Tissues on hand for the easy-tearing millennials.
Just yesterday, pop star Miley Cyrus released her new single ‘Used To Be Young‘ after weeks of anticipation, and fans who have followed her since she first debuted as Hannah Montana at 13, had to deal with a nice load of nostalgia.
The American singer has chosen to give a symbolic emotional farewell to herself from the past, through a song that establishes a starting point and an end point at the same time.
“Used To Be Young” sees the thirty-year-old singer take stock of her entire career, from Hannah Montana and her more transgressive periods to today, to her maturity, with a more calm and confident attitude. The song is a melancholic hymn to an era of the young singer that is ready to end to face, without regrets, towards its next chapter. “You tell me time has done changed me. That’s fine, I’ve had a good run” quotes the lyrics of the song. “Those wasted nights are not wasted, I remember every one.”
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In her Endless Summer Vacation: Continued (Backyard Sessions) special, Cyrus affirmed that “Used To Be Young” signals what’s to come. “It’s optimistic and there’s a sadness, that’s allowing sadness and joy to be happening simultaneously,” she said. “More importantly, this song is about looking towards the future and where I’m going.”
Miley also teased her new song a week ago with a 30-second trailer, which concluded with a brief behind-the-scenes look at the accompanying music video shoot.
Directed by Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter, the official video is essential but full of meaning.
A series of references also do not go unnoticed: from the vintage Mickey Mouse T-shirt under Margiela‘s sparkling bodice that winks at her Disney Channel days, to musical components that recall the most iconic songs of the pop star’s past. “You say I used to be wild – I say I used to be young”, she sings softly in the chorus, over melancholy piano and string chords reminiscent of the unforgettable ballad “The Climb”.
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This time, however, no pianos appear, nor sunny hills. Only Miley gradually emerges from the darkness, settles in front of the camera and begins to sing with tears in her eyes and voice full of emotion, and then ends with a big smile and a shrug.
“Although my work is done, this song will continue to write itself every day. The fact it remains unfinished is a part of its beauty. That is my life at this moment … unfinished yet complete.”
Said the singer, also revealing that she had started the production of this song some time ago, waiting for the right time to let it out.
“Used to be young” actually arrives with impeccable timing, in a period where other important releases, such as that of the film Barbie, want us to understand that the existential complexity and contradictions of life can be expressed with simplicity.
