Used To Be Young

Miley Cyrus was a child star who rose to fame playing the role of Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel. After the show ended, she began to shed her Disney image and experiment with a more edgy and controversial persona. She twerked on stage, licked a sledgehammer, and made headlines for her wild behavior. Here, the former Disney tearaway reflects on her partying past. "This song is about honoring who we've been, loving who we are and celebrating who we will become," Cyrus said of "Used to Be Young". "I feel proud when reflecting on my past and optimistic when thinking about the future."

"Used to Be Young" kicks off with just the piano's melody and Cyrus' vocals. The former enfant terrible asserts that the person who twerked and licked sledgehammers is long gone. 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 As the chorus arrives, Cyrus veers away from offering an apology. True, she's made errors, but she was a past child star trying to untangle life's complexities. 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

Cyrus first teased the song in a May 2023 profile with British Vogue; she revealed the chorus to the then-unannounced song. Cyrus said the hook emerged from an encounter with another songwriter who approached her with a "standard f---ed up in the club track," a narrative that no longer resonates with her since she's been sober since 2021.