Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” Duet Is the Latest of Many Collaborations
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When Dolly Parton popped up as a guest star on an episode in the first season of Hannah Montana in 2006, many were shocked to see the country music legend on a tween show. But she had a little inside connection with the star of the show, Miley Cyrus.
“I’ve known her since she was a baby,” Parton told Good Morning America in 2009. “Her father’s a friend of mine, and when she was born, he said, ‘You just have to be her godmother,’ and I said, ‘I accept.’ We never did do a big ceremony, but I’m so proud of her, love her. and she’s just like one of my own.”
While the “9 to 5” singer doesn’t have children and said on GMA that she’s technically an “honorary godmother,” she has indeed treated the singer and actor like a daughter, showering her with compliments but also keeping it real with her in public interviews as Cyrus’ fame grew.
Because of their special bond, the two often join forces for powerful musical collaborations. Their latest is an update of Cyrus’ 2013 megahit “Wrecking Ball” that released Friday. The new version of the song appears on Parton’s highly anticipated rock album Rockstar, which releases on November 17. “I’ve grown up covering my Aunt Dollys music & it’s an honor to hear her singing one of my songs,” Cyrus wrote in an Instagram post.
Here’s a look at their unique relationship through the years and how their new collaboration came together.
Parton played Cyrus’ on-screen godmother
Their first professional project together was during Cyrus’ television days. On Hannah Montana, her title character had the best of both worlds as a regular student by day and pop star by night, but when her real-life godmother showed up on set, she definitely leaned toward the side of a regular teen.
“I was only 15, I had zit cream all over my face, and my pajamas were on, and we all had our backpacks going to school,” she recalled on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon of the table read day. “And she came in a pink silk robe, and her hair barely could fit through the doorway.”
Parton played Hannah’s Aunt Dolly on the show for three episodes between 2006 and 2010. While she called her “aunt,” she was actually her godmother like in real life. Cyrus loved having her role model around. “That’s one of those proud moments where when people started saying, ‘So you call her Aunt Dolly, is that your real aunt?’” and she said she’d reply, “Yes, she is!”
And Parton quickly saw just how adored her teenage goddaughter was by her young fans. “Little kids just see me in the street and just point, ‘Aunt Dolly!’ or ‘Hi, Aunt Dolly!’—and it’s just been so cute,” she told Great American Country.
Parton thinks Cyrus is a “fantastic singer and songwriter”
The mutual lovefest between the two went beyond the TV show too. In fact, it was the proud godmother who had the most confidence in the teen’s future from the start.
“The kids love her because she’s Hannah Montana, but what people don’t realize about her is she is such a fantastic singer and songwriter,” Parton told AOL Music back in 2008. “She writes songs like she’s 40 years old! She’s really deep.”
The bragging continued: “I think she’s gonna have a big career after that show is off the air. I know I’m partial, because she’s my goddaughter. But I’m amazed at the talent that child has and the effect she has on people.”
And in perhaps the biggest praise of all, she added, “That little Miley Cyrus… she’s like a little Elvis.”
The two first joined forces for a Parton classic
One of the most talked-about moments between the two was in July 2010 when they performed at the 25th anniversary of Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Then 17 years old, Cyrus showed off her vocal chops in a duet with Parton on her 1973 hit “Jolene.”
Even Cyrus’ dad, singer Billy Ray Cyrus, was impressed. “I was blown away when they did ‘Jolene,’ he said. “It was amazing, it was just a moment of going, ‘Wow, listen to how great they sound together.”
In fact, Cyrus’ voice jived so well with the song that she went on to add it her own repertoire, performing it both solo—like at a 2012 Backyards Session and at a 2014 MTV Unplugged—and again with Parton on The Voice in 2016 and at the Grammy Awards in 2019 during a tribute to her godmother.
But ultimately her dad loved that the song gave the two something to bond over. “It’s great that she has someone like Dolly to idolize, someone to look up to,” he explained. “Having that type of influence in her life, it’s so amazing and so special.”
