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Miley Cyrus has a knack for taking familiar songs and turning them into something totally unexpected. Join us as we count down her most unforgettable reinventions of tracks by artists like Blondie, Madonna, Dolly Parton, Metallica, Britney Spears and more! From smoky acoustic ballads to full-throttle rock anthems, these covers prove she can reshape any song in her own image.
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00:00Right now I'm in a state of mind
00:04I wanna be in like all the time
00:10Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:13And today we're counting down our picks for the most notable songs by other artists that Miley Cyrus tore apart
00:19and rebuilt in her own image.
00:22Then you go back to her
00:25And I go back to you
00:30Number 20 Black Dog
00:42Robert Plant's elastic howling vocal performance is what makes Led Zeppelin's Black Dog so immediately recognizable and so intimidating to
00:51cover.
00:52The 1971 track from Led Zeppelin 4 is basically a vocal obstacle course.
00:57Now I don't know, but I've been told, a big leg woman ain't got no soul.
01:06Miley Cyrus doesn't try to replicate Plant's approach.
01:09Instead, she leans into her lower, raspier register and drapes the whole thing in a southern rock sensibility that feels
01:17genuinely her own.
01:26Performing the rock classic in Glastonbury in 2019, Cyrus threw herself into the stage theatrics, head banging and yowling through
01:34the song.
01:35That gravelly voice had spent years being underestimated as a pop star affectation.
01:41Here, it sounded tailor-made for Zeppelin.
01:52Number 19, Rebel Yell, Billie Eidle
02:03There's something deeply satisfying about watching Miley Cyrus share a stage with Billie Eidle
02:08and hold her own effortlessly.
02:11Idol's 1982 glam punk anthem was built on his sneering, swaggering bravado.
02:16But Cyrus matches that energy beat for beat.
02:19Midnight holiday, mom, mom, mom, mom, with a rebel yell
02:26Their live collaboration at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival divides the work cleverly.
02:33She handles the verses with full command, and Idol sweeps back in for an extra-charged chorus that genuinely crackles.
02:47The real highlight is, without a doubt, the screams.
02:51When Cyrus lets loose, she sounds completely in her element.
02:54It's raw, thrilling, and utterly committed.
03:06Here, she's not just dutifully performing a classic.
03:10It's clear that Cyrus grew up wanting to sound exactly like this.
03:22Number 18, Wildflowers, Tom Petty
03:26You belong among the wildflowers
03:31You belong in a boat out at sea
03:37After Tom Petty died in October 2017,
03:40Miley Cyrus and her father Billy Ray Cyrus paid tribute on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon,
03:45with Petty's Wildflowers.
03:47The original title track from Petty's 1994 solo album is Gentle,
03:51built around acoustic guitar and his weathered southern rock voice.
03:56You belong among the wildflowers
04:02You belong in a boat out at sea
04:06Cyrus doesn't imitate that voice.
04:09She finds the overlap between Petty's drawl and her own grainy lower register.
04:14Her phrasing gives the melody extra lift, while the arrangement adds a country-leaning warmth.
04:19Run away, go find a lover
04:25Run away, let your heart be your guide
04:29Performing it just days after Petty's death also gave the cover a natural tenderness.
04:35There's a real earned quality to the moment.
04:37Cyrus' voice has always carried traces of Petty's wail,
04:41and this tribute made that kinship undeniable.
04:44Far away from your troubles and worries
04:49You belong somewhere you feel free
04:55Don't stop the show here.
04:56Scan the QR code on your screen and join the Miz Mojo 24-7 live stream
05:01for non-stop pop culture fun and music you'll want to sing along to.
05:05You belong somewhere you feel free
05:10Number 17, Sweet Jane, The Velvet Underground
05:14Lou Reed wrote Sweet Jane as a loose, unhurried celebration of ordinary life.
05:20And The Velvet Underground's original recording carries that easy, almost rambling charm.
05:35Cyrus found exactly the right setting for her version.
05:39Her 2020 MTV Unplugged Backyard Sessions, a stripped-down, open-air performance
05:44that suited the song's spirit completely.
05:56The intimacy of that backyard setup stripped away any temptation towards spectacle,
06:01leaving just the song and Cyrus' voice.
06:04She starts relaxed, then slips into smoky, attention-grabbing phrasing
06:09that gives the song a darker, more sensual edge.
