It was 2008. If you weren't wearing a side fringe or trying to learn the "Hoedown Throwdown," were you even there? Miley Cyrus was right in the middle of shedding the blonde Hannah Montana wig, and she did it with a song that basically became the blueprint for teenage rage and heartbreak. I’m talking about "7 Things."
Even now, years later, 7 things miley cyrus lyrics carry a specific kind of weight. It’s that chaotic, messy energy of being fifteen and absolutely furious at a boy who probably didn't deserve your time anyway. But who was the boy? And why does the math in the song feel so... off?
Honestly, the song is a masterpiece of pop-punk spite. It’s loud. It’s aggressive. It’s weirdly sweet by the end. If you’ve ever screamed the chorus in your car, you know exactly what I mean.
The Mystery of the Dog Tags
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Everyone knows this song is about Nick Jonas. Well, everyone guessed it immediately.
At the time, Miley and Nick were the Disney "it" couple. Their breakup was like the Titanic for tweens. When the music video for "7 Things" dropped, fans became amateur detectives. In the video, Miley is wearing a set of medical dog tags.
✨ Don't miss: Gary Oldman Sid and Nancy: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
Guess who has Type 1 diabetes and famously wore dog tags? Nick Jonas.
She also holds up a picture with a guy's face scribbled out. If you squint, it's pretty clearly a photo of them together from an awards show. Nick himself eventually admitted he was "flattered" by the song, even if he joked that his friends weren't actually "jerks" as the lyrics suggest.
Miley later confirmed in her book, Miles to Go, that she wrote it while she was "angry." She was going through about nine hundred emotions at once. You can hear that in the track. One minute she’s strumming an acoustic guitar, and the next, she’s basically headbanging.
Decoding the 7 Things Miley Cyrus Lyrics (and the Math Fail)
The funny thing about the lyrics is that Miley actually lists way more than seven things. If you sit down and count them, the math just doesn't add up.
✨ Don't miss: Where to Watch Little Giants Right Now Without Losing Your Mind
In the "hate" section, she lists being vain, the games, insecurity, the "you love me, you like her" drama, the laughing and crying, and his jerk friends. By the time she gets to "the seventh thing I hate the most," she says: "You make me love you."
Wait. Isn't that like... item number eight? Or nine?
The "Hate" List
- Vain
- Games
- Insecure
- You love me, you like her
- You make me laugh
- You make me cry
- Your friends are jerks
- When you act like them, it hurts
The bridge is where things get even more intense. She demands a sincere apology. She says, "If you text it, I'll delete it." This was 2008! T9 texting was the peak of communication, and deleting a text was the ultimate power move.
The Plot Twist: The "Like" List
Most people forget that the ending of the song flips the script. After spending three minutes dragging this guy, she lists seven things she actually likes.
- His hair.
- His eyes.
- His old Levi’s.
- The way they kiss (hypnotized).
- Making her laugh/cry (again).
- His hand in hers.
- The 7th thing? "You make me love you."
It’s a classic case of "I hate you, but don't leave me." It captures that exhausting teenage cycle of breaking up and getting back together every Tuesday.
Why We Still Care About These Lyrics
Why does a song from nearly two decades ago still trend? Because 7 things miley cyrus lyrics feel authentic in a way a lot of polished pop doesn't.
It wasn't written by a team of 40-year-olds trying to sound like teens. Miley co-wrote it with Antonina Armato and Tim James. It feels raw. It feels like a diary entry that someone set to a heavy drum beat.
The song also marked the transition from "Miley as Hannah" to "Miley as Miley." It was the lead single from Breakout, her first album that had nothing to do with the Disney show. She was telling the world she had real-life problems, real-life ex-boyfriends, and a real-life temper.
How to Channel That "7 Things" Energy
If you're looking to revisit the track or use it for your own catharsis, here are some actionable ways to dive back into the era:
- Watch the Music Video Closely: Look for the girls in the video. Miley recently tried to track them down on social media for the song's 13th anniversary. Many were just fans or young actresses, including a very young Nicola Peltz.
- Analyze the Genre Blend: Notice how the song starts like a country ballad and then slams into pop-punk. It’s a great example of the "Nashville meets Hollywood" sound she was perfecting before The Climb or Can't Be Tamed.
- Create Your Own "7 Things" List: Honestly, it's therapeutic. If you’re dealing with a "Nick Jonas" of your own, write it out. List the things that drive you crazy and the things that keep you coming back. Just maybe don't put the dog tags in a music video unless you want it to go viral.
The song remains a staple in her live sets for a reason. It reminds us that even when we’re "scared" and "awkward and silent," there’s power in just saying exactly what we’re thinking. Even if we lose count of how many things we’re actually complaining about.
To truly appreciate the evolution of Miley’s songwriting, listen to "7 Things" back-to-back with "Flowers." You can see the journey from "You make me love you" (relying on someone else for validation) to "I can buy myself flowers" (finding it in herself). It’s the ultimate growth arc in pop history.