Karachi:
A sinister shadow lurks over child stars until they reach adulthood. Competing with cameras and public opinion from an early age, the limelight becomes blinding for many, as they lose parts of themselves amid the blaring sound of their own music or the phrases being played and repeated. Let’s give Some stars never come home. Perhaps, it is appropriate. After all it is their journey.
However, when a star decides to dress up, dust herself off, and make the effort to make the journey home – no matter how long and winding the return road – Miley Cyrus’ recent offering to the world receive the gift of a song, used to be young,
A song that doubles as an ode to growing up with the spotlight shining on you, like an interrogation room bulb that spins with the intent of painting you as a criminal, Miley owns up to her past mistakes. , embraces the wildness that shook the world. Breaking free from her Disney avatar, puts forth a sense of evolution she’s learning to be comfortable with.
Wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt under a red dress, Miley reflected on the duality of her existence and journey: the Disney child star battling massive fame, and her older, more suggestive persona trying to break free of that same image. of. It is symbolic of how the development of her inner child was imprisoned, as she was never allowed to be a teenager. After all, Miley always played a part, whether it was Miley, Hannah Montana, or any other performance she had to present to her fans. This tender image of Miley with teary-eyed eyes reflects a childhood she lost, and a childhood that paved the way for pain and constant public trials, painful at its core.
“The truth is bulletproof, ain’t no fool you/I don’t dress alike,” Miley yells, looking straight at the camera, fully aware that she has fans in the audience, as well as dissidents. There are also former supporters, naysayers and critics. , She continues, “Me and you who say I was yesterday / We’ve gone our separate ways.” Miley was never really Hannah – it was a character she played that inspired countless young people. Girls were impressed.
However, Miley was never really Miley when she was growing up. When she took back her sense of agency and expressed herself boldly in front of you, she was shunned, evaluated, ridiculed, and constantly bullied. The person Miley was is no longer available for public consumption, and she makes sure she drives that message home. However, one can assume that even though she and the person she was have parted ways, she keeps that part of herself close to her chest.
Miley sings, “Leaving my life somewhere fast in the past / Cause it’s to chase cars / Open bars lead to broken hearts / And going too far,” Miley sings, While his tears keep flowing. It feels like a confession — a private conversation between Miley and the listener — where she’s freeing herself by laying her sins out in the open. There’s a hidden recognition of how his lifestyle broke his heart, and with that acceptance comes the ability to yearn for growth.
“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,” Miley says heartily, and some clicks. Labeled “crazy,” “wild,” “bold,” and “provocative,” a large portion of the audience didn’t stop once and think of her as a young woman on the cusp of adulthood, having her own Doing the best it could with the resources. To exist as a public figure. She accepts those labels, but she offers her simple, yet effective counterargument – she was young, and was never put down for it.
“You tell me times have changed me/It’s okay, I’ve had a good run/I know I used to be crazy/That’s why I used to be young,” she repeats with a slight variation. She addresses the audience saying whether she has changed too much or not enough. Amidst all the noise, Miley admits that no matter how tumultuous the journey has been, she “has had a good trip.” Undoubtedly, the life Miley has lived has seen dizzying highs and excruciating lows, but she has lived life to the fullest, even though the general public may resent her choices.
Miley adds universality to her lyrics, saying, “Take one, let it out, it ain’t worth crying / Things you can’t erase / Like tattoos and regrets, words I never meant / And that fade away Have become.” She sings to all of them, almost in a moment of benevolent sisterhood, who are berating themselves for their past. She stands as a beacon of hope, implying that everything can be dealt with and fixed. However, there is a sense of responsibility and pain in her tone that underlies this statement. All can be cured in time, but not all can be forgotten. It stays with you, and may appear in conversation, memories, or even a song.
“Somewhere in the past left my life fast / And took another road / Crowded rooms soon vacated / There’s somewhere to go,” sings can’t be tamed The star is passing the onus on the audience. Having abandoned her “fast” ways, Miley is now faced with crowded rooms that turn out to be empty because “there’s nowhere else to go.” Shows how quickly people move on when an artist is no longer “interesting” enough.
With every possible word in the dictionary thrown at Miley, viewers have got new actors to test. It exposes a certain level of hypocrisy where, in order to get our attention, an artist has to pose to elicit emotional responses, but the response is negative to such an extent that it affects the artist’s life. has little or no effect on the audience. ,
Throughout the song, Miley’s expressions range from heartbroken to seeking forgiveness and peace—a perfect portrayal of the artist’s journey, one marked by a dizzying range of emotions. When she sings her last song, “That’s why I was young,” she does so with final emotion. Nothing we say can influence the way she sees herself anymore, and she’s in a better position for it. She was a young child finding her way amid the hedonistic glitz and glamor that came with fame, for which she was mercilessly shamed, and for that, the song subtly suggests that we owe Miley a sincere apology. Let’s ask
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