Dolly Parton and her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, find new heartache on a new rendition of “Wrecking Ball,” which will appear on Parton’s upcoming Rockstar album, out Nov. 17.
The song begins as a traditional piano ballad, with Parton taking the first verse, her voice quivering with longing as she sings, “I will always want you.” Cyrus joins her for the chorus, their voices entwining, before taking the lead on the next verse. Then, the two women prop each other up, their voices rising and falling with emotion as drums, distorted rock guitars, and strings come in. The song ends with a wink as Parton and Cyrus slow things down to call back to one of Parton’s biggest hits, “I Will Always Love You.”
“I remember the first time I heard ‘Wrecking Ball,’ it hit me the same way as it did the first time I heard ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston,” Parton said in an Instagram video. “I was driving, heard that one, and I almost wrecked. And when I heard ‘Wrecking Ball,’ I almost wrecked again. I thought when it started into that chorus, ‘It hit me like a wrecking ball,’ I thought, ‘Well, how great can a song be?’”
“I’ve grown up covering my Aunt Dollys music & it’s an honor to hear her singing one of my songs,” Cyrus wrote on Instagram. “I love you Aunt Dolly! I’m so happy to add another collaboration under our bedazzled (studded leather) belt! We’re ROCKSTARS now! You can hear so much sweetness and love on this record. Excited to share it with everyone. Forever your Doll Baby, Miley.”
Parton got the idea of doing the Rockstar album when she was inducted into last year’s class for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So far, she’s released songs that feature members of Judas Priest, Heart, and the Beatles. She’s also covered “We Are the Champions,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” and, with Linda Perry, 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?”