Is Miley Cyrus The Queen Of Covers? 10 Of Our Favorites
What do you think when you hear the name Miley Cyrus? Twerking, inflatable hot dogs - that tongue? Ok, we have to admit as of late Miley has become better known for her antics than her music, but before she ever twerked or lost her clothes on a wrecking ball, Miley was a young artist with a pretty exceptional voice and guess what? She still is. Want some proof? Well look no further than Miley’s impressive catalogue of cover versions, most recently she’s tackled The Beatles but she’s also had a go at everyone from Fleetwood Mac to Outkast. We’re just about ready to crown Miley our new queen of the cover versions but if you’re not convinced here’s ten examples of when Miley took someone else's song and really made it her own.
1. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (The Beatles)
Miley and the Flaming Lips recently tackled this Beatles classic during the Billboard music awards. Yes there were excessive amounts of glitter, yes Miley had forgotten her shoes but she also provided a pretty faithful rendition of the fab four’s classic.
More: Billboard Awards: Miley Cyrus, Flaming Lips Cover The Beatles. And It's Quite Good
2. You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Bob Dylan)
Miley covering Dylan may seem like sacrilege to some, but don't jump to judgement until you’ve heard Miley’s rendition of this from a 2012 tribute album. Miley does a beautiful job at capturing the song’s emotion that should be enough to erase nearly every tweark from your memory.
3. Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High (Arctic Monkeys)
Miley tackles the Arctic Monkeys? That’s right indie kids, she went there and guess what? She nailed it.
More: Miley Cyrus covers The Smiths in Belfast
4. Lilac Wine (James Shelton)
Many artists have tackled this James Shelton classic from 1950 including Eartha Kitt and Jeff Buckley, but Miley can certainly hold her own with her version. The singer performed it during her 2012 Backyard Sessions where she and her band presented beautiful stripped down covers of some of her favourite songs.
5. Hey Ya (Outkast)
A ‘Hey Ya’ like we’ve never heard it before, Miley has been making this one her own during her recent Bangerz tour. Presenting a slowed down but sultry version of the Outkast hit, it might not get you shaking your Polaroids but it might get you thinking twice about the song.
Next: Miley takes on Dolly Parton and Fleetwood Mac
6. Summertime Sadness (Lana Del Rey)
Performed for BBC Radio One’s Live Lounge last year, Miley stripped the track right down to the words and music, bypassing the Del Rey production and showed off it’s true beauty. Plus her voice sounds more powerful than ever here.
7. I Love Rock and Roll/Cherry Bomb/ Bad Reputation (Joan Jett and The Runaways)
No Miley is not as badass as Joan Jett, she might never be, but in 2010 this was Miley trying to break away from Hannah Montana and having a lot of fun while doing it.
8. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Poison)
From her 2012 album, Can't Be Tamed, Miley showed off her vocal prowess in this take on Poison's 80's power ballad. The addition of more soulful backup singers gives Miley's version a unique twist, plus she really, really goes for it on the big finale.
9. Jolene (Dolly Parton)
We all know how much Miley loves showing off her country roots and she especially loves paying homage to godmother Dolly by performing this country classic. There's plenty of great Cyrus 'Jolene' performances to choose from including her MTV Unplugged version earlier this year. But if we had to pick a favourite, her 2012 Backyard Sessions rendition showed just how versatile a singer Cyrus really is.
More: Dolly Parton Was Planning Duet With Miley Cyrus
10. Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
A Cyrus live staple, the depth and emotion of this Fleetwood Mac classic has never been lost on Cyrus, who’s been performing it live long before her Bangerz days. If you want to see the real Miley, without the twearking, watch her perform this song and then judge her as an artist.
Watch: Miley named Billboard's top streaming artist for 2013
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