"Flowers" is a song by American singer
Miley Cyrus, taken from her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation (2023).
Columbia Records released it as the album's lead single on January 12, 2023, in some countries and on January 13 worldwide. Cyrus wrote "Flowers" with
Gregory Aldae Hein and
Michael Pollack, while
Kid Harpoon and
Tyler Johnson handled the production. 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 rely on someone else to be complete.
"Flowers" received positive reviews from
music critics and was a massive commercial success, breaking many records. It was the
best-selling global single of 2023, earning 2.7 billion subscription streams equivalents globally, according to the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), making it Cyrus's most successful single worldwide to date. 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). "Flowers" became the longest-running number one-song in the history of the BillboardAdult Contemporary chart, with 50 weeks at the top. The song was also a commercial success worldwide, debuting atop the
Billboard Global 200 chart and staying at the summit for thirteen non-consecutive weeks. It topped the charts in 37 other countries including in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom. It also broke a string of records on
streaming services, 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" was written by Miley Cyrus, Gregory "Aldae" Hein, and
Michael Pollack in January 2022 in
Sunset Sound Recorders studio in Hollywood, California. During a week of sessions, with the composers gathered around a piano, the song came together as a ballad, originally with a "slower and sadder" feel, according to Pollack.[1] He 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.[5] Its final version was produced by
Tyler Johnson and
Kid Harpoon.[6]
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.[7] The song was released on January 13 at UTC+00:00, which was still January 12 in some parts of the world.[8][9][10] The demo version of the song was released digitally on March 3, 2023.[11] It was also included on the digital version of Endless Summer Vacation album.[12]
Composition
"Flowers" is a pop song with
disco and
funk influences.[2][4] Anna Gaca of Pitchfork described it as a "twangy" disco funk song with a
string section reminiscent of
flamenco.[4] Gabrielle Sanchez of
Yahoo! said, "A funky bassline guides the song, paired with a swooning string line and fizzy cymbals".[13] 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".[14]Alexis Petridis of The Guardian noted its "shimmering
electric guitar and understated
yacht-rock mood," comparing it to
Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours.[15]
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".[13] Anna Gaca from Pitchfork described it as a "revenge anthem".[4] Mary Siroky of Consequence felt that Cyrus is "embracing her story as her own, stepping into her autonomy in a fully realized way".[14] Dale Maplethorpe of Gigwise felt that "the theme of the song is self-love and acceptance".[16] 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".[2]
The song's chorus is a paraphrase of
Bruno Mars's "
When I Was Your Man" (2012).[17][18] 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".[19] Following its release, several publications suggested that "Flowers" was supposed to be a response song directed at Cyrus's ex-husband
Liam Hemsworth, as it was released on Hemsworth's birthday and the lyrics refer to their Malibu, California home which burned down in the November 2018
Woolsey Fire. Additionally, Hemsworth had reportedly dedicated "When I Was Your Man" to Cyrus in the past.[20][17][21][22]
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."[2]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".[23]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.[14]The Daily Telegraph'sNeil McCormick called it "sophisticated perfection."[24]
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".[16] 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.[4]
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.[33] On January 20, 2023, it achieved the
second-highest single-day streams for a non-seasonal song, and fourth-highest overall, at the time,[a] garnering over 18.4 million global plays on the streaming service.[34]
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).[35][36] In the next seven days (January 21–27, 2023) it earned 115,156,896 plays, breaking the record again.[37][38] 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.[39] 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.[39] 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).[40][41][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.[43] It topped both global charts for thirteen non-consecutive weeks, 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][46][47] 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.[48] 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.[49] 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".[47] It topped the 2023 year-end Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts.[50]
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.[51] It was the most-streamed song on Spotify and
Deezer and second most-streamed on
Apple Music globally in 2023.[52][53][54][55]
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.[57] 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.[58][59] "Flowers" spent eight non-consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100.[60] 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.[61] 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.[62][63] It topped the Streaming Songs and Digital Songs charts for four and five consecutive weeks, respectively.[60]
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.[64] 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.[65] It also became the 13th song in history to top Pop Airplay in five weeks at most.[66] In its sixth week, "Flowers" became Cyrus's first number-one on the
Adult Pop Airplay and
Dance/Mix Show Airplay charts.[67][68][69] 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.[70] On the issue dated April 15, 2023, it became Cyrus's second number-one song on the
