Miley Cyrus has built an impressive body of work over the last 16 years, from early singles like “See You Again” to her Grammy-winning “Flowers.” We’ve compiled a list of her top 10 best songs.
Throughout her career, Miley Cyrus has always shifted with the times. Coming off the Disney Channel as Hannah Montana, she attempted to break the mold and escape her family-friendly image.
In the coming years, she’d tease up her image with more sex appeal, as we found with her Can’t Be Tamed album, or experiment with alternative sounds on Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz. Each musical era was an unexpected treat, as she also moved from country twang (Younger Now) to rock (Plastic Hearts).
The two-time Grammy winner has been unafraid to take risks — and good for her. Defying convention is how you build a legacy, after all. Following the 2024 Grammy Awards, we’ve compiled the singer’s 10 best songs, spanning her entire career. Here’s our rundown.
‘Party in the U.S.A.’
Miley Cyrus got the party started with this 2009 smash, which references industry greats like Britney Spears and Jay-Z. Off her mini-album Time of Our Lives, the breezy, hot-to-the-touch anthem found listeners bobbing their heads and swaying their hips ‘like yeah.’
“Too much pressure and I’m nervous,” she sings. Against a bright backdrop, the singer addressed her changing image, expectations, and burgeoning adulthood.
‘Used to Be Young’
There’s never a clearer message about Miley’s public persona than ‘Used to Be Young,’ a chill-inducing ballad about her zig-zag from Disney princess to twerking rebel to bonafide rockstar.
“I know I used to be crazy / That’s because I used to be young,” she sings in the chorus. Piano pokes holes in the arrangement, and it nearly explodes on the eardrums as it builds.
‘Angels Like You’
With 2020’s Plastic Hearts, Cyrus proved she could rock out with the best of them. Even when productions burst in mid-air, she was never swallowed whole. But her boisterous moments are not the standout; this rock ballad finds the singer admitting she’s not good enough for her new lover.
“I’m everything they said I would be,” she laments. Guitars wail, and Miley Cyrus has never sounded so powerful.
‘Wrecking Ball’
Despite the song sparking countless memes in its heyday, ‘Wrecking Ball’ remains a transcendent and moving piece of pop music. As Cyrus crescendos over the melody, you can’t escape the feeling of how personal the track is.
Even the music video, featuring the singer crashing through a wall straddling a wrecking ball, seems to be a statement about love and finding one’s way in a furious storm.
‘Younger Now’
The title cut to her 2017 album, ‘Younger Now,’ cracks with a soothing downpour and a guitar’s gentle whine. Cyrus’ voice cuts through the distance, breaking the clouds and sending the storm away from her.
A companion piece to ‘Used to Be Young,’ the midtempo sees the singer basking in the moment and learning that change “is a thing you can count on.”
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“I feel so much younger now,” she sings. Despite literally growing older in the spotlight, she awakens from “a dream” and emerges far more self-assured than ever before.
‘High’
Miley Cyrus steps back into country-inflected music with ‘High,’ another essential from Plastic Hearts. The production crunch underscores the singer’s honeyed vocals, laced with regret and pain.
“Sometimes, I stay up all night ’cause you don’t ever talk to me in my dreams,” she sings with a lonesomeness on her breath. Not only is it one of her most incisive lyrics, but her voice could cut through steel.
‘Thousand Miles’ featuring Brandi Carlile
Two powerhouses team up on a cut from the Grammy-nominated Endless Summer Vacation. Over twinkling guitar and the buzz of static, ‘Thousand Miles’ is the meeting of two masterminds. Brandi Carlile’s backing vocals are thick and caramel, allowing a nice counterbalance to Cyrus’ reedier tone.
“I’m not always right, but still I ain’t got time for what went wrong,” the pair sings. Hearts shattered, Carlile and Cyrus allow the emotion to drive the song, as they sink into the track’s sweet melody.
‘Adore You’
“Are you listening?” ponders Cyrus over a sticky backbeat. ‘Adore You,’ from Bangerz, sits within the singer’s vocal sweet spot while giving her plenty of emotional agency to find her way. “I adore you,” she chants over soft, caressing “oooh’s.”
A relationship is so arresting that she just can’t hold back the way she feels. It’s quite the subdued stunner.
‘See You Again’
Cyrus owes everything to her debut single. ‘See You Again’ anchors Meet Miley Cyrus, her first post-Hannah Montana album. After its release, countless DJs remixed the gooey pop track to the heavens, beckoning audiences to sashay onto the dance floor.
While the lyrics may not indicate a star-on-the-rise, what’s most striking even now is the song’s rock-soaked production. It was clear Cyrus had a message and style all her own, hinting that her musicality was far from cookie-cutter. It also helps that the hook is pop perfection.
‘Mother’s Daughter’
2019’s SHE IS COMING is among Cyrus’ most experimental, as she tinkers with alternative soundscapes and more aggressive vocals. With ‘Mother’s Daughter,’ the singer wields a pulverizing anvil, both lyrically and musically.
‘Mother’s Daughter’ grinds its gear right into the earth and sees Cyrus reclaiming her power. “Don’t f*ck with my freedom!” she declares.
‘Flowers’
You can’t have a list of Miley Cyrus’ best songs without her Grammy-winning ‘Flowers.’ It’s just unacceptable without it. A self-empowerment anthem, the song shows the singer learning what it means to go through a heartbreak and rise from the ashes.
“Started to cry but then remembered I can buy myself flowers / Write my name in the sand,” she sings. While Plastic Hearts certainly deserved some Grammy love, ‘Flowers’ has more than earned its place.
