AT A GLANCE
At 30, Miley is still too young to contemplate her life choices. But 30 is probably 50 for someone thrust into the entertainment world at a young age. And the irony of it is that her wild ride started as a teen actor during her Disney days as Hannah Montana.
After breaking big with her previous single, “Flowers,” pop’s favorite wild child, Miley Cyrus, turns introspective on her latest single, “Used To Be Young.”
After her number one hit “Flowers” – a song about staying sane and strong post-breakup – Miley Cyrus is ruminating about life on this rising mid-tempo ballad, the latest single from her most recent album “Endless Summer Days.”
At 30, Miley is still too young to contemplate her life choices. But 30 is probably 50 for someone thrust into the entertainment world at a young age. And the irony of it is that her wild ride started as a teen actor during her Disney days as Hannah Montana.
From “Party In The U.S.A.” to her eventual one-eighty turn as a twerking wild child in “Wrecking Ball,” Miley’s been around enough to have her fair share of shedding images (to the extreme at that).
And that’s what she’s singing about at the onset as she goes, “The truth is bulletproof, there’s no foolin’ you / I don’t dress the same, me and who you say I was yesterday have gone our separate ways / left my livin’ fast somewhere in the past ‘cause that’s for chasin’ cars.” And what a wild ride it has been so far, but just before the first chorus kicks in as if with a pang of mixed regret realization, she adds: “turns out open bars lead to broken hearts and going way too far.”
So though it may sound as if she’s regretful, it’s not so when she intones at the chorus: “I know I used to be crazy, I know I used to be fun / You say I used to be wild, I say I used to be young.” She says: “It’s fine, I’ve had a good run.”
She confirms this in her own words when she describes “Used To Be Young” as “honoring who we’ve been and celebrating who we will become.” She goes on to say that she’s learned much from her experience. “I feel proud when reflecting on my past and optimistic about the future.”
With the arrangement starting with an arena-ready piano motif, we’re immediately reminded of similar power ballads of hers that echo that same big-ness. There’s “The Climb” from 2009 and another twerk-era hit in “We Can’t Stop.”
Chime-y keyboard sounds that eventually give way to a full chorus, punctuated here with a prominent, ethereal-sounding slide guitar and an almost hypnotic but steady drum beat.
Kudos to Miley for writing such heartfelt lyrics, but credit goes to producers Michael Pollack and Shawn Everett for nodding to two big Miley signature tunes in one go.
Miley Cyrus is in her Debbie-Harry and-Joan-Jett-inspired rock and roll phase as deep as her long legs can take her. It’s all so interesting as her other eras were, but “Used To Be Young” is a nice break – and a reminder of what has been and will be – for long-time fans as we all wait for what comes next from this pop chameleon.
By the way, Miley acknowledged her fandom when she said something about being grateful to her loyal fans about dreams being her reality and that she’s sincerely thankful for the steadfast support.
Keep making tunes like these, and you'll always have our ears, Ma'am Miley.
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