Miley Cyrus’s ‘Easy Lover’ Lyrics Include a Subtle Ode to Her Shotgun Rider, Beyoncé

Miley Cyrus’s ninth album, Something Beautiful, is officially here. Alongside the LP that dropped today, Cyrus also released a music video for her newest single “Easy Lover.”

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In the ’80s-tinged track, she sings about a partner who’s not so easy to love, which just makes her even more obsessed: “I love to hate ya, uh, but I can’t stand it when you’re gone / So I call you once every hour.” And despite that, she just can’t give them up.

While the song wrestles with themes of a complicated relationship in its lyrics, the backstory of how it came to be is just as fascinating.

In an interview with Zane Lowe last week, Cyrus explained that she initially pitched the song to Beyoncé for her Cowboy Carter album. (That explains why it includes the adlib, “Tell ’em, B!”)

“I had written that song originally around the Plastic Hearts days and never got the production quite where I wanted it,” she explains to Lowe.

But she held onto the song, and when Beyoncé was looking for tracks for her country album, she sent her this one and “Shotgun Rider,” which was eventually renamed to the Grammy-winning “II Most Wanted.”

And though “Easy Lover” didn’t make it onto Cowboy Carter, that didn’t stop Cyrus from keeping the adlib.

“I just was like, ‘What am I going to do about, ‘Tell ’em, B’?’ she said. “And Britney Howard’s like, ‘I’ll play the guitar on it.’ So that’s her playing all that electric guitar.’”

You can check out the full lyrics to the track below, courtesy of Genius.

[Verse 1](Ooh-woo) You’re my baby, you’re the only oneYou drive me crazy, oh, but I still miss you when you’re goneEvery second, every hour

(Ooh-woo) It’s in your nature, to light me up

I love to hate ya, uh, but I can’t stand it when you’re goneSo I call you once every hour[Chorus]You got the love I always neededTie me to horses and I still wouldn’t leave yaBut you’re not an easy lover[Verse 2]

You’re a wildfire, mmh, and I’m in your path (Ooh-woo)

I’ve decided I wanna keep on dancin’ in the ashes

And so I call out, "Let it burn" (Ooh-woo)

[Chorus]You got thе love I always neededTie mе to horses and I still wouldn’t leave ya

But you’re not an easy lover (Ooh-woo)

[Post-Chorus]

No, I just can’t give you up, no, I just can’t give you up (Ooh-woo)

No, I just can’t give you up, no, I just can’t give you upBut you’re not an easy lover (You’re not an easy, you’re not an easy)

Easy lover, hey

[Chorus]You got the love I always needed (Ah)Tie me to horses, I still wouldn’t leave you (Tell ’em, B)But you’re not an easy lover (You’re not an easy, you’re not an easy, ah)You make it hard to touch another (You make it hard)Anything goes when we’re under cover (Covers)But you’re not an easy lover (You’re not an easy, you’re not an easy)

(Easy lover, ooh-woo)

[Post-Chorus]

No, I just can’t give you up, no, I just can’t give you up (Can’t give you up, ooh-woo)

No, I just can’t give you up, no, I just can’t give you upBut you’re not an easy lover (You’re not an easy, you’re not an easy)

No, I just can’t give you up, no, I just can’t give you up (Ooh-woo)

No, I just can’t give you up, no, I just can’t give you upBut you’re not an easy lover (You’re not an easy, you’re not an easy)

(Ooh-woo)