06:12Anyone who's ever been lonely
06:16Ooh, and anyone who's ever split up on
06:22It's understated in the best possible way, and exactly the kind of cover that sneaks up on you.
06:28If only wine and roses
06:33Seem to whisper to me
06:36Number 16, Summertime Sadness, Lana Del Rey
06:40Kiss me hard before you go
06:45Summertime sadness
06:49Imagine taking one of Lana Del Rey's most cinematic heartbreak songs
06:53and removing some of the haze.
06:55That's essentially what Cyrus did in her 2013 BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge performance.
07:01Del Rey's original wraps the song in atmospheric production and dreamy melancholy,
07:05while Cyrus pairs things back and gives the melody a more direct acoustic treatment.
07:10I got that summertime, summertime sadness
07:15Just that summertime, summertime sadness
07:19Her husky delivery also brings a little more warmth, and dare we say optimism,
07:24to a song called Summertime Sadness.
07:26The timing is notable too.
07:28Cyrus covered it just as the song exploded in popularity through its 2013 remix.
07:33Oh my god, I feel it in the air
07:37Telephone wires above
07:39A sizzling like a snare
07:41Instead of reproducing Del Rey's languid torch song persona,
07:45she turned the track into something closer to a bruised but surprisingly uplifting pop rock ballad.
07:51Later's better than ever
07:52Even if you're gone, I'm gonna drive
08:00Number 15, Doll Parts, Whole
08:03Miley Cyrus apparently had about 24 hours to figure out what she was going to do with this one
08:08Yeah, they really want you
08:11They really want you
08:14They really do
08:16Speaking to Howard Stern after performing Doll Parts in 2020,
08:20she revealed that nobody had previously heard her sing the whole classic
08:23and that she hadn't even heard herself perform it until the day before
08:27Somehow, the lack of rehearsal became part of the magic
08:30Courtney Love's original is fragile, jagged, and deliberately imperfect
08:42Cyrus gradually turns that vulnerability into a full-throated rock showcase
08:47Building toward a huge final howl
08:50Someday you'll lick my heart
08:54Cause someday you'll lick my night
09:01Rolling Stone highlighted that climactic vocal escalation
09:05While Nylon praised her quote rock diva howl
09:08Even Love reportedly called the rendition a quote sweet version
09:12And said the gesture touched her
09:20Number 14, Back to Black
09:23Amy Winehouse
09:24The history attached to this performance is almost as interesting as the performance itself
09:36At Glastonbury in 2019, Cyrus took on Amy Winehouse's Back to Black
09:41With Mark Ronson, the producer and co-writer behind Winehouse's original recording
09:46Musically, Cyrus refuses to become a Winehouse impersonator
09:50She puts her own stamp on the song with a lower register and unmistakable southern twang
10:05That gives the heartbreak a rougher, more American character
10:09Moving it away from Winehouse's sophisticated soul sound
10:12And closer to Cyrus's rock and country instincts
10:24Ronson's piano keeps a thread connecting the versions
10:27But Cyrus sounds like herself throughout
10:29And performing the song at Glastonbury
10:31Where Winehouse herself had appeared in 2007
10:34Adds another poignant layer
10:36Then you go back to her
10:40And I go back to
10:43I go back to
10:47Life
10:51Number 13
10:52Every Rose Has Its Thorn
10:54Poison
10:55We both lie silent and still in the dead of the night
11:01Although we both lie close together
11:04Released in 1988, Poison's signature power ballad turned heartbreak into a glam metal sing-along
11:11With Bret Michaels delivering the lyrics in a wounded rock rasp
11:24Miley Cyrus gave it a noticeably different flavor on her 2010 album Can't Be Tamed
11:29Where it stands out among a string of glossy dance-pop tracks
11:32Her version leans harder into country and soft rock
11:35Letting that naturally husky voice carry the emotional weight
11:39Instead of chasing Michael's glam rock swagger
11:41Every rose has its thorn
11:45Every rose, every rose, every rose
11:48Just like every night has its thorn
11:53Critics noticed the difference too
11:55With Billboard calling it one of the best tracks on the album
11:59And describing the cover as
12:01Quote, robo-country
12:02Cyrus has frequently shared that Poison was one of her all-time favorite bands
12:06And in 2010, she got to perform the song with Michaels on Good Morning America
12:11The talent in the snow
12:13And the world stars in the snow
12:16The light fell tonight
12:20The light fell
12:21as its thorn
12:22Number 12, Wish You Were Here
12:25Pink Floyd
12:36David Gilmour's guitar solo is so closely associated with Wish You Were Here
12:40that replacing it is basically musical sacrilege. Miley Cyrus did it anyway. Her April 2020 Saturday
12:47Night Live at Home performance stripped Pink Floyd's classic down to its emotional core,
12:53with Cyrus singing acoustically from home during the pandemic.
