Since its founding in 1998, the esteemed Mark Twain Prize for American Humor has been given to a number of iconic American comedians, such as Whoopi Goldberg, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, and, most recently, Kevin Hart. Actor Bill Murray, who starred in Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day, attended the 2016 ceremony. When Miley Cyrus opened the festivities with a rendition of Frank Sinatraโs โMy Way,โ nobody could have predicted the amazing caliber of her performance.
Like Sinatraโs 1969 classic, Mileyโs version opens with a grand piano as the background, a waltz-like tempo embellished with pop icon vocal runs, and clever asides interspersed between words. Bill Murray, who was seated in the audience, gave Miley a standing ovation as she ascended the stage and watched her first verse with tears in his eyes.
Mileyโs revised words came to the end of her coverโs first line, โBill did it his way.โ Miley said, โSo am I!โ as a flurry of electric guitars suddenly broke the songโs solemn tone. Her pianist, who suspiciously resembled an unidentified Matt Lucas, responded by dancing wildly and incorporating synths into Mileyโs rock arrangement.
Those who have never seen Mileyโs rock covers may be shocked by this edgy performance, in which she dons a silver glitterball bodycon outfit. She has received 180 million views for her three-year YouTube cover of Blondieโs โHeart Of Glass,โ 24 million views for her duet with Metallica on โNothing Else Matters,โ and over 7.7 million views for her performance of Pink Floydโs โWish You Were Here.โ With over 3 million views on YouTube, โMy Wayโ continues Mileyโs trend of rock cover songs that are better than the originals.
