Unless you have been hiding under a proverbial Internet rock, you have seen Miley Cyrus‘s video for “Wrecking Ball” (or at least this disturbingly awesome Nic Cage spoof). She has been the center of mostly negative attention from the media, but behind all the tongue-sticking-out and pasties, there is a pretty good artist. Unstoppable sisters Haim proved this with their rendition of Cyrus’s latest single. Continue reading »
Former Disney star Miley Cyrus seems happy to be stepping out of her”child star” comfort zone recently with a string of mature cover songs. We heard from her a while back when she covered Bob Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome” and now she’s back with her cover of the 1950 James Shelton classic “Lilac Wine.” The video is the first in a series of many “Backyard Session” videos that Cyrus and her band will be uploading on her new re-vamped website. Continue reading »
It wasn’t too long ago that a picture of Miley Cyrus posing with a naughty-bits cake was circulating around the Internet. The former Disney star, who is more well known for her less-than-Disney-values than her singing ability, steps up her vocal game with a cover of Bob Dylan‘s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go.” Continue reading »
Tokyo Police Club finished their “10 Songs, 10 Days, 10 Hours, 10 Years” series over the weekend with five more covers. We’ve already heard them tackle everyone from Moby to the Strokes and that diversity holds for the final set. They start with Phoenix, end with Miley Cyrus, and tackle LCD Soundsystem, M83, and Harlem Shakes in between. Continue reading »
After that brilliant “Whip My Hair” with Bruce Springsteen, it was hard to know where Jimmy Fallon’s spot-on Neil Young impression could go. Going back to solo performances would seem anti-climactic, and trying to one-up that performance – well, you can’t really one-up Bruce Springsteen. Continue reading »
In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!
Earlier this year, a young rapper named Lil Nas X found himself in an odd position. With rhymes about horses, tractors, cowboys, and Wrangler jeans, his song “Old Town Road” was blazing up the country charts. Then, suddenly, it was dropped from the list. Officials at Billboard claimed it was because the tune was not country enough. Some cried foul, some cried racism. Billy Ray Cyrus called it something else.
The country singer, who shook up Nashville himself with his 1992 hit “Achy Breaky Heart,” labelled Lil Nas X a true country outlaw. Cyrus took to Twitter, saying: “When I got thrown off the charts, Waylon Jennings said to me ‘Take this as a compliment’ means you’re doing something great! Only Outlaws are outlawed. Welcome to the club.”
With Lil Nax X’s blessing, Cyrus went into the studio to record some of the lyrics and an additional verse. Just like that, “Old Town Road (Remix)” was born. This time, they did not need the country charts. The song shot up to the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, where it has stayed for 13 weeks as of July 1. At age 57, Cyrus earned the first number one pop single of his career. But more importantly, the man known to many as Miley Cyrus’ dad has suddenly been blessed with cultural street cred. On June 23, the two performed the song at the BET Awards with the whole crowd singing and dancing along. It’s a type of cachet that has been eluding Cyrus since the “Achy Breaky” backlash of the early ‘90s.
I can’t help but feel somewhat vindicated by all this. You see, I have been a Billy Ray defender for decades. Yes, I know “Achy Breaky Heart” is corny and was overplayed to nth degree. But once you get beyond his many attempts to replicate his “Achy Breaky” success with equally cheesy sequels, he has many great songs that have held up well in the ensuing decades. Plus, Cyrus can really sing. His voice enables him to take on many subgenres of country, rock, pop, and now rap with equal ease.
As with any country singer, Cyrus has recorded a number of cover songs over the years, including two feminist anthems. Here’s a quick primer for those who dare to embrace Cyrus’ well-worn mullet.