Can you believe it’s been 20 years (as of this month) since Hannah Montana first came out? And now, for Spotify Singles, artist Megan Moroney has released her version of the show’s original theme song, “The Best of Both Worlds.”
While the opening guitar riff is nearly identical to the original line, once Moroney’s voice starts the first verse, it becomes clear that this is a cover with a unique spin. Whereas Miley Cyrus’s (or rather, Hannah Montana’s) voice has a bright timbral quality, that of Moroney’s is deep and rich. Darker, a fair bit less vocal fry.
The artist was pretty nervous going into the recording. She wrote, “This is like the Hannah Montana song, and I can’t piss off Hannah Montana fans.” She continued, “For about two years now, it has played every time before I go on stage. It is my ultimate hype track.”
As we reach the next chorus, the locked-in harmonies thicken the sonic admixture. As we listen to the final stretch, a roaring guitar solo amps us up right until the acapella ending hits us in the nostalgic feels like a freight train. This tune is a revamped pop-country anthem that has all of us millennials jamming along.
