From rock classics to pop hits, watch as we explore how this versatile artist transforms familiar tunes into something completely her own. Whether adding country twang to rock anthems or turning dance hits into emotional ballads, these covers showcase her incredible vocal range and artistic vision.
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00:00In your head, in your head, they are crying.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're counting down our picks for the most incredible and unique reimaginings of other artists' songs
00:13that Miley Cyrus has performed over the years.
00:17Just like a prayer, you know I'll take it there.
00:21Number 10. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
00:25Roberta Flack.
00:26The first time.
00:30The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face was recorded by several folk singers.
00:45However, it was jazz singer Roberta Flack's soft and whisper-like rendition that became the most popular,
00:52giving Flack the first chart-topping hit of her career.
00:55And the first time.
01:00When Miley Cyrus covered the song at BBC Radio's Live Lounge in 2017,
01:09she swapped that folk sound for a twangy, more haunting tone,
01:13while retaining the raw, emotional depth of the original.
01:17Set to a slightly slower tempo than Flack's version,
01:20Cyrus' raspy vocals emphasized the vulnerability in the lyrics,
01:24and infused the track with a more melancholic, almost aching quality.
01:43Number 9. Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High.
01:46Arctic Monkeys.
01:47As a singer with deep roots in country music,
01:57Miley Cyrus finds a way to inject some southern twang into most of her covers.
02:02And her take on Arctic Monkeys' Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High is no exception.
02:07Cyrus stripped down the bass-heavy groove of the original
02:10for a slower, more atmospheric arrangement during her 2014 appearance at MTV Unplugged.
02:17Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High.
02:20Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High.
02:24Adding a slightly jazzy edge,
02:27Cyrus uses her signature country drawl to highlight every lyric,
02:31and brings a new dimension to the words.
02:33She then closes the performance with a powerful final chorus,
02:37hitting soaring high notes that elevate the already great rendition.
02:46It's no wonder Arctic Monkeys drummer, Matt Helders,
02:50called it his favorite cover of any of the band's songs.
02:54Number 8. Nothing Compares To You.
02:56Sinead O'Connor.
02:57It's abundantly clear that Miley Cyrus' provocative video for her song Wrecking Ball
03:11drew inspiration from that of Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares To You.
03:16While its release initially sparked a Twitter beef between the two artists,
03:20Cyrus later paid tribute to O'Connor by covering the song in a mashup with Wrecking Ball
03:25for her live album, Attention.
03:27It's been seven hours and fifteen days.
03:33The original features a sweeping orchestration,
03:36but Cyrus' version is far grittier,
03:38with heavy rock instrumentation backing her husky vocals.
03:42Where O'Connor's rendition has a delicate sorrow,
03:45Cyrus' is more impulsive and defiant,
03:48as if she's processing the heartbreak in real time and determined to move on.
03:52Cyrus delivered yet another powerful cover of the song
04:01at the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary special,
04:04alongside Brittany Howard.
04:06Cause nothing compares,
04:10no nothing compares to you.
04:16Number 7. Nothing Else Matters.
04:19Metallica.
04:20Miley Cyrus first unveiled her cover of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters
04:25at the 2019 Glastonbury Music Festival.
04:28At the time, she was navigating her divorce
04:30and coping with the loss of her home in a wildfire,
04:34circumstances that drew her to the song
04:36because it reminded her of her undying love for music.
04:39Never care for what they say.
04:44Never care for what they say.
04:46Never care for what they say.
04:46That emotional weight came through clearly in her performance.
04:53Cyrus brings a haunting vulnerability to the song
04:55that gave her rendition a unique edge
04:57and made it feel completely new.
04:59Never care for who you are.
05:04No nothing else matters.
05:07The cover was so well-received
05:12that she re-recorded it for the band's tribute album,
05:15The Metallica Blacklist,
05:16with Elton John on piano,
05:18Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith on drums,
05:21Metallica's Robert Trujillo on bass,
05:24and Yo-Yo Ma playing the cello.