But Parton didn’t feel like the young Cyrus really needed her. “She does not need my advice,” she said. “But she’s often asking for information and advice, and I tell her what I know, but I think the girl’s doing all right without me.”
Parton stood by Cyrus through controversial times
As Cyrus grew out of her Disney character and established her own grown-up identity, some people saw her edgier and hot behavior as a cry for help. But Parton always had her back.
“People didn’t want her to grow up—they got mad at her,” Parton told The Sun. “One day she’d had enough and told me, ‘I need to murder Hannah Montana in order for people to accept who I really am.”
The words seemed harsh, but no one understood more so than Parton. She was worried, but not for her goddaughter. Her fear rested in how the public would react. “I was holding my breath, hoping that people didn’t totally crucify her,” she added.
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And when Cyrus was honored as part of the prestigious Time 100 in 2014, it was Parton who reframed her entire image for the public. “If I didn’t know how smart and talented Miley is, I might worry about her. But I’ve watched her grow up. So I don’t,” Parton wrote. “She knows what she’s doing. She was very proud of the work she did as Hannah Montana, but people were gonna leave her there forever.”
She went on to explain why her goddaughter had to do such a 180 with her image. “She felt she had to do something completely drastic. And she did. She made her point, she made her mark, and more power to her,” Parton wrote, complimenting the song “Wrecking Ball.”
“The girl can sing. The girl is smart. And she doesn’t have to be so drastic,” Parton added. “But I will respect her choices. I did it my way, so why can’t she do it her way?”
The pair continue to support each other personally and professionally
The duo continue to say close, both personally and professionally, always turning to one another when it comes to meaningful musical partnerships.
When Cyrus wrote her 2017 album Younger Now on her own—she made one exception: a track that she co-wrote with Parton called “Rainbowland.” “What a co-writer it is to have,” Cyrus told Ellen DeGeneres in 2017. “I just learned so much.”
Then, in 2020, Parton asked Cyrus to join her for a song on her A Holly Dolly Christmas album called “Christmas Is.” “She faxed me,” the pop star told Graham Norton of how her godmother asked her to duet with her. “She gets upset when you don’t respond.”
Although the timeline wasn’t ideal, Cyrus knew she had to drop everything and make it happen. “She makes physical records, and so she had to get it turned in,” she said. “I was singing about Christmas in the middle of L.A. summer and only for Dolly.”
But ultimately, it’s all about the respect they have for one another—and how they value their relationship. “Watching the way she treats people with love and respect,” Cyrus told Cosmopolitan. “Always a reminder to me and my family of what is important. Never let success change your heart.”
And that applies across the board. “She’s who you want to be, not just the way that she is as an artist and as an entertainer because… she’s lasted,” Cyrus said on The Tonight Show. “Her career has been so lasting and incredible, but she’s just the best living angel on earth.”
Parton and Cyrus teamed up again for “Wrecking Ball”
Following her 2022 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Parton decided she would release a new album featuring numerous classics from the genre. The result is Rockstar, a 30-track album releasing on November 17 and featuring a heavyweight lineup of artists that includes Sting, Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton, Elton John, and Joan Jett.
Although the song originated as a pop hit, Parton couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with Cyrus again for a remake of “Wrecking Ball.” The No. 1 hit lived up to its title when dominating the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 2013. The pair previously performed the song on Cyrus’ 2022 holiday special Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party.
“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.”
Checking in at just around 4 minutes, their new duet begins with Parton wistfully delivering the opening verses—before Cyrus joins for the instantly recognizable chorus. The single also ends with a direct nod to Parton’s 1974 original version of “I Will Always Love You.” Cyrus posted about their new tune on Instagram:
“I love you Aunt Dolly! I’m so happy to add another collaboration under our bedazzled (studded leather) belt!” she wrote. Given their history together, it probably won’t be the last for the dynamic duo.
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