When most people think of Hannah Montana, they think of Miley Cyrus in a wig, singing pop songs for pre-teens. However, I like to think of her as more than that.
When I was younger, I watched every season and almost all the episode of Hannah Montana. It was such a huge part of my childhood. Recently, I listened to a playlist on Spotify that contained the song “Butterfly Fly Away.” When I heard the song, I initially hit with a wave of nostalgia. I remembered the countless times I watched the movie and sang along to every song. As I kept listening, I realized that my 8 year old self had never actually understood the meaning of the lyrics I was singing. I teared up as I listened to Miley sing to her father as a thanks for all struggles he went through to raise their family as a single parent. It was so touching and the emotions felt so real. This catapulted me into a marathon of Hannah Montana songs. One after the other, I grew more and more impressed as I listened intently to the lyrics and messages she was trying to portray. I had stored these songs in the back corner of my brain because I assumed that I would no longer relate to them. However, the opposite was true. Since I’m older now, I can comprehend the lyrics and understand her feelings. She sings about topics such as leaving for college, letting go of loved ones and struggling to figure out who she is. Although it’s true that Hannah Montana is a Disney Show for kids, I realized that her songs are more than just catchy and childish.
Of course, she still has her classic songs like “Hoedown Throwdown” and “Nobody’s Perfect” that are just catchy songs to dance along to. However, she also sang about some pretty real topics that can relate to people of all ages. It may possibly be my nostalgia and childhood love for the show that strongly sways my opinion but I’d like to believe it’s also because the songs are genuinely well written. I know some people may not take this blog seriously, or not want to give it a chance, but I encourage everyone to listen to some Hannah Montana songs and you may be surprised.
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