Miley Cyrus’s 2023 hit Flowers began as a slow, solitary piano ballad about a burnt-down marriage before producers transformed it into a twangy disco-funk anthem of self-reliance. Built on the mathematically stable circle of fifths, it survived a radical surface change to become the best-selling global song of 2023.

This episode unpacks the song’s evolution, its savvy release strategy timed to an ex-husband’s birthday, its Easter eggs referencing Bruno Mars, and the record-breaking streaming and radio numbers that followed. It also examines the critical debate over whether it is a masterpiece or a PR triumph, and the ongoing copyright lawsuit.

• How the chorus flips the sentiment of Bruno Mars’s When I Was Your Man into self-sufficiency
• The staggering numbers, including 2.7 billion equivalent streams and 57 weeks atop Adult Contemporary
• The self-love themes of the music video, filmed with no costars or love interest
• Her first-ever Grammy wins for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance
• The Tempo Music Investments lawsuit and a court declining to dismiss the case