13:07In place of the famous instrumental passage, she uses repeated na-na-na vocals, giving the song a noticeably more
13:14pop-oriented finish.
13:16It may not satisfy listeners looking for a faithful recreation, but that isn't really the point. Pink Floyd's recording feels
13:23expansive and distant.
13:26How I wish you were here
13:31We're just too lost, so swimming in a fishbowl
13:35Cyrus' version, on the other hand, is more intimate and vulnerable, and at times, almost conversational.
13:41Na na na na na na na na na na na na na
13:52Number 11. No Tears Left to Cry
13:55Ariana Grande
13:56Got no tears that you cry, so I'm picking it up, picking it up, I'm loving, I'm living, I'm picking
14:05it up.
14:06With her cover of this 2018 hit, Miley Cyrus turned a song built for the dance floor into something that
14:11belongs in a smoky little club at closing time.
14:14Ariana Grande's original runs on polished synths, programmed drums, and a buoyant pop groove.
14:27For BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge in 2018, Cyrus and Mark Ronson stripped all of that away, replacing the electronic
14:36production with acoustic guitar and a three-part string section.
14:39The slower arrangement gives Cyrus room to emphasize her lower register and natural country twang.
14:54Even Grande herself approved, praising Cyrus' voice and soul after hearing the performance.
15:00It's a particularly good example of Cyrus' understanding that a cover can change a song's entire emotional temperature.
15:17Number 10, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Roberta Flack.
15:22First time ever I saw your face.
15:32Written by British singer-songwriter Ewan McCall in 1957, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face was recorded by
15:41several folk singers.
15:43However, it was jazz singer Roberta Flack's soft and whisper-like rendition that became the most popular, giving Flack the
15:51first chart-topping hit of her career.
15:54And the first time ever I kissed your mouth.
16:02When Miley Cyrus covered the song at BBC Radio's Live Lounge in 2017, she swapped that folk sound for a
16:09twangy, more haunting tone, while retaining the raw emotional depth of the original.
16:15Set to a slightly slower tempo than Flack's version, Cyrus' raspy vocals emphasize the vulnerability in the lyrics, and infuse
16:24the track with a more melancholic, almost aching quality.
16:41Number 9, Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High Arctic Monkeys
16:51As a singer with deep roots in country music, Miley Cyrus finds a way to inject some southern twang into
16:58most of her covers.
16:59And her take on Arctic Monkeys' Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High is no exception.
17:05Cyrus stripped down the bass-heavy groove of the original for a slower, more atmospheric arrangement during her 2014 appearance
17:13at MTV Unplugged.
17:14Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High, High, Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High, High,
17:21Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High, High, High, High, High, High.
17:22Adding a slightly jazzy edge, Cyrus uses her signature country drawl to highlight every lyric, and brings a new dimension
17:30to the words.
17:31She then closes the performance with a powerful final chorus, hitting soaring high notes that elevate the already great rendition.
17:39Why Do You Only Call Me When You're High?
17:44It's no wonder Arctic Monkeys drummer, Matt Helders, called it his favorite cover of any of the band's songs.
17:51Number 8, Nothing Compares To You, Sinead O'Connor.
18:05It's abundantly clear that Miley Cyrus' provocative video for her song Wrecking Ball drew inspiration from that of Sinead O
18:13'Connor's Nothing Compares To You.
18:15While its release initially sparked a Twitter beef between the two artists, Cyrus later paid tribute to O'Connor by
18:22cover for her live album, Attention.
18:30The original features a sweeping orchestration, but Cyrus' version is far grittier, with heavy rock instrumentation backing her husky vocals.
18:39Where O'Connor's rendition has a delicate sorrow, Cyrus' is more impulsive and defiant, as if she's processing the heartbreak
18:47in real time and determined to move on.
