Was Your Man" to Cyrus in the past.[23][20][24][25]
Critical reception
Reviews
"Flowers" received favorable reviews from music critics, with many complimenting Cyrus' vocal delivery. According to Billboard's Jason Lipshutz, the single is not a "full-blown reinvention" for Cyrus, but "sturdy, hummable pop, and it captivates without bells or whistles."[1]The New York Times' Lindsay Zoladz described the song as "breezy" and opined that "the relatively subdued chorus melody may not demand much of Cyrus, but her vocals are imbued with a laid-back maturity and convincing self-assurance".[26]Consequence's Mary Siroky was appreciative of the song and Cyrus, writing that the singer "has played with genre extensively throughout her career, and it's probably because her voice just sounds good in every single one of them." She went on to add to the praise, stating that "once the chorus [in 'Flowers'] hits, she arrives at the conclusion that everything is going to be okay, and there's even a strong chance she'll be better off going forward: 'I can take myself dancing/ And I can hold my own hand/ Yeah, I can love me better than you can'." She also gave the song their "Song of the Week" status.[17]The Daily Telegraph'sNeil McCormick called it "sophisticated perfection."[27]
Dale Maplethorpe of Gigwise felt that Cyrus's "incredibly recognizable voice chiming in and sounding fantastic" and noted that in the chorus "we hear a funky bassline and killer drums that don't leave the listener with much else to do other than bust a move". However, he felt that the song "does feel like it doesn't build as much as it could do" and "is lacking in the big finish that it seems to tease".[19] Writing for Pitchfork, Anna Gaca described the single as "generic", and Cyrus's vocal delivery as "sincerely unbothered". Gaca further negatively compared the song to "Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53", stating that "calling it revenge is a reach, not when Shakira is ready to call you a Twingo: What we're really dealing with here is self-help", implying that the latter addressed the revenge topic in a better way.[3]
Upon its release "Flowers" broke several records on Spotify. The song earned over 7.7 million plays in its first 24 hours on Spotify globally.[36] On January 20, 2023, it achieved the fourth highest single-day streams for a song, at the time,[a] garnering over 18.4 million plays on the streaming service globally.[37]
During its first full seven days (January 13–20, 2023) the song earned 96,032,624 plays on Spotify globally, becoming the biggest week for a song in the platform's history (previously the record was held by Adele's "Easy on Me" with over 85 million streams).[38][39] In the next seven days (January 21–27, 2023) it earned 115,156,896 plays, breaking the record again.[40][41] It also became the fastest song to cross 100 million plays on Spotify globally (seven days), breaking the record previously held by BTS's "Butter" in eight days.[42] Jana Coffey, Spotify's artist and label partnerships leader, noted that the popularity of "Flowers" had been growing day-after-day while streaming numbers for other record-breaking songs were the largest on their first days and then declined throughout the week.[42] On May 4, 2023, it became the fastest song to earn 1 billion plays on Spotify globally (112 days), surpassing the Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber's "Stay" (2021) and Harry Styles's "As It Was" (2022) (both 118 days).[43][44][b]
"Flowers" debuted atop the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. US charts, becoming Cyrus's first number-one single on both charts since their launch in September 2020.[46] It topped the global charts for thirteen non-consecutive weeks each, tying with Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" as the second longest-running number-one on the Global 200, and with Harry Styles's "As It Was" (2022) as the longest-running number one on the Global Excl. US, respectively.[c][49][50] During its first three weeks it gained 179.1, 217.1 and 185.6 million streams worldwide consecutively, which became the fifth, second and fourth biggest weeks ever for a song in the Billboard Global 200's history.[51] It also became the second song in the chart's history to gain over 100 million global streams for at least eight weeks, after the Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber's "Stay" in 2021.[52] On the issue dated July 8, 2023, it returned to the number one on the Global 200 after a 10-week break, which was the longest gap in the chart's history, excluding "All I Want for Christmas Is You".[50] It topped the 2023 year-end Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts.[53]
According to Luminate, "Flowers" earned 1.16billion streams worldwide until March 31, 2023, making it the most streamed song of the first quarter of 2023.[54] It was the most-streamed song on Spotify and Deezer and second most-streamed on Apple Music globally in 2023.[55][56][57][58]
North America
During the first five hours of availability on January 12, 2023, "Flowers" gained 685,000 streams, 2.4 million radio airplay audience impressions, and 2,000 digital downloads sold and debuted at number 21 on the Digital Songs chart. After its first full week (January 13–19) "Flowers" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the 65th song to do so, Cyrus's second number-one single after "Wrecking Ball" in 2013 and her 11th top ten entry. Due to garnering 52.6 million streams, 33.5 million radio airplay audience impressions and 70,000 digital downloads sold, it debuted atop the Streaming Songs, rose to number one of the Digital Song Sales and debuted at number 18 of the Radio Songs.[59] The same week, Cyrus reached her career top of number three on BillboardArtist 100 chart and her back catalog had an increase of 65% in streaming in the United States.[60][61] "Flowers" spent eight non-consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100.[62] It also became the second song ever after Harry Styles' "As It Was" (2022) to spend its debut 20 weeks in the chart's top-three region.[63] It became the highest streamed song in a week since Drake's "Way 2 Sexy" in September 2021 due to 59.8 million streams in its second week, as well as the first song with two consecutive weeks of at least 50 million streams since Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" in January 2021, the first non-holiday song with three consecutive weeks of at least 40 million streams since Rodrigo's "Good 4 U" in June 2021, and the first song to sell over 30,000 in three consecutive weeks since Coldplay and BTS's "My Universe" in October 2021.[64][65] It topped the Streaming Songs and Digital Songs charts for four and five consecutive weeks, respectively.[62]
