Since 1998, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor has honoured a host of America’s greatest comedians, from Whoopi Goldberg to Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and, most recently, Kevin Hart. In 2016, it was Bill Murray’s turn to pick up the award; star of “Groundhog Day” and “Ghostbusters.” But when Miley Cyrus kicked off the celebrations singing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” no one could have predicted how phenomenal this performance would be!
Miley’s cover starts just like the slick ballad Sinatra made famous back in 1969, backed by a grand piano, its ballroom pace embellished with the vocal runs of a pop legend, and snappy jokes squeezed between each line. Bill Murray, sitting amongst the audience, welcomed Miley to the stage with a standing ovation before watching her first verse teary-eyed.
Miley’s adapted lyrics ended the first verse, “Bill did it his way” – its solemnity rapidly cut by an onslaught of electric guitars and Miley proclaiming “So am I!”, to which her pianist (an undiscovered Matt Lucas look-alike) breaks excitedly into dance before lining Miley’s rock cover with synths.
Donned in a silver glitterball bodycon dress, this gritty rendition is a slap in the face for anyone who’s never witnessed Miley’s rock covers before. Her “Heart Of Glass” cover by Blondie has gained 180M YouTube views over the last three years; her collab with Metallica, “Nothing Else Matters” 24M and her Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” cover over 7.7M. “My Way” is no exception to Miley’s repertoire of rock covers shockingly better than their originals, gaining over 3M views online.
Miley Cyrus is hardly the first artist to cover this track. Previous covers include Elvis Presley in 1977 (recorded two months before his death and released as a posthumous single), Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols in 1978, Celine Dion and Kelly Clarkson, to name a mere few.
Miley, aged 23 at the time of this performance, had just released her fifth LP, “Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz.” Born in Franklin, Tennessee to country superstar Billy Ray Cyrus and mumager Tish, Cyrus broke onto the pop scene as teen-TV queen Hannah Montana, before breaking out of the Disney Channel mold with the controversial 2013 album, “Bangerz.” This chart-topping singer has been shocking fans with her sharpened edge ever since, from the rebellious “Wrecking Ball” music video to her high-class take on pop/rock classics.