05:26Open mine for a different girl
05:28Number six, Jolene, Dolly Parton.
05:38Jolene, Jolene, Jolene.
05:42Oh, I'm begging of you, please don't take my man.
05:46As her goddaughter,
05:48Miley Cyrus shares a deep, undeniable bond with Dolly Parton,
05:52so who better to cover her timeless classic Jolene?
05:55In terms of arrangement,
05:57there isn't much difference between the two versions,
05:59but their paths completely diverge in the delivery.
06:02Parton's country original is pleading and tender,
06:05capturing the quiet desperation of a woman
06:07begging another not to take her man.
06:10Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
06:14I'm begging of you, please don't take my man.
06:19But in her 2012 Backyard Sessions,
06:22Cyrus put a more indie rock spin on it,
06:24delivering the lyrics with a bold, confrontational energy.
06:28She's not just begging Jolene to back off,
06:30she's demanding it.
06:31You could have your choice, man,
06:34but I could never love again
06:36cause he's the only one for me, Jolene.
06:40Both versions came together beautifully in 2016,
06:43when Parton and Cyrus performed the song live on The Voice
06:46alongside acapella group Pentatonix.
06:50Talks about you in his sleep,
06:51there's nothing I can do to keep from crying
06:54when he calls you name Jolene.
06:58Number 5.
06:59Maybe.
07:00Janis Joplin.
07:01In 2021, Miley Cyrus headlined
07:04the Austin City Limits Music Festival
07:06for two consecutive weekends,
07:08treating fans to live performances of her songs,
07:10as well as classic covers.
07:12One of the standouts of her entire set
07:14was her rendition of Janis Joplin's Maybe.
07:17If I could ever
07:18hold your little edge
07:21before you might try.
07:24Joplin's version was a cover itself
07:26and barely made a splash when it first dropped.
07:29Nevertheless,
07:30it was a raw portrayal of longing,
07:32amplified by that unforgettable gravel in her voice.
07:35Baby, baby, do your guilt,
07:37I've done something wrong
07:38and I'd be glad to admit it.
07:41With this cover,
07:43Cyrus exceeded all expectations
07:45by not only perfectly nailing Joplin's cadence,
07:48but also hitting some impressive high notes.
07:50Her version was even more frenetic than the original,
07:53as she altered the tempo and pacing,
07:56creating a bold reinterpretation
07:57that can still stand all on its own.
08:00Bless, bless, bless.
08:03Wow!
08:04I didn't want you to get to the baby now, come on!
08:06Number four, Zombie, The Cranberries.
08:17Since it was released in 1994,
08:20The Cranberries' protest anthem,
08:22Zombie,
08:23has been covered by numerous artists,
08:25but only a few have earned the band's approval.
08:28One of them is Miley Cyrus.
08:30Performed at the 2020 Save Our Stages Festival
08:33at LA's Whiskey A Go Go,
08:35Cyrus traded the grunge-tinged alt-rock feel
08:38of the original
08:38for a heavier, more distorted rock sound.
08:46She leaned further into the anger,
08:49bringing such an intensity that,
08:51according to the band,
08:52would have made the late front woman,
08:54Dolores O'Riordan, proud.
08:57Cyrus didn't just sound like a rock star,
08:59she also looked like one,
09:01with her fur coat, mullet,
09:02and relentless headbanging.
09:04We're glad she decided to immortalize the cover
09:06by including it on her 2020 album,
09:09Plastic Hearts.
09:10In your head,
09:13zombie, zombie, zombie,
09:16hey, hey, hey.
09:18Number three, Gimme More,
09:20Britney Spears.
09:22Britney Spears' 2007 hit Gimme More
09:24is a hypnotic dance-pop banger
09:26with a bass line you wish you could resist.
09:36In the hands of Miley Cyrus, however,
09:39it became an unrecognizable song,
09:41in the best way possible.
09:43Though primarily a pop artist herself,
09:45Cyrus took the song in a different direction,
09:48transforming it into a brooding ballad.
