The Floyd Song (aka Sunrise)

Album: Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was inspired by the passing in April 2014 of Miley Cyrus' dog, Floyd. Her beloved pet was killed by coyotes while the singer was on her world tour for Bangerz.

    Two weeks after the incident, Cyrus was hospitalized due to a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics. While there, she was visited by Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne and the two made plans to begin collaborating. The singer believes Floyd's spirit lives on in Coyne. "I really think, in a way, his energy went into Wayne's energy," she told The New York Times. "What he was to me, Wayne has become."

    The song was co-written by Cyrus and Wayne Coyne plus his Flaming Lips bandmates, Steven Drozd and Dennis Coyne.
  • As part of Cyrus' grieving process, following her loss of Floyd, the singer had a giant inflatable dog appear onstage during the remaining dates of her Bangerz tour. She would sing to the replica, breaking down in tears.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.