"Used to Be Young" debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Cyrus' 12th top-ten song and the second one from Endless Summer Vacation, following "Flowers".

That is my life at this moment ... unfinished yet complete.Cyrus first teased the song and an upcoming release in her June 2023 cover story for British Vogue; she revealed its lyrics: "I know I used to be crazy / I know I used to be fun / You say I used to be wild / I say I used to be young".

[5][9] Cyrus announced the single along with the ABC documentary concert special, Endless Summer Vacation: Continued (Backyard Sessions) through a trailer on her social media on August 17.

[10][11] She revealed the song's cover art and release date—August 25, 2023, a day after the broadcast of the special, an updated and "reimagined" version of Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions) (2023).

Cyrus revealed it was written in 2021 during the initial stages of development of her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation (2023); she "[painted] a sonic picture of [her] perspective to share with [her fans]".