09:50The center of attention
09:52Even when I'm up against the wall
09:58She swaps out the club-ready electronic production
10:01and slows down the tempo,
10:03leaving behind what can only be described
10:05as a country hoedown.
10:07Stripped of its glossy synths,
10:09the raw ache in the lyrics seem to reveal itself,
10:12and it's made all the more glaring
10:14by Cyrus' gritty, impassioned vocals.
10:16Gimme more, gimme, gimme more,
10:19gimme, gimme more, gimme, gimme more,
10:21gimme, gimme more, gimme, gimme more.
10:24Honestly, at this point,
10:26we need a full Miley and Britney cover album.
10:29Number two, Like a Prayer, Madonna.
10:32Considering it's widely regarded
10:33as one of her best songs,
10:35it'll be hard to top Madonna's original version
10:37of Like a Prayer.
10:38When you call my name,
10:40it's like a little prayer,
10:42I'm down on my knees.
10:44But if anyone has come close,
10:46it's Miley Cyrus.
10:47Cyrus performed a cover of the song
10:50at the 2022 Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest,
10:53which she then released
10:54as part of her live album, Attention.
10:56While this version still retains
10:58the gospel roots of the original,
11:00Cyrus layers it with a more heavy rock sound,
11:03infusing thrashy drums,
11:05grunge-heavy guitars,
11:06and that unmistakable raspy belt.
11:08Gone are the massive angelic choir and church bells.
11:20In their place is a raw, smoky rendition
11:22that feels less like a call to worship
11:24and more like a rock and roll confessional.
11:27When you call my name
11:29Like a little prayer
11:31Down on my knees
11:33I wanna take
11:34Before we unveil our top pick,
11:36here are a few honorable mentions.
11:39Boys Don't Cry
11:40The Cure
11:41A gritty and edgy take
11:42on The Cure's iconic new wave ballad.
11:45I hid the tears in my eyes
11:47Cause boys don't cry
11:51Sweet Jane
11:53The Velvet Underground
11:54Cyrus turns the Lou Reed penned tune
11:57into a blues rock affair.
11:59Sweet Jane
12:00Sweet Jane
12:06You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
12:09Bob Dylan
12:10In one of her earliest covers,
12:13Cyrus proves she's outgrown her Hannah Montana days.
12:16Right on target so direct
12:18You're gonna make me lonesome when you go
12:22Summertime Sadness
12:24Lana Del Rey
12:25Cyrus' cheery vocals add a touch of optimism
12:28to balance this ballad's deep melancholy.
12:31Got that summertime, summertime
12:33Sadness
12:35Oh
12:35Oh
12:3650 Ways to Leave Your Lover
12:39Paul Simon
12:40Cyrus' powerful voice takes center stage
12:43in this stripped-down rendition.
12:45I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free
12:49There must be
12:5050 ways to leave your lover
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13:08From the very first line of her cover of Blondie's Heart of Glass, Miley Cyrus makes it clear that she is on a mission to forge a new rock star image.
13:21And she certainly succeeds at it.
13:24Once I love and it was a gas
13:27It soon turned out
13:29I had a heart of glass
13:31Performed at the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Festival, Cyrus growls and belts the lines previously sung by Debbie Harry with an unapologetic intensity.
13:41It's louder, bolder, and dripping with a rock star attitude.
13:51As the performance progresses, the glossy cool of the original gives way to a kind of beautiful chaos.
13:57Distorted guitars, pounding drums, and vocals that sound like they've been through heartbreak and come out resilient.
14:10The cover was praised by critics, fans, and even Blondie themselves, prompting Cyrus to include it on her album Plastic Hearts.
14:18What songs would you like to see Miley Cyrus put her signature spin on? Sound off in the comments.
14:24Give me more, give me, give me more, give me, give me more, give me more, give me, give me more
14:31good men in a τι theatrical Robin Hood.
14:33Thank you very much.
14:37Thank you very much.
14:38I'm extremelyë‚´ by having these criticisms.