"Slide Away" received favorable reviews from music critics. It charted at number 47 on the US
Billboard Hot 100. The accompanying music video was released on September 6, 2019.[5]
Composition and lyrics
"Slide Away" is three minutes and fifty-three seconds long. It was written by Cyrus, Finnish singer
Alma, and American producers
Mike Will Made It and
Andrew Wyatt; Cyrus had most recently collaborated with Alma and Wyatt on the song "
Mother's Daughter" and with Mike Will Made It on "Party Up the Street", both from her EP She Is Coming (2019). The track features a combination of "hip-hop drums, warm guitars, sweeping strings, and layered samples" over a "snappy" beat.[6][7] Its arrangement has been compared to 1990s British music "when everyone started jet-setting around genres and playing with samples", including the songs "
Tender" by
Blur and "
Bitter Sweet Symphony" by
the Verve. It is acknowledged to contrast with the sound of Cyrus' three most recent albums Bangerz (2013), Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015), and Younger Now (2017).[6]
The lyrics are described as "much more introspective [and] somber" than the "funky" tracks released from She Is Coming.[8] They are often compared to Cyrus' separation from husband
Liam Hemsworth, which was announced on August 11, 2019.[9] The line "move on, we're not seventeen / I'm not who I used to be" is believed to reference their first meeting while filming The Last Song (2010), and the line "so won't you slide away / back to the ocean, I'll go back to the city lights" supposedly addresses Cyrus' sighting in Los Angeles and Hemsworth's sighting surfing in Australia after their separation was announced.[10] The lyrics "I want my house in the hills / don't want the whiskey and pills" have been attributed to "a big separation between 2019 Miley and the [2013] party girl persona."[11]
Critical reception
Bonnie Stiernberg from Billboard called the song "three-and-a-half minutes of emotional, self-reflection [that] appears to reflect the dramas in her own life".[7] Brittany Vincent from
MTV News commented that "it's hard to deny the heartbreak" in the perceived context of the lyrics, but spoke favorably of "[the] beauty in the acceptance".[8] Craig Jenkins from Vulture wrote that the lyrics were "just about knowing when to cut your losses and move on" and avoided being "vindictive or tabloid-y", and that the production "suits Cyrus' voice, pushing her without overwhelming her."[6] The publication included the song on its "Best Songs of 2019 (So Far)" list in September.[12]
Commercial performance
"Slide Away" debuted at number 47 on the US
Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated August 31, 2019.[13] It is Cyrus' 48th entry on the chart.[14]
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Slide Away" was directed by
Alexandre Moors, and released on September 6, 2019.[11] It comprises scenes of Cyrus underwater in a pool, leaning on the edge of a pool, and amongst partygoers at a house party. Many scenes have been compared to the music video for her 2013 single "
We Can't Stop"; Glenn Rowley from Billboard wrote that Cyrus appeared "fully detached from the revelry happening around her" compared to the previous video,[15] and Christian Holub from Entertainment Weekly commented that she seemed "clearly unsatisfied."[11]
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ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201937 into search. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
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ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 202002 into search. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
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ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201934 into search. Retrieved August 27, 2019.