18:54Cyrus delivered yet another powerful cover of the song at the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary special, alongside Brittany Howard.
19:13Number 7, Nothing Else Matters, Metallica.
19:17Miley Cyrus first unveiled her cover of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters at the 2019 Glastonbury Music Festival.
19:25At the time, she was navigating her divorce and coping with the loss of her home in a wildfire.
19:31Circumstances that drew her to the song because it reminded her of her undying love for music.
19:46That emotional weight came through clearly in her performance.
19:50Cyrus brings a haunting vulnerability to the song that gave her rendition a unique edge and made it feel completely
19:56new.
20:07The cover was so well-received that she re-recorded it for the band's tribute album,
20:12The Metallica Blacklist, with Elton John on piano, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith on drums,
20:18Metallica's Robert Trujillo on bass, and Yo-Yo Ma playing the cello.
20:23Open mind for a different girl, and nothing else matters.
20:32Number 6, Jolene, Dolly Parton.
20:35Jolene, Jolene, Jolene.
20:39Oh, I'm begging of you, please don't take my man.
20:43As her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus shares a deep, undeniable bond with Dolly Parton.
20:49So who better to cover her timeless classic Jolene?
20:52In terms of arrangement, there isn't much difference between the two versions,
20:56but their paths completely diverge in the delivery.
20:59Parton's country original is pleading and tender,
21:02capturing the quiet desperation of a woman begging another not to take her man.
21:07Jolene, Jolene, Jolene.
21:16But in her 2012 Backyard Sessions, Cyrus put a more indie rock spin on it,
21:22delivering the lyrics with a bold, confrontational energy.
21:25She's not just begging Jolene to back off, she's demanding it.
21:29You could have your choice, man, but I could never love again,
21:34cause he's the only one for me, Jolene.
21:37Both versions came together beautifully in 2016,
21:40when Parton and Cyrus performed the song live on The Voice,
21:44alongside acapella group Pentatonix.
21:47He talks about you in his sleep,
21:49there's nothing I can do to keep him crying,
21:53when he calls you name Jolene.
21:56Number 5, Maybe, Janis Joplin.
21:58In 2021, Miley Cyrus headlined the Austin City Limits Music Festival
22:03for two consecutive weekends,
22:06treating fans to live performances of her songs,
22:08as well as classic covers.
22:10One of the standouts of her entire set
22:12was her rendition of Janis Joplin's Maybe.
22:22Joplin's version was a cover itself,
22:24and barely made a splash when it first dropped.
22:27Nevertheless, it was a raw portrayal of longing,
22:30amplified by that unforgettable gravel in her voice.
22:39With this cover, Cyrus exceeded all expectations
22:42by not only perfectly nailing Joplin's cadence,
22:46but also hitting some impressive high notes.
22:48Her version was even more frenetic than the original,
22:51as she altered the tempo and pacing,
22:53creating a bold reinterpretation
22:55that can still stand all on its own.
22:58Please, please, wow!
23:02Honey, what's your weekend's in the baby now?
23:03Come on!
23:04Number 4, Zombie, The Cranberries.
23:13Since it was released in 1994,
23:16The Cranberries' protest anthem,
23:18Zombie, has been covered by numerous artists,
23:21but only a few have earned the band's approval.
23:24One of them is Miley Cyrus.
23:26Performed at the 2020 Save Our Stages Festival
23:29at LA's Whiskey A Go Go,
23:31Cyrus traded the grunge-tinged alt-rock feel
23:34of the original for a heavier,
23:36more distorted rock sound.
23:37In your head, in your head,
23:40they are crying.
23:43She leaned further into the anger,
23:45bringing such an intensity that,
23:47according to the band,
23:49would have made the late front woman,
23:50Dolores O'Reardon, proud.
23:53Cyrus didn't just sound like a rock star,
23:56she also looked like one,
23:57with her fur coat, mullet,
23:59and relentless headbanging.
24:00We're glad she decided to immortalize the cover
24:03by including it on her 2020 album, Plastic Hearts.
24:06In your head,
24:10Zombie, Zombie, Zombie,
24:14Number 3, Gimme More,
24:16Britney Spears.
24:17Britney Spears' 2007 hit Gimme More
24:20is a hypnotic dance pop banger
24:22with a bass line you wish you could resist.
