Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus team up for new take on ‘Wrecking Ball’

Dolly Parton has revealed a new track from her 49th solo album ‘Rockstar’ – a new version of her goddaughter Miley Cyrus’ 2013 hit ‘Wrecking Ball’.

Parton’s rendition of the track was uploaded on streaming platforms on October 20 ahead of the album’s November 17 release, and sees Cyrus lending her vocals on the decidedly more rock-based take on the song.

In a statement released on Twitter following the track’s release, Parton said, “When I heard ‘Wrecking Ball’ I almost wept in my car. When it started into the chorus it hit me like a wrecking ball!”

“I thought how great can a song be and how great can Miley Cyrus be? I thought, I have to have that song on my rock album and I have to have Miley sing it with me! I love it and I hope you do,” she added.

The duo had previously performed ‘Wrecking Ball’ as part of a medley with Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘Jolene’, as well as Joan Jett’s ‘I Love Rock’n’Roll’ and Patsy Cline’s ‘Walking After Midnight’ at Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party to ring in 2023.

‘Rockstar’ will feature nine original songs and 21 covers of rock classics including Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’, The Rolling Stones‘ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and many more. Parton has previously shared her cover of The Beatles‘ ‘Let It Be’ featuring Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Mick Fleetwood and Peter Frampton and 4 Non Blondes’ ‘What’s Up?’.

Parton recently explained why she never let Elvis Presley cover her hit ‘I Will Always Love You’ despite Presley’s love of the song. Explaining that her refusal was due to a conflict with Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker, Parton said, “Elvis loved it. I talked to Priscilla not very long ago – she said, ‘Elvis sang it to me when we were on the courthouse steps after we got divorced’.”