Songfacts®:

• 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.
• Miley Cyrus wrote the lyrics at the start of her Endless Summer Vacation era, which began in 2021. The era is inspired by the 1980s and 1990s and features a more carefree and fun-loving sound than her previous work. At the beginning of her ESV era, Cyrus was feeling misunderstood and lost. The song is about how she used to be wild and reckless, but now she is trying to find her way.
  
  The ESV era has been a time of growth and change for Miley Cyrus. She has learned to be more open and honest about herself, and she has found a new sense of confidence. The era has also been a commercial success, with Cyrus releasing several hit singles, including "Flowers" and "River."
• Cyrus wrote "Used To Be Young" alongside Aldae and Michael Pollack, with Cyrus, Pollack, and Shawn Everett handling production. Cyrus also co-wrote "Flowers" with Aldae and Pollock.
• Cyrus playfully donned a Mickey Mouse T-shirt to tease "Used to be Young" on Spotify, a nod to her squeaky-clean Disney Channel beginnings.
• August 25, 2023, marked the release of "Used to Be Young." Cyrus said she chose to drop it on August 25th as that "particular date historically has been important to me personally and in my career."
  
  August 25, 2013, saw Cyrus release her huge single, "Wrecking Ball." Later that day came her controversial VMA performance of Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" where she got filthy with a foam finger.
  
  Observant fans noticed that this date also aligns with the birthday of Miley's father, Billy Ray Cyrus. Rumor has it, she chose this day to thank her dad for his unwavering support throughout her showbiz journey and transition away from partying antics.
  
  Flashback to January 13, 2023, when Cyrus released "Flowers" on her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth's 33rd birthday.
• "Used to Be Young" arrived with a music video featuring Cyrus, tears welling, gazing straight into the camera's lens. Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter directed the clip. "It's super emotional because I am kind of a mini-me of my mom and I could see her inside of the camera by using a technology where I could livestream with my mom from inside of the camera," Cyrus said of the visual. "So, we could see each other and as she was dancing it just made me cry, it made me laugh, it brought up so many real emotions and I think it's really letting people into true emotion, which I don't feel we get to see very much these days."