24:25Keep it down like there's no other room,
24:29we keep on rockin',
24:30we keep on rockin',
24:31we keep on rockin'.
24:32In the hands of Miley Cyrus, however,
24:34it became an unrecognizable song,
24:37in the best way possible.
24:39Though primarily a pop artist herself,
24:41Cyrus took the song in a different direction,
24:43transforming it into a brooding ballad.
24:46The center of attention
24:54She swaps out the club-ready electronic production
24:57and slows down the tempo,
24:59leaving behind what can only be described
25:01as a country hoedown.
25:03Stripped of its glossy synths,
25:05the raw ache in the lyrics seem to reveal itself,
25:07and it's made all the more glaring
25:09by Cyrus' gritty, impassioned vocals.
25:19Honestly, at this point,
25:21we need a full Miley and Britney cover album.
25:24Number 2.
25:25Like a Prayer
25:26Madonna
25:27Considering it's widely regarded
25:28as one of her best songs,
25:30it'll be hard to top Madonna's original version
25:32of Like a Prayer.
25:33When you call my name
25:35It's like a little prayer
25:37I'm down on my knees
25:39But if anyone has come close,
25:42it's Miley Cyrus.
25:43Cyrus performed a cover of the song
25:45at the 2022 Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest,
25:48which she then released
25:49as part of her live album, Attention.
25:52While this version still retains
25:53the gospel roots of the original,
25:55Cyrus layers it with a more heavy rock sound,
25:58infusing thrashy drums,
26:00grunge-heavy guitars,
26:01and that unmistakable raspy belt.
26:11Gone are the massive angelic choir
26:13and church bells.
26:15In their place is a raw, smoky rendition
26:18that feels less like a call to worship
26:20and more like a rock and roll confessional.
26:23When you call my name
26:24It's like a little prayer
26:26I'm down on my knees
26:29I wanna take you there
26:31Before we unveil our top pick,
26:33here are a few honorable mentions.
26:35Boys Don't Cry
26:36The Cure
26:37A gritty and edgy take
26:39on The Cure's iconic new wave ballad.
26:41It's in my eyes
26:42Cause boys don't cry
26:48You're gonna make me lonesome when you go
26:50Bob Dylan
26:51In one of her earliest covers,
26:54Cyrus proves she's outgrown
26:55her Hannah Montana days.
26:57Right on target, so direct
26:59You're gonna make me lonesome when you go
27:0250 Ways to Leave Your Lover
27:04Paul Simon
27:06Cyrus' powerful voice takes center stage
27:08in this stripped down rendition
27:10I'd like to help you
27:12in your struggle to be free
27:14There must be
27:1550 Ways to Leave Your Lover
27:18Fade Into You
27:20Mazzy Starr
27:21Her tiny desk version
27:23turned Mazzy Starr's haze
27:24into something intimate
27:25and heartbreaking
27:26I ain't strange
27:29You never know
27:32Man of Constant Sorrow
27:34Bob Dylan
27:35Cyrus slowed the old folk standard
27:38into a smoky, low-registered
27:40country lament
27:41In this world
27:43I'm bound to ramble
27:46I know frowns
27:49There'll be now
27:54Are you a musician, singer, producer, or band?
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28:20Number 1
28:21Heart of Glass
28:22Blondie
28:23From the very first line of her cover
28:25of Blondie's Heart of Glass
28:27Miley Cyrus makes it clear
28:28that she is on a mission
28:29to forge a new rock star image
28:31and she certainly succeeds at it
28:41Performed at the 2020
28:43iHeartRadio Music Festival
28:45Cyrus growls and belts the lines
28:47previously sung by Debbie Harry
28:49with an unapologetic intensity
28:51It's louder, bolder
28:53and dripping with a rock star attitude
29:00As the performance progresses
29:02the glossy cool of the original
29:04gives way to a kind of beautiful chaos
29:06distorted guitars, pounding drums
29:09and vocals that sound like
29:10they've been through heartbreak
29:11and come out resilient
29:19The cover was praised by critics
29:21fans and even Blondie themselves
29:24prompting Cyrus to include it
29:25on her album Plastic Hearts
29:27What songs would you like to see
29:29Miley Cyrus put her signature spin on?
29:31Sound off in the comments below
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