After one month of release in the United States, "Flowers" became Cyrus's 11th biggest hit in total radio airplay audience due to 233 million impressions and her 13th biggest in on-demand streaming due to 182 million streams.[66] In its fifth week it topped the Radio Songs and Pop Airplay charts. It became Cyrus's first number-one single on Radio Songs and the fourth song to top it in five weeks at most since it became an all-format chart in December 1998.[67] It also became the 13th song in history to top Pop Airplay in five weeks at most.[68] In its sixth week, "Flowers" became Cyrus's first number-one on the Adult Pop Airplay and Dance/Mix Show Airplay charts.[69][70][71] It spent 18 consecutive weeks atop Radio Songs, tying with the Goo Goo Dolls's "Iris" (1998) as the second longest-running number-one on the chart.[72] On the issue dated April 15, 2023, it became Cyrus's second number-one song on the Adult Contemporary chart.[73] Also that week, "Flowers" became the seventh song ever to top the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, and Adult Contemporary charts concurrently.[74] The single topped the three charts for 10, 17, and 38 weeks, respectively.[75][76][73] It became the third song ever to top all three charts simultaneously for at least four weeks, after Adele's "Hello" (2015) and Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" (1996).[77] The song became the longest-running chart-topper in the over 60-year history of Adult Contemporary (38 weeks), breaking the record previously held by Maroon 5's "Girls Like You" due to 36 weeks.[78][79] It tied with "Iris" (1998) by Goo Goo Dolls as the sixth longest-running leader (17 weeks), at the time, on Adult Pop Airplay—and the longest-running among women, at the time.[d][73][81] "Flowers" became the song with the most cumulative weeks (64) atop the three charts.[82]
According to Luminate, "Flowers" earned 750.7 million on-demand audio and video streams, 380,000 downloads, and 2.4 billion radio audience impressions in the US until June 29, 2023—making it the most-streamed, most-downloaded, and most-heard song on the radio of the first half of 2023.[83] It ranked second on the 2023 year-end Hot 100 chart, only behind Morgan Wallen's "Last Night", and topped the year-end Radio Songs and Adult Pop Airplay charts.[84] It was the third most-streamed song in the United States on Spotify in 2023.[55] "Flowers" was iHeartRadio's most-heard song on the US radio in 2023, with over 1.4 billion audience impressions.[85]
The song topped national charts in most European countries, including Austria,[95] Belgium (both Flanders and Wallonia),[96][97] Bulgaria,[98] Croatia (both Airplay Radio Chart and Croatia Songs),[99][100] Czech Republic,[101] Denmark,[102] Finland,[103] France,[104] Germany,[105] Greece,[106] Hungary,[107] Iceland,[108] Ireland,[109] Latvia,[110] Lithuania,[111] the Netherlands (both Dutch Top 40 and Single Top 100),[112][113] Norway,[114] Poland (both streaming and airplay charts),[115][116] Portugal,[117] Romania,[118] Russia,[119] Slovakia,[120] Sweden,[121] Switzerland,[122] Ukraine[123] and the United Kingdom.[124] In the United Kingdom, "Flowers" debuted atop the UK Singles Chart with 92,000 chart units, partially due to 9.9 million streams, which was the biggest first week overall since Harry Styles's "As It Was" in April 2022.[125] The song topped the chart for ten consecutive weeks, becoming Cyrus's third number-one song in Britain after "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" (both from 2013) and her first to remain at the top for longer than one week.[126] It became the third song of the 2020s after Styles's "As It Was" and Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits" to top it for at least ten weeks.[127] On June 26, 2023, the song was certified double Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipment of 1.2 million units.[128] By the end of 2023, the song amassed 198 million streams, 91,000 downloads, and 1.7 million track-equivalent units in the United Kingdom; making it the most-streamed and most-downloaded song of the year.[129] "Flowers" topped the UK year-end singles chart.[130][131] It was the most-streamed song on Apple Music and Deezer and second most-streamed on Spotify in the UK in 2023.[57][132]
In Germany, "Flowers" debuted at number two on the Offizielle Deutschen Singles Charts and climbed to the top position in the second week, becoming Cyrus's first chart-topper in the country.[133][134] It ranked second at the 2023 year-end German chart, first among the foreign acts.[135] Also in France "Flowers" debuted at number two on the Top Singles chart and climbed to the top position in the second week, becoming Cyrus's first chart-topper in the country.[136][104][137] It was the most-streamed song in France in 2023.[138]
