
The song is the seventh single off of Dolly Parton’s upcoming 48th studio album Rockstar, her first-ever rock album.
Parton’s new rendition of “Wrecking Ball” starts off with simply a sparse piano accompaniment, which is followed by Cyrus’s vocals, which are sweet but husky.
Electric guitars begin the second verse, and then Cyrus enters, making it clear how the song belongs on Parton’s rock album.
In a different take from the original, the song’s concluding line, “I will always love you,” alludes to Parton’s historic 1974 single of the same name, which Whitney Houston memorably covered.
Back when Cyrus first released “Wrecking Ball” ten years ago, it topped the charts worldwide and was one of the most streamed singles of the year.
The contentious music video, in which Cyrus disrobed and swung on a real wrecking ball, contributed to the album’s success. With nearly 20 million views at the time, it set the Vevo record for the largest number of views on a music video in a 24-hour period.
A fan proclaimed that the song should “go to number one ASAP” in response to the new, Dolly Parton-fronted version, which has received positive feedback from both fans and other pop superstars.
Transgender pop icon Kim Petras made the simple comment “Omg” in the meantime.
On the song “Rainbowland” from Miley Cyrus’ 2017 album Younger Now, the duo last collaborated on a recorded song.
Earlier this year, a Wisconsin teacher was fired because the song’s inclusion-promoting lyrics were deemed “controversial” by school administrators, who forbade her class from singing it.