Music

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Is Based on a Classic Disco Song

A songwriter behind Miley Cyrus' "Flowers" showed how much the song's meaning changed as it was completed.

by Matthew Trzcinski

Published on April 16, 2023

2 min read

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ has a lyrical cliffhanger

Cyrus co-wrote “Flowers” with Gregory Aldae Hein and Michael Pollack. During a 2023 interview with Billboard, Pollack contrasted “Flowers” with his other work. “Compared to other songs, the lyrics for ‘Flowers’ came relatively quickly,” he recalled. “The only line that gave us trouble was the end of the pre-chorus.”

Pollack referred to the lyric “I didn’t wanna leave you / I didn’t wanna lie.” “I think it was really important to contrast the empowerment of the chorus with a little bit of sadness and vulnerability, and that line ‘started to cry, but then remembered I’ does exactly that,” he added. “I also love that the sentence is incomplete. It’s a subtle cliffhanger to take you to the chorus.”

Pollack discussed how his co-writers changed the meaning of “Flowers.” “I remember singing the tagline with the lyric, ‘But I could never love me like you can,’ and Miley and Greg wanted to flip the script and say, ‘Yeah, I can love me better than you can,'” he remembered. “Once we had the tagline established, the rest of the lyric came rather quickly.”

How ‘Flowers’ compares to Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’

When “Flowers” was complete, a friend told Pollack it sounded like “I Will Survive.” According to Forbes, the final version of “Flowers” interpolates “I Will Survive.” The two songs definitely share a theme. “I Will Survive” paved the way for many breakup songs that double as female empowerment anthems. Songs like Ariana Grande’s “Break Free,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” and several songs by Destiny’s Child/Beyoncé all drew from the template of “I Will Survive.” “Flowers” is just the latest pop song of this type.

“I Will Survive” and “Flowers” also have a certain sonic similarity. They’re also disco songs with strings. However, they have important sonic differences. “I Will Survive” is more dramatic while “Flowers” is a lot more laid back.

Gaynor gives “I Will Survive” the classic diva vocals that would set the tone for house music years down the line. On the other hand, Cyrus is much more restrained. She is projecting a level of confidence that suggests she doesn’t feel any sadness or anger regarding the breakup in her song. Apparently, Cyrus’ subtle approach is working. The song became her first song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since 2013’s “Wrecking Ball.”

How the world reacted to Miley Cyrus bringing disco back

Disco wasn’t always the most popular genre, and it inspired a massive backlash in the late 1970s. However, it’s been revived over and over again. Since the early 1990s, artists like Madonna, RuPaul, Daft Punk, and Robin Thicke have all brought disco back to the charts.

Whether you like “Flowers” or not, it proves “I Will Survive” and disco music are here to stay.