When it comes to Miley Cyrus, it’s her voice that matters most. It’s an instrument that could be applied to any and every style of music and soar like a hawk. It’s why she is exceptional singing her own songs, guest featuring on others, or covering other well-known tracks from other well-known artists.
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As such, as we dive into the 31-year-old Tennessee-born Miley’s best 10 songs, we delve into the entire oeuvre of her work, from originals to features to covers.
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10. “Zombie” (The Cranberries cover)
One of the most significant songs from the 1990s, this anti-war protest offering from the Irish band the Cranberries made the perfect canvas for Cyrus to belt. Indeed, her voice drips with emotion, ragged raw, and raging. If you want attitude, Cyrus is your No. 1 option befitting this hard-hitting track.
9. “Heart Of Glass” (Blondie cover)
Cyrus isn’t just a one-style singer. She can bring pop sensibilities along with her buzz-saw-like vocal performance. Here, she takes on the classic 1980s hit from Blondie (and singer Debbie Harry). Cyrus is malleable and she can don different tunes like outfits. Here, live from the iHeart Music Festival, she shows just that. Who is she really? A vocalist for the ages.
8. “Jolene” (Dolly Parton cover)
Growing up the daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus has distinct advantages. Miley was exposed to singing and the entertainment industry early on. She also boasts perhaps the best (fairy) godmother of all time, Dolly Parton. Here, still a young, burgeoning singer, she covers Parton’s smash hit, “Jolene,” and we believe every syllable.
7. “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” (with Mark Ronson)
This 2018 song was released on iconic producer Mark Ronson’s LP, Late Night Feelings and it features Miley as the main singer. On the track, she showcases her best self. There is dark, brooding depth and raspy, high-class power. Sex appeal and provocative snarls. More than her bubblegum pop stuff or winking ballads, it’s in spaces like this where Cyrus truly soars, wings outstretched.
6. “Doll Parts” (Hole cover)
In this cover from the Courtney Love-led 1990s grunge group Hole, Cyrus seems to find kindred spirits. Sadness meets fingernail-scratching repugnance. It’s easy to imagine, if time machines existed, that Cyrus could go back in time and be the frontwoman for the group if Love somehow was unable.
5. “Back to Black” (Amy Winehouse cover)
Another link up with Ronson, this time Cyrus covers the legendary Amy Winehouse song “Back To Black,” which Ronson originally produced. Perhaps learning something from Winehouse and perhaps melding like-minded brains, Cyrus is a perfect fit for this song. Again, it’s that dark, knowing-though-still-depressive tone that makes the blonde pop star, well, sing.
4. “Midnight Sky“
Released in 2020 on Cyrus’ album, Plastic Hearts, this song displays Miley’s maturity. Though she showcases her sex appeal and her trademark mouth in the music video, that part of her seems secondary to the poise she’s taken on in her youthful though long career. She isn’t trying anymore. She is doing. She has found herself.
3. “Wrecking Ball“
The 2013 song that made her a star amongst stars. While Cyrus has accrued billions of songs to date, this was the first song to seemingly do that all on its own. Even Dolly Parton covered it on her latest LP, the 2023 offering, Rockstar. And as the original? The track from Cyrus LP, Bangerz, is like a one-woman one-act play that deserves all the awards. Cyrus’ voice is big, bold, and devastating. Like, yes, a wrecking ball.
2. “Am I Dreaming” (with Lil Nas X)
This 2021 song from Lil Nas X’s debut LP, Montero, features an impeccable vocal performance from Cyrus. Joining the artist who had recently collaborated with her father on the global hit “Old Town Road,” the younger Cyrus demonstrates she still has the ability to share a soft touch on a track. This is a melancholy song that fans can listen to on repeat.
1. “Flowers“
Miley’s most recent beloved release, this song is all about self-love. It’s a reminder that you don’t need to stay in any sort of relationship if it’s unhappy and unhealthy. From Miley’s 2023 LP, Endless Summer Vacation, this track slaps, bumps, and bops. It’s just an all-timer atop her catalog. It’s also become a favorite of other artists to cover, whether keeping the same pop tempo or slowing it down to a piano-driven lounge tune.
(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for dick clark productions)