Adult Contemporary chart.[71] Also that week, "Flowers" became the seventh song ever to top the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, and Adult Contemporary charts concurrently.[72] The single topped the three charts for 10, 17, and 50 weeks, respectively.[73][74][71] 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).[75] The song became the longest-running chart-topper in the over 60-year history of Adult Contemporary; it broke the record previously held by
Maroon 5's "
Girls Like You", which spent 36 weeks at number one.[76] With 17 weeks atop the Adult Pop Airplay chart, it tied with "
Iris" (1998) by
Goo Goo Dolls as the sixth longest-running leader, and became the longest-running among women, at the time, in the chart's history.[d][71][78] In January 2024, "Flowers" became the song with the most cumulative weeks atop the three charts (64 by then).[79] In March 2024 it achieved the most cumulative weeks at number one on all Billboard airplay charts (88 by then),[e] surpassing "Blinding Lights" (87).[80]
According to Luminate, "Flowers" earned 750.7 million on-demand audio and video streams (including user-generated content 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.[81] Ultimately, "Flowers" ended 2023 as the fourth most-streamed, second best-selling digital track, and most-consumed song on the radio in the US (with 634.4 million on-demand audio streams, 428,000 downloads, and 3.9 billion radio audience impressions until December 28, 2023).[82] 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.[83] It was the third most-streamed song in the United States on Spotify in 2023.[52] "Flowers" was the most-heard song across
iHeartRadio's stations in the US in 2023, with over 1.4 billion audience impressions.[84]
Following Cyrus's performance of "Flowers" at the
66th Annual Grammy Awards, the song surged 22 spots from number 32 to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, re-entering the top-ten of the chart and spending its 29th week in the region, on the issue dated February 17, 2024—over a year after its release.[85] The following week, it slipped to number 17, and marked 52 weeks of charting on the Hot 100, becoming Cyrus's first song to chart for a year in the US.[86] On the issue dated March 30, 2024, "Flowers" departed the Hot 100, due to the chart's recurrent rule. With 55 weeks, it became Cyrus's longest-charting song in the US.[87][88]
The song topped national charts in most European countries, including Austria,[99] Belgium (both Flanders and Wallonia),[100][101] Bulgaria,[102] Croatia (both
Airplay Radio Chart and
Croatia Songs),[103][104] Czech Republic,[105] Denmark,[106] Finland,[107] France,[108] Germany,[109] Greece,[110] Hungary,[111] Iceland,[112] Ireland,[113] Latvia,[114] Lithuania,[115] the Netherlands (both
Dutch Top 40 and
Single Top 100),[116][117] Norway,[118] Poland (both
streaming and airplay charts),[119][120] Portugal,[121] Romania,[122] Russia,[123] Slovakia,[124] Sweden,[125] Switzerland,[126] Ukraine[127] and the United Kingdom.[128] 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.[129] 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.[130] 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.[131] On March 15, 2024, the song was certified triple
Platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry for shipment of 1.8 million units.[132] 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.[133] "Flowers" topped the UK year-end singles chart.[134][135] It was the most-streamed song on Apple Music and
Deezer and second most-streamed on Spotify in the UK in 2023.[54][136]
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.[137][138] It ranked second at the 2023 year-end German chart, first among the foreign acts.[139] 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.[140][108][141] It was the most-streamed song in France in 2023.[142]
Outside Europe, "Flowers" topped the charts in Australia,[143] Ecuador,[144] Israel,[145] New Zealand,[146] Paraguay,[147] Philippines,[148] Singapore,[149] South Africa,[150] and Vietnam,[151] as well as the overall
MENA streaming chart[152] and the overall
Commonwealth of Independent States airplay chart.[153] In Australia, it amassed over 5 million streams in its first week, breaking the first-week record in the country's history.[154][155] 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.[156][157] In October 2023, the song was certified octuple Platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association for shipment of 560,000 units.[158] It topped the Australia year-end singles chart.[159]
Music video
The January 12, 2023, release of "Flowers" was accompanied by its music video on Cyrus's
Vevo channel via YouTube. It was directed by
Jacob Bixenman, with cinematography by Marcell Rév.[160][161] It has over 700 million views on YouTube, as of February 2024.[162]
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.[163] 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".[164]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.[165]
Live performances
Cyrus performed "Flowers" in the documentary concert special Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions), which was released on
Disney+ on March 10, 2023.[166] 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.[167][168] The performance was uploaded to her YouTube channel later that month.[169]
The first televised performance of "Flowers" took place at the
66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, over a year after its release.[170]
^On October 30, 2023, South Korean singer
Jungkook's "
Seven" featuring
Latto surpassed "Flowers" and broke the record (108 days);[42] 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,[44] 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).[45] 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.[45]
^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.[77]
^Until then "Flowers" topped the following airplay charts in the US for the mentioned number of weeks, totaling 88 cumulative weeks: 39 weeks on Adult Contemporary, 18 weeks on Radio Songs, 17 weeks on Adult Pop Airplay, 10 weeks on Pop Airplay and 4 weeks on Dance/Mix Show Airplay.
^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.
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Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
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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.
^"
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