Outside Europe, "Flowers" topped the charts in Australia,[139] Ecuador,[140] Israel,[141] New Zealand,[142] Paraguay,[143] Philippines,[144] Singapore,[145] South Africa,[146] and Vietnam,[147] as well as the overall MENA streaming chart[148] and the overall Commonwealth of Independent States airplay chart.[149] In Australia, it amassed over 5 million streams in its first week, breaking the first-week record in the country's history.[150][151] The song spent its first twelve weeks atop the ARIA Singles Chart, making it Cyrus's first chart-topper in Australia and the eleventh song in history to top the chart for at least twelve weeks.[152][153] In October 2023, the song was certified septuple Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipment of 490,000 units.[154] It topped the Australia year-end singles chart.[155]
Music video
The January 12, 2023, release of "Flowers" was accompanied by its music video. It was directed by Jacob Bixenman, with cinematography by Marcell Rév.[156][157]
The video's opening uses panorama-view footage of Los Angeles above the downtown skyline. Cyrus enters by strutting across a bridge in Elysian Park.[158] When she arrives at her house, she strips into her bra and underwear as she walks past the sprinklers, goes swimming in her swimming pool, and does different outdoor exercises. Then Cyrus takes a shower and changes into a black outfit as she walks through her house and dances. By nightfall, she dances in her backyard and then dances on her roof as a helicopter flies above.
Vogue classified Cyrus dressed in vintage gold lamé gown from the Yves Saint Laurent Autumn/Winter 1991–92 collection, accessorized with square Saint Laurent sunglasses, noting that "somewhere in the metaphorical vintage hall of fame, a second-life savant is affixing a plaque with Miley Cyrus's name to the wall".[159]Hello! reported that her black underwear has generated trending online searches for "black lingerie sets", with search numbers increasing 413% following the release of the "Flowers" music video on January 13, 2023.[160]
Live performances
Cyrus performed "Flowers" in the documentary concert special Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions), which was released on Disney+ on March 10, 2023.[161] On November 21, 2023, she performed it live for the first time—over 10 months after the song's release—during a private event at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles.[162][163] The performance was uploaded to her YouTube channel later that month.[164]
The first televised performance of "Flowers" took place at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, over a year after its release.[165]
^Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (1958) surpassed "Flowers" on December 24, 2023, with over 18.9 million streams; the latter descended one spot and holds the fifth-highest single-day streams for a song on the platform.
^On October 30, 2023, South Korean singer Jungkook's "Seven" featuring Latto surpassed "Flowers" and broke the record (108 days);[45] albeit the latter remains the fastest solo song to do so.
^Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994) broke out of the tie with "Flowers" on the Global 200 issue dated December 9, 2023,[47] with its 14th week at number one, and eventually surpassed Harry Styles's "As It Was" (2022) as the longest-running number-one on the chart (18 weeks as of January 2024).[48] On the Global Excl. U.S., the song joined the tie of "Flowers" and "As It Was" on the issue dated January 6, 2024, with 13 weeks atop the chart.[48]
^Surpassed by "Cruel Summer" (2023) by Taylor Swift as the longest-running number-one among women on the Adult Pop Airplay chart on the issue dated January 13, 2024, which marked the song's 18th week at the summit. Ultimately, "Flowers" descended to become the second longest-running chart-topper by a woman.[80]
^Wittmer, Carrie (January 9, 2023). "Miley Cyrus Is Releasing Her Breakup Anthem 'Flowers' on Ex Liam Hemsworth's Birthday". Glamour. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023. In the caption of the video, which was shared across her various social accounts, Cyrus announced the dates and times of the song's release in four cities around the globe. For those of us in the US, the song will be released at 7 p.m. ET on January 12.
^ abBowman, Sabienna (January 13, 2023). "Miley Cyrus "Flowers" Music Video". PopSugar. Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023. On 12 Jan., Cyrus dropped the track "Flowers" along with the accompanying music video.
^ ab"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 20233 into search. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
^ ab"Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Music of Iceland. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ ab"OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 04.02.2023–10.02.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
^ ab"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 20233 into search. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
^"Top Singles (Week 3, 2023)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
^"Gloria gets the glory". Australian Recording Industry Association. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
^"Miley swings her first #1 single". Australian Recording Industry Association. January 20, 2023. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
^Endless Summer Vacation (CD liner notes). Miley Cyrus. Columbia Records. 2023.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Top 100 Brasil: March 27, 2023 - March 31, 2023" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Crowley Broadcast Analysis. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2023. Note: In SEMANA REFERÊNCIA select 27/03/2023 - 31/03/2023. To access the full Top 100, click on VER TOP 100 COMPLETO and enter your name and email. Then enter the code you received by email.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 20236 into search. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
^"Media Forest – Weekly Charts. Media Forest. Retrieved February 12, 2023. Note: Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
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