Until recently, Miley Cyrus wasn’t the kind of artist that immediately brought to mind serious rock’n’roll pipes – responsible for the demolition-level ballad ‘Wrecking Ball’, sugary ode-to-molly ‘We Can’t Stop’ and the almost hideously catchy ‘Party in the U.S.A’, she’s always had an uncanny knack for spinning pure-pop gold. Doing a straightforward acoustic cover of this song just reveals that, sorry, it’s a little boring. Log in or link your magazine subscription. “I sing songs like ‘[We] Can’t Stop’ for you, but then I sing a couple of songs for me,” Miley told the crowd at last year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival – clearly a favoured spot for unexpected covers. The song was inspired by Roger Waters’ memories of trying to play a show after being injected with some hardcore pain tranquilisers, and certain choice lyrics also seem to speak to Miley’s desire to break free from the mould she’s been put in: “I can’t explain you would not understand,” she gravels, “this is not how I am”. She’s fittingly theatrical alongside the bonafide showman, and her voice makes up for the range that John’s lost after 50 years of performing. This is in honor of my grandma ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ywTjFbVSoW. Scattered with woozy, Beach Boys-esque harmonies, the waltzy ballad eventually led to Randy Meisner quitting the band after multiple arguments about whether to perform it live. 20. Cyrus wasn’t even old enough to drink when she delivered what may well be the definitive take of this then-62-year-old standard — outdoing Eartha Kitt and Nina Simone. Hate them? Regardless of your feelings on the band, it’s pretty hard to deny that Cyrus turned this song into a special moment, in tribute to her grandmother, who died just days before. “True Trans Soul Rebel” (Against Me!) “Sleigh Ride” (standard), Spotify Singles30. The garish new version switches up the song’s darker elements, and is unrelentingly positive. Condolences to Billie Eilish, because not only did Cyrus sing this song like she wrote it, she turned it into a master class in restraint. Why it rocked: At this point in her career, Miley was still playing clean-cut Disney heroine Hannah Montana, making this the perfect curveball. On Black Mirror, her starring role as the bubblegum pop act Ashley O – famous for singing a sickly-sweet new version of Nine Inch Nails’ brutal ‘Head Like A Hole’ – concluded with Cyrus performing the original in a sticky, sweat-drenched club. 4. Why it rocked: Sneaking an ode to LSD in the middle of hits from ‘Bangerz’? Already a subscriber? “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” (Song of the South), Disneymania 4Few things have made me happier that Cyrus eventually left Disney than her terrible cover of the big hit from one of the company’s most racist films. “Help!” (the Beatles), “Global Goal: Unite for Our Future”. “Don’t Dream It’s Over” (Crowded House) with Ariana Grande, Backyard Sessions 2015. 2. with Laura Jane Grace, Backyard Sessions 2015. “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” (Bob Dylan) with Johnzo West, Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty InternationalCyrus polishes up this Bob Dylan cover and sneaks in a few big notes in the process, but otherwise plays it fairly straight. Cyrus throws disco out the window for her raw performance of the song, released on streaming by popular demand after she debuted it at a fanless iHeart Music Festival. 9. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. A conflict-averse episode centers on the revelation of a long-held secret that doesn’t have any consequences. Even Blondie themselves approved – ”we think Miley Cyrus nailed it,” they tweeted afterwards. 7. Here is a ranking of every Miley Cyrus … © 2020 NME is a member of the media division of BandLab Technologies. Cyrus makes it the opposite with another checked-out, almost mournful vocal — along with ditching that awesome horn part. An episode that feels like a tipping point delivers the first high-level casualty of the Fadda-Cannon conflict. One second she’s grooving with the band, then she’s moaning out that whole chorus, then she’s making small talk with the audience like it was nothing — only to do it all again for the ending. Yet she doesn’t overshadow him, instead accentuating his best parts for a loving tribute. This Pink Floyd cover is a Rorschach test for your thoughts on the band itself. “The Bitch Is Back,” Restoration: The Songs of Elton John and Bernie TaupinMany Cyrus fans who happened upon this cover outside the compilation album thought it was an original, and it sure sounds like something she’d make, doesn’t it? Say no more. a new cover of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” hitting streaming, an upcoming “Backyard Sessions” special on. “Peace Will Come (According to Plan)” (Melanie) with Melanie Safka, Backyard Sessions 2015. When Cyrus finally gets her moment to perform with John himself, she doesn’t take it for granted. Done well, this one-hit wonder by the Turtles is lighthearted and buoyant. The influence of Joan Jett is clear on Miley’s most recent, rock-inspired material (see last year’s EP ‘She Is Coming’), which is why it’s such a treat revisiting this early medley of Blackhearts bangers. Sometimes, it’s singing the song that shows off the best contours of her voice; others, it’s bending songs that just shouldn’t work to her will. “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” (Paul Simon), Backyard Sessions 2015. Here is every Miley Cyrus cover song, ranked. Why it rocked: It’s a tough task taking on a Tom Petty track, but Cyrus brought the metaphorical house down with raw emotion. Points awarded for Cyrus playing up the lyrics at every chance she gets; points deducted for her out-of-nowhere screaming at the end. But with her guest appearance in Charlie Brooker’s dystopian telly series last year – and during a subsequent riff-heavy set at Glastonbury – the singer proved she can rock with the best of ’em. She is an undisputed old soul though, meaning her Roberta Flack cover both fits perfectly and is the most daunting song she’s ever taken on. “Wildflowers” (Tom Petty) with Billy Ray Cyrus, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Cyrus loves to cover a topical song, but this choice — which, on its face, fit her Happy Hippy Foundation well — backfired. “Jolene” (Dolly Parton), Backyard Sessions 2012. While she’s been recording covers since the late ’00s, she made them a more intentional staple of her repertoire with her Backyard Sessions YouTube series, which first debuted with three fan-favorite covers in 2012 and returned by popular demand in 2015 with even more, along with some guests. 40. For that performance, she made the song into a gentle, heartfelt elegy, letting the simple chorus speak for itself. Eventually, Cyrus turns to passionate shouting that should make Paul Westerberg proud; a month later, when she came out as gender-fluid, fans would know what the words truly meant to her. Why it rocked: What could be more rock’n’roll than the Tennessee-born musician metaphorically killing off Hannah Montana, once and for all? Joan Jett’s original performance is tepid enough, and the lyrics make for a pretty thin anthem (“Look, they treat you rough, but you’re tough enough, and we’re all different”). “I’m serious!”. But she made it her canvas when she dedicated her Backyard Sessions performance to Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teenager who died by suicide the year before. 10. Sometimes, it’s picking the perfect song for the moment; others, it’s bringing a left-field song to a new audience or imbuing it with new meaning. She builds it into a powerful rock ballad that sounds just as classic as the original, backed by one of her band’s finer arrangements and performances. The world's defining voice in music and pop culture since 1952. And who else would dare to blow that bridge up like that? Zero.”. But Melanie being there keeps things from getting too serious; she pulls out a verse in French, making Cyrus giggle like no other duet partner. Yes. A few days after the death of the legendary Tom Petty, Miley Cyrus performed ‘Wildflowers’ on the Howard Stern Show in tribute to one of her favourite artists – speaking to the host, she added that she wanted to pick out a song that felt “hopeful rather than mourning”.