When Miley Cyrus first unveiled “Flowers” at the top of the year, not many people could have predicted just how successful that song would end up being. And even fewer would have been able to predict that the song would swallow up the rest of the Endless Summer Vacation era to the extent that it has.

With the album’s post-”Flowers” singles barely registering with the public, Cyrus was smart to reboot Endless Summer Vacation with the addition of a new song. The Grammy-nominated pop icon also made the wise choice to reinvigorate the era by doubling down on the sound that made people gravitate toward “Flowers” in the first place. With the nostalgic, quietly hopeful “Used to Be Young,” Cyrus shifts away from the Plastic Hearts-evoking pop-rock of “Jaded,” as well as the rugged synthpop of “River.” Instead, she opts for a rousing adult contemporary ballad that tempers the angst of her rock edge and complements the breeziness that “Flowers” established.

It’s the rare victory lap song that also looks to the future. Cyrus has spent a hefty chunk of post-She Is Coming career doing the last bits of work to finally figure out who Miley Cyrus is — not the various pop star archetypes that she has the capacity to pull off. Part of the journey has included reconciling her present, seemingly more healed self with the chaos of her younger Disney days. Here, we have an artist almost synonymous with denigrating their previous work, finally, in a way, embracing the fact that all of those previous iterations of herself are what make the Miley Cyrus of 2023 possible.

“You tell me time has done changed me / That's fine, I've had a good run / I know I used to be crazy / That's 'cause I used to be young,” she belts. Is it on the nose? Sure, but few public figures have had a child-adult maturity arc so deeply felt by so many people. When Miley Cyrus sings these lyrics, the weight of her nearly two-decade career in just thirty years of life sits on each note. Every belt sends her hurtling through her past and future, eventually converging at the present, basking in a sense of peacefulness that seems to have eluded her until now.

“Used to Be Young” feels like an understated, adult sequel to “The Climb.” While fervent faith and inspirational hope anchor the latter, “Young” is deeply steeped in the knowledge of some of the ugliest parts of reality. Structurally, the song is a perfect sonic fit for the clean instrumental of HAC radio, with a healthy dose of the drum-guitar-keyboard combo providing the backbone. Glints of organ add a touch of earthiness that helps contextualize the smoky grit that has contoured the best parts of the most recent parts of her discography.

While it’s far from revolutionary or fresh, “Used to Be Young” is a strong vocal performance — one that Miley truly sells, which, by extension, gives the admittedly average lyrics some much-needed nuance. If handled correctly, “Used to Be Young” could very well become another career-defining song for Miley. Even if it doesn’t, it will go down as the song that saved Endless Summer Vacation from being completely swallowed by “Flowers.”

Score: 68