Miley Cyrus End of the World: Disco Melancholy and the Art of Pretending

Miley Cyrus' Something Beautiful album artwork — Miley Cyrus’ Something Beautiful album artwork

Miley Cyrus’ latest single End of the World isn’t a doomsday anthem—it’s a luminous escape.

Released on April 3, 2025, as the third track from her upcoming album Something Beautiful out May 30, the song pairs indie-pop dreaminess with disco flair, written alongside Molly Rankin and Alec O’Hanley of Alvvays and produced by a dream team including Shawn Everett, Michael Pollack, and Jonathan Rado.

There’s something eerie and addictive about a track that asks you to party through the apocalypse—and actually makes you want to. End of the World feels like a confession dressed up in glitter, and it’s worth unpacking.

The Sound: Where ABBA Meets Coldplay at the Edge of Tomorrow

Describing the End of the World music video and sonics together makes sense—this is a song that looks and sounds like the golden hour before everything crumbles.

Inspired by ’70s pop à la ABBA, but with choruses that soar like Coldplay and synth textures reminiscent of M83, the production blends shimmering guitars, layered harmonies, and a restrained but punchy beat.

It began as a piano ballad Miley previewed in March 2024 at Chateau Marmont, but the final track evolved into a disco-drenched daydream. Think melancholy in a sequin dress.

Line-by-Line Breakdown: End of the World Lyrics Meaning

[Intro]

“Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh”

Repetitive, chant-like and floating—it sets the tone like a hypnotic lullaby. We’re in a dreamy haze.

[Verse 1]

“Today you woke and you told me you wanted to cry”
Right from the jump, Miley plants us in emotional fragility. This is the aftermath of bad news, or worse—existential dread.

“The sky was fallin’ like a comet on the Fourth of July”
A line that blends awe and anxiety. The image is dazzling, but also hints at destruction. Cue the quiet panic behind the glitter.

“Maybe you’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout the future like it’s already yours”
There’s both tenderness and tension here—a nod to holding on too tightly to something uncertain.

“Show me how you hold me and tomorrow wasn’t coming for sure”
One of the most human lines in the track. The fantasy of finality turns into a plea for present connection.

[Chorus]

“Let’s pretend that it’s not the end of the world”
Miley isn’t deluding anyone here—she’s choosing fantasy as resistance.

It’s a line that doesn’t beg for reality, it dodges it with a wink and a beat drop. It’s escapism with full awareness, which makes it sting a little deeper.

[Verse 2]

“Let’s spend the dollars you’ve been saving on a Mercedes-Benz”
A cheeky shrug to responsibility. If the world’s ending, blow the savings.

“And throw a party like McCartney with some help from my friends”
Beatles references? Tick. Nostalgia? Tick. It’s Miley’s way of inviting a community into the chaos.

“Then let’s go down to Malibu and watch the sun fade out once more”
It’s romantic and cinematic. A slow goodbye wrapped in warm coastal colours.

“Show me how you hold me and tomorrow wasn’t coming for sure”
The repetition makes it hit harder the second time. The emotional anchor of the track.

What Is the Meaning Behind End of the World by Miley Cyrus?

The meaning of End of the World is almost too obvious—love hard, live now, because tomorrow’s a question mark.

But what makes it linger is how the music doesn’t just echo that urgency—it cushions it.

While the lyrics admit the sky might fall, the sound wraps you in a warm, echoing glow, like denial turned into a dance track.

Where Endless Summer Vacation toyed with illusion and detachment—rose-coloured lenses, if you will—End of the World strips all that back, replacing dreamy escapism with something closer to eye contact.

Some fans speculate the track is about her mother, Tish Cyrus—who reportedly walked down the aisle to an unreleased Miley song during her wedding.

Others see it as a metaphor for global anxiety in uncertain times. Either way, it boils down to choosing connection over collapse.

The Music Video: Glitter and Apocalyptic Glamour

The End of the World music video doesn’t just complement the song—it completes it.

Directed by Miley herself alongside Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter, it’s styled like a stage performance inside a dream, where theatrical lighting and warm tones pull you into a world that feels intimate and cinematic.

Miley wears a custom emerald Mugler minidress by Casey Cadwallader, shimmering under golden light that bathes the scene in surreal nostalgia.

The visuals echo her GRAMMYs performance, with an added softness that nods to both vulnerability and showmanship.

There’s even a flicker of Tina Turner in her stance—commanding, unbothered, a powerhouse cloaked in glamour.

Miley Cyrus lies on stage in a green dress during dreamy End of the World video. — Miley Cyrus lies on stage in a green dress during dreamy End of the World video

Her boyfriend, Maxx Morando, makes a quiet but striking appearance on drums—his face never fully shown, adding mystery to a video already soaked in subtext.

Miley’s choreography is subtle: she leans into the microphone, wanders toward Maxx, and at one point, lies across the stage in front of him.

It’s theatrical but not forced—like watching someone try to hold a moment before it slips.

Each visual choice feels intentional. The lighting glows, not glares. The camera lingers, it doesn’t rush. The end might be coming, but this is a video that teaches you how to savour the stillness between beats.

Chords, Melody, and Sonic Texture

Forget the fretboard details—this is a track that feels like it was built in a velvet daydream.

The melody moves like waves lapping against an empty dancefloor, combining soft piano roots with glossy pop shimmer.

There’s a bittersweet ease to how it’s carried—smooth, lightly nostalgic, yet emotionally precise.

Its progression is familiar but nostalgic—rooted in pop history without sounding derivative. End of the World isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it knows exactly how to make it roll.

Miley Cyrus End of the World explained: Love in a Time of Collapse

Whether it’s about her mother, her boyfriend, or a world that feels like it’s teetering—End of the World captures the strange sweetness of holding hands while it all burns.

It’s not mourning—it’s movement. A gentle refusal to let despair win.

One fan on Reddit put it best: “It’s so fun being a huge Miley fan who also had an intense indie phase in the late 2000s–2010s. Feels like my worlds are colliding.”

That might explain why End of the World resonates so deeply—it fuses glittery pop instincts with indie vulnerability, sounding like the soundtrack to someone else’s memory and your own future all at once.

And it just might be the most upbeat end-times anthem we’ve ever heard.

Miley Cyrus End of the World Lyrics

Intro
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Verse 1
Today, you woke up and you told me that you wanted to cry
The sky was fallin’ like a comet on the Fourth of July
Baby, you’ve been thinkin’ ’bout the future like it’s already yours
Show me how you’d hold me if tomorrow wasn’t comin’ for sure

Chorus
Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world (Oh, oh, oh, oh)
Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world (Oh, oh, oh, oh)

Verse 2
Let’s spend the dollars you’ve been savin’ on a Mercedes-Benz (Ah)
And throw a party like McCartney with some help from our friends
Yeah, let’s go down to Malibu and watch the sun fade out once more
Show me how you’d hold me if tomorrow was comin’ for sure

Chorus
Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world (Oh, oh, oh, oh)
Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world
(Oh, oh, oh, oh) The sky is fallin’, fallin’ like a comet now, oh, oh
I can see it comin’ down
(Oh, oh, oh, oh) The sky is fallin’, fallin’ like a comet now, oh, oh

Bridge
Ooh, let’s go to Paris, I don’t care if we get lost in the scene
Paint the city like Picasso would’ve done in his dreams
Do the things that we were way too terrified of before
Oh, I wanna take you to Nirvana, we can’t take it too far
Hit the bottom of the bottle and forget who we are
Hold me close, you know tomorrow isn’t comin’ for sure

Breakdown
Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world
Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world
(Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world)
Let’s pretend
It’s not the end
(Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world)
Let’s pretend (The sky is fallin’)
It’s not the end (Like the end of the world)
Let’s pretend
It’s not the end, end, end

Chorus
(Oh, oh, oh, oh) Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world
(Oh, oh, oh, oh) The sky is fallin’, fallin’ like a comet now, oh, oh
Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world
(Oh, oh, oh, oh) The sky is fallin’, fallin’ like a comet now, oh, oh
Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world
The sky is fallin’, fallin’ like a comet now, oh, oh
I can see it comin’ down