<p id=”par-1_32″>Sometimes, seemingly inoffensive <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>music</a> inspires a lot of controversy. For example, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/miley-cyrus-flowers-based-classic-disco-song.html/”>Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers”</a> has received criticism for its similarities to Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.” This controversy is overblown.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-people-think-miley-cyrus-flowers-is-too-similar-to-bruno-mars-when-i-was-your-man”>Why people think Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ is too similar to Bruno Mars’ ‘When I Was Your Man’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_49″>“When I Was Your Man” has the lyrics “I should’ve bought you flowers / And held your hand / Should’ve gave you all my hours.” “Flowers” has “I can buy myself flowers / Write my name in the sand / Talk to myself for hours.” Similar? Yes. Plagiarism? No.</p>
<p id=”par-3_56″>At most, “Flowers” is an homage to “When I Was Your Man.” That’s not a crime. Most of music is built on homage. Beyond that, “When I Was Your Man” is a slow pop ballad and “Flowers” is a disco track. The tunes have entirely different melodies. Nobody could possibly confuse one song with the other. </p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man (Official Music Video)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/ekzHIouo8Q4?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-miley-cyrus-almost-took-her-song-in-a-different-direction”>Miley Cyrus almost took her song in a different direction</h2>
<p id=”par-4_96″>During a 2023 interview with <a href=”https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/miley-cyrus-british-vogue-interview” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>British Vogue</a>, Cyrus said the offending lyrics of “Flowers” were initially a bit different. “I wrote it in a really different way,” <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/miley-cyrus-the-moment-from-wrecking-ball-shell-never-live-down.html/”>the “Wrecking Ball” singer</a> said. “The chorus was originally: ‘I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand, but I can’t love me better than you can.’ It used to be more, like, 1950s. The saddest song. Like: ‘Sure, I can be my own lover, but you’re so much better.’ The song is a little fake it till you make it. Which I’m a big fan of.”</p>
<p id=”par-5_73″>Cyrus discussed how a famous rapper reacted to her song. “It’s like one o’clock in the morning and Lil Nas X walks into the club and he asks me the most interesting question,” she recalled. “He said: ‘Are you so anxious about how successful ‘Flowers’ is?’ ‘A lot of headlines [recently] have said, ‘This is Miley’s moment.’ And I’m like, ‘That’s exactly what it is. It’s a moment. And it will be over.’”</p>
<p id=”par-6_47″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/doja-cat-szas-kiss-me-more-miley-cyrus-dua-lipas-prisoner-sample-song.html/”>The “Prisoner” star</a> accepted that the success of “Flowers” would fade. “That’s not pessimistic,” Cyrus said. “That’s honest and that’s OK with me. I actually prefer it. I don’t like to stay big.” Perhaps that explains why Cyrus’ career has been a series of peaks and valleys.</p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Miley Cyrus – Flowers (Official Video)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/G7KNmW9a75Y?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/miley-cyrus-wrote-a-song-that-made-her-mom-call-her-a-little-btch.html/”>
Miley Cyrus Wrote a Song That Made Her Mom Call Her a ‘Little B*tch’ </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-when-i-was-your-man-and-flowers-performed”>How ‘When I Was Your Man’ and ‘Flowers’ performed</h2>
<p id=”par-7_57″>“When I Was Your Man” topped the <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/bruno-mars/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a>, staying on the chart for 35 weeks in total. The ballad appeared on the album <em>Unorthodox Jukebox</em>. That record was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 234 weeks. So far, <em>Unorthodox Jukebox</em> is Mars’ only chart-topping album in the United States.</p>
<p id=”par-8_71″>While “When I Was Your Man” was a hit, “Flowers” became far more popular. “Flowers” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight of its 55 weeks on the <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/miley-cyrus/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a>. Cyrus included her tune on the album <em>Endless Summer Vacation</em>. That record reached No. 3 and stayed on the chart for 59 weeks. <em>Endless Summer Vacation</em> is Cyrus’ most popular record that is not connected to <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/who-was-more-successful-miley-cyrus-or-hannah-montana.html/”>the <em>Hannah Montana</em> franchise</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-9_23″>Regardless of which song was more popular, listening to “When I Was Your Man” is a very different experience from listening to “Flowers.”</p>