Bruno Mars drawls, “I should have bought you flowers,” on the post-relationship tune ‘When I Was Your Man.’ While the song came out more than a decade ago, if you were to scroll through your Tiktok fyp, then you’d most likely hear its ivory-keyed cry. That’s not because of an impersonator dressed in a prom tux but due to Miley Cyrus interpolating the Bruno Mars hit on her latest single ‘FLOWERS.’ Its chorus, to be exact. Her previous partner Liam Hemsworth dedicated the Bruno song to her back when they were together, and now with ‘FLOWERS’ being released on Liam’s birthday, you get the picture… Miley’s doing what she does best and picking up the giant foam finger to flip the bird. It’s gritty and fun and an instant self-love classic!
Flowers have so many meanings, though. In fact, in the Victorian era (a decade after Bridgerton’s set), these budding stems would pass as secret messages, and it got so technical that if you were to hand one over using your right hand, it would mean yes and a straight no using your left. So we thought we’d examine this concept further by crafting three different Miley song bouquets, each track representing a different flower.
For New Love…
It’s a basic fact that at THP, we adore everything Sunflower-related; Sunflower crowns, ‘Sunflower, Vol. 6’ by Harry Styles, fields of the flowers staring up at the sky on a warm summer day. It’s the flower’s gorgeous yellow ombre that symbolizes loyalty and adoration, which is why Miley’s ‘Adore You’ is the perfect fit for it! For history folks, its meaning goes back to the times of the Gods when Apollo, the Sun God, had his own fan girls, including Clytie, a water nymph. Though she put him on a pedestal, and her feelings were unreturned, her father turned her into a plant so she could continue to watch over him. This plant inevitably turned into the Sunflower, and even now, people believe that it keeps a watchful gaze on the sun.
Of course, on the surface of ‘Malibu,’ Miley uses a place she never thought she’d grow to love so much as a metaphor for a returned love as she revisits its beaches. However, it also explores the healthiness of freedom in a relationship, with the biggest hint being “’Cause now I’m as free as birds catching the wind.” She can still be herself, having room to be as brilliant as she would be outside of it. Strelitzia, most likely to be plucked in South Africa, represents this.
For When One’s Withered…
‘Angels Like You’ plays with the idea of pedestals we were talking about earlier. It’s about having this gut instinct that no matter what you do, in the end, you’re going to self-sabotage. It’s inevitable. So you warn them before that happens, and while we’re not endorsing that mentality, they would get the picture if you sent them a Butterfly weed. Butterfly weed is a type of Milkweed which symbolizes rememberence, dignity, and freedom.
If you reigned in the New Year with Dolly Parton and Miley, then you know how special ‘Wrecking Ball’ is. Especially when paired with ‘I Will Always Love You,’ written by Dolly, because that’s just what this song represents; a departing message that no matter how much you still love the other person, you need to respect yourself. Anemones come in purple, white, and red shades, with the latter one representing forsaken love. Perhaps being known as the God of love and fertility makes Aphrodite’s vulnerability more poignant as she wept on an Anemone to mourn Adonis’ death, the flower becoming red because of him bleeding out.
Only To Realize That Having Yourself Trumps All Else…
Is there a more poetic flower meaning than Sweet-briar’s “I wound to heal?” We’re guessing no! Both its pink and white petals express this notion of being wounded but still having innocence and love for oneself after a triggering event occurs. In the case of ‘Midnight Sky,’ it’s a breakup.
For Vampire Diaries fans, you’ll be familiar with this next flower, and yes, it is indeed Vervain, or for others, also known as Verbena. Maybe there aren’t vampires around to slip it into their drinks to help weaken them, but it symbolizes pleasure and enchantment. More so, things don’t last forever, and in regards to ‘Mother’s Daughter,’ you should be proud to be yourself as you’re your forever person. It’s also important to note that the music video specifically is a boisterous spin on protesting.
Narcissus
Lastly, if the title hasn’t let you catch on, ‘FLOWERS’ itself is the Narcissus, and it’s an everyday flower to have around your space. No bouquets are required! With ‘FLOWERS’ premiering at number three on the global Spotify chart with a whopping 7.7 million streams, we think it’s about time we take a note from the God the flower came from and honestly and utterly love ourselves, even obsess over ourselves, if you so implore. You know you’re that amazing! Miley certainly does, she’s dressed in a gold hooded Yves Saint Laurent dress from their fall ‘91 collection that is literally held in a museum for the music video, while she dances Joker-style through a mansion.
Which song bouquet matches where you currently are in life? Perhaps you’re so effortlessly loved-up, or Miley’s lyric “I can buy myself flowers” resonates most. Either way, let us know through @thehoneypop on Twitter and if you have any other songs that match up with the Victorian flower language. We’d love to know your ideas. You can stream ‘FLOWERS’ through any music platform.
To accompany ‘FLOWERS’ (which will be blasting through our speakers as we take ourselves on solo dates,) Miley has a new album titled Endless Summer Vacation on the horizon. It comes out on the 10th of March, and you already know we’ll be the first to remind you. Make sure to follow us on our Instagram and Facebook accounts, Smilers, so that we can do that!
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