Miley Cyrus Reveals Godmother Dolly Parton’s Response to “Used to Be Young”: “I’m Like 80. That Should Have Been My Song”

Dolly Parton has some issues with Miley Cyrus’ 2023 song “Used to Be Young.”

Cyrus revealed her godmother’s reaction to the single her recent Harper’s Bazaar cover story, where she explained that Parton did not think the song’s lyrics fit Cyrus due to her age and beauty.

“She goes, ‘I don’t know if I like that new ‘Used to Be Young’ song because it’s not fair that you’re singing about not being young when you’re young and beautiful.’ She said, ‘And here I am — I’m like 80 — and I’m like, That should have been my song!’” Cyrus recalled.

On “Used to Be Young,” which hit No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Cyrus sings about her youth and how she has grown and matured since her partying days. Reflecting back on the song’s release, Cyrus said that the woman she is today may not have released the song at all.

“I actually listened to that song yesterday, and I was asking myself, ‘Did I really need to put this out?’ It was one of those things that maybe now that I’m a bit more private, I would’ve kept private, but I’m happy to have shared it,” she said about the track, which was released in August 2023 on Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation album.

“It just feels like a song that’s so personal that it’s hard for people to relate,” she added.

Elsewhere in the interview, Cyrus shared her support for fellow artist Chappell Roan, who has recently spoken out about establishing boundaries with her fans. The “Flowers” singer said she wished that people “would not give [Roan] a hard time.”

“It’s probably really hard coming into this business with phones and Instagram,” Cyrus said. “That wasn’t always a part of my life, and I’m not a part of it now. I don’t even have my Instagram password.”

Roan has been a fan of Cyrus’ since the 2000s. The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer attended Cyrus’ Best of Both Worlds Tour in 2007, which marked her first concert, and was among those who introduced Cyrus during the Disney Legends ceremony in August.

“The things that I admire about Miley Cyrus is that she constantly reinvents herself and always works,” Roan said. “For a lot of artists, it can seem inauthentic or out of the blue, but she’s very open about her transformations artistically and personally. She’s so true to herself and puts out music that is so authentic.”