Songfacts®:

• "Beautiful That Way" is a song recorded by Miley Cyrus for Gia Coppola's 2024 movie The Last Showgirl. The film sees Pamela Anderson playing the role of a Las Vegas showgirl navigating the shimmering wreckage of her life after the footlights go dim.
• The ballad is a tender exploration of feeling lost. The song, as Cyrus explained to Variety, is "devoted to the film and focused on the story Gia and Pam are telling."
• The project was deeply personal for Cyrus on another level. Pamela Anderson holds a special place in her memories, rooted in a shared admiration with her mother. "We both worshipped Pam and still do," she said.
  
  The song became a vessel for Cyrus to channel not only her connection to Anderson but the grace with which the actress has evolved over the years. "I celebrate evolution, and she has done that in such a graceful way," Cyrus said, adding that this sentiment echoes throughout The Last Showgirl.
• Cyrus co-wrote the ballad with Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li, who brought an edge of poetic melancholy to the track. "Lykke had a fabulous concept," Cyrus said, "which made it simple to come in and make it me."
• Produced by Andrew Wyatt, a longtime collaborator with Cyrus ("Mother's Daughter," "Slide Away"), the track features muted strings, tender piano, and a slinky guitar. The song builds, layer by layer, into a dramatic crescendo, culminating in Miley's soaring vocal hook.
• Matt Dunkley arranged the orchestration, which is played by The Chamber Orchestra of London. As an arranger/conductor, Dunkley has worked with pop/rock acts such as Dido, the Pet Shop Boys, Tom Jones, U2, Massive Attack, and Patti Smith.
• In a conversation with Pamela Anderson about "Beautiful That Way," Cyrus said she dreamed of being a showgirl when she was younger and drew inspiration from Anderson.
  
  "When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd say you," Cyrus revealed. "The whole thing – the tattoos, the hair... everything. That's exactly what I wanted to do."