Howard Stern’s interview style and musical guest performances stand the test of time, even if most of his humor has aged like raw milk. Grohl’s first live acoustic “Everlong” and Taylor’s revealing, heartfelt “Sweet Baby James” moment happened on Howard’s show. Stern sometimes crosses the line for laughs, but he can also create a space for relaxed, honest conversations.
Transitioning from Howard Stern’s legacy, today, we’re discussing the September 2021 performance of Miley Cyrus, backed by Metallica, for a rendition of “Nothing Else Matters.” The song needs no introduction; we’ve discussed it before when they performed it at Wembley Stadium in 2007, and it was one of their biggest hits. The beginning of the video gets into the importance of the song to both James Hetfield and Miley.
Building on that context, Howard begins the video by asking them about the song, from which we get context from James as to why they initially didn’t want to include the song in the “Black Album.” They felt it was too soft and vulnerable for their 1980s tough-guy, thrash metal reputations. He talked about writing the song and playing it for people, which was a life-changing experience for them.
Following James’s account, the interesting thing here is hearing from Miley about why the song is meaningful to her. It’s a new context for the song and its impact, given that she’s from a much younger generation. Howard asks her, now knowing the song’s significance to the band and to whom she sings it, and her response is unexpected. She explains she chose the song to honor Glastonbury because, when everyone is there together, nothing else matters besides the music. For her, it’s a way to honor music from all walks of life, as it enriches the lives of the listeners.
This perspective on the song also marked a turning point in Miley’s life and career, as she was undergoing monumental changes in her personal life—divorcing her husband, getting sober, and losing her house in the 2018 Woolsey Fire—and changes to her persona and stage presence as a performer, stripped of the spectacle and costumes. Performing the song represents a shift toward authenticity for Miley. It’s a very emotionally poignant, quick little interview, before an amazing performance.
The song starts as you’d expect. Kirk Hammett sweats through the clean finger-picking intro, clunkily trying not to screw it up. He gets through it, but the dude needs to practice with a damn metronome. Sheesh. Anyway, James comes in to save the day with his part, before Lars busts in to throw the timing off once again. Oh well, they are but men, none infallible as such.
It’s always a treat to watch James play this song because you can see the emotional weight of it on his face, and in turn, you feel that weight yourself. Hearing Miley sing the song also amplifies those feelings, as she sings the verse in a lower register with her signature rasping voice. It almost feels like Stevie Nicks singing a Metallica song, but with a bit more power behind the voice.
As the second verse comes, Miley slowly picks up the energy, belting words and holding notes with desperate vibrato. The real joy I got from this is the bridge where James joins in with her to sing. The two work together in a shockingly unexpected way. They have this natural connection, and it seems effortless. We see James smiling deeply for the first time after they finish their part together, reinforcing our noticing of their vocal connection.
Miley and James’ commanding performance makes up for any hiccups coming from Kirk and Lars fumbling through their parts. I want to take a moment to commend Robert Trujillo for trying to follow Lars’ constant dragging and rushing without rhyme or reason.
Miley is taking liberties with the vocals. She belts out lines and improvises runs in a way that doesn’t feel forced or grandstanding. It works. I honestly prefer this version to the original. Miley’s incredible voice does wonders for the song, and it was a joy to come across this version.