Sunday Afternoon Listening Cafe #14

Plastic Hearts, Miley Cyrus

The last cover done by photographic legend Mick Rock

I was introduced to this album after coming across Cyrus performing with Joan Jett in a pre-Superbowl performance. Bad Karma was the first song performed and I loved it immediately. Was also really impressed with Cyrus’ rock chops and thought it suited her more than anything else.

Then I heard her cover of Nothing Else Matters and knew I had to check out the album. Turns out that not just Jett but Billy Idol (Night Crawling) and Dua Lipa also appear on it. This is another departure for Miley Cyrus in a career of them. It came out of two big life changes - her divorce from Liam Hemsworth and losing her house (including the tapes of planned albums) in the 2018 Woosley fire. It takes her back to the music she listened to as a child, as there’s a very 80s feel to it. That’s a large part of why I love it. I like this description of it from Yasmin Cowan at Clash:

Cyrus rolls seamlessly into her new era of pop infused, country tinged rock, aided and abetted by the vocals of Dua Lipa, Billy Idol and Joan Jett. The latest record is an onslaught of 80s glam style power ballads interlaced with roaming sad bangers and the meandering miasma of devil may care attitude. There is a definite maturity to the record for Cyrus, setting it apart from previous work as she noticeably finds her sweet spot between genres and a distinct sense of self.

Most of the album was produced by Andrew Watt¹ and Louis Bell, with Mark Ronson working on Bad Karma and High. Andrew Wyatt also has a big role to play, writing and producing Golden G String, the lovely denoument of the album, as well as working with Ronson on High.

Midnight Sky has a Blondie feel to it to me, although I did see a review that likens it to Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks. It was released in advance of the album and so many comparisons were made to the Nicks song that they ended up collaborating on a version of it.

The second single, Prisoner, is the collaboration with Dua Lipa. It has a disco-punk feel to it and is a great mix of both of their styles. The final single, Angels Like You, got no support as Cyrus severed her connection with Columbia and signed with RCA before its release. The video is her performing it at the Super Bowl tailgate party, which had been an invitation-only affair for vaccinated first responders the day before the game. TikTok found it later and it became a top rated stream on Spotify a couple of years after its release. It’s a solid rock ballad.

As for the other tracks, the album opens with rocker WTF Do I Know, then slides into the boppy title track. After the singles, Gimmie What I Want is a rock banger. The Ronson track High comes closest to her country roots. Hate Me is another ballad. After the Jett song comes two contemplative songs to end the album - Never Be Me and Golden G String. I’ve loved listening to both as I’ve been walking home in the dark. They just fit.

Lyrically, it’s Cyrus processing the changes she was living through and making peace with her past. It’s a window into a woman who keeps discovering parts of herself.

Enjoy today’s Café!

1. Also responsible for Ozzy Osborne’s reinvention album, Ordinary Man.