Pop star Miley Cyrus, probably best known for twerking and her dad, has released a cover of “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” the Anne Bredon song made popular by Led Zeppelin on their first album. If like most people, the phrase “Miley Cyrus covers Led Zeppelin” is making you question your faith in humanity, you should probably give a listen to it before condemning her to hell. The title cover, which she released unannounced on SoundCloud via a tweet, has been retitled “Baby, I’m Gonna Leave You,” which is already one strike against her, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it could have been.
The majority of her fans that are used to songs like”Wrecking Ball” or “Party In the USA” will be really confused by the cover, which is relatively faithful to the original. For her to be playing with live instruments as opposed to meticulously-crafted pop music is a change in and of itself. Then there’s the fact that she’s covering a classic rock song that many of them probably haven’t heard. For those that do know the song, they might be surprised to hear that she can actually sing. It starts out a little tentative at first, but she definitely throws herself into it, nailing some of Plant’s notes. She probably oversings it, but it’s not like Zeppelin were ever known for their nuance or restraint. The end result? Still kinda trainwrecky, but it’s surprising to find that Miley’s actually got some pipes on her. Not that the 20 year-old is about to jettison her pop career, but this proves that if she wanted to, she could make a rock record. She’s also performed a cover of the Arctic Monkeys’ “Why’d You Only Call me When You’re High?”
