“Heaven or Las Vegas?”—Miley Cyrus Covers Cocteau Twins

“I am gonna sing a song that no one fuckin’ knows—but you will know it after tonight.” – Miley Cyrus

No, this is not an Onion article: Miley Cyrus, throwing caution to the wind, did indeed perform the Cocteau Twins’ 1990 dream-pop classic “Heaven or Las Vegas”, the title track from the Scottish band’s sixth studio album, at the 4th of July grand opening for the Las Vegas Resorts World Casino.

The gravel-voiced pop singer, who has been on a roll covering Blondie, Hole, Metallica, Dolly Parton, and Mazzy Star at various performances, gave the ethereal tune her unique Very Metal screech…and a slew of apologies throughout. Twitter critics be damned, she was determined to do a cover, and Cyrus chose a very unorthodox route this time.

“Now I’m gonna do a classic Miley — no, I’m not gonna show my titties are something — but I am gonna sing a song that no one fucking knows,” Cyrus barked at the crowd. “But you will know it after tonight. And I’ve seen the tweets — ‘Stop doing covers’ — but yet, somehow, “Jolene” was requested. So one for me. This song is called Heaven or Las Vegas for obvious reasons.”

…Plenty of people know the track, Miley! Heaven or Las Vegas peaked at #7 in the UK and #99 on the US Billboard 200, giving the Cocteau Twins their most commercially successful release and making their mark on 4AD. The album was included in Rob Morton’s book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and in 2020, Rolling Stone listed it at No. 245 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

After performing a series of hits from her album Paper Hearts, she made good on her word, and even broadened a few horizons in Sin City.

The Cocteau Twins official fan page responded on their social media, “Surprise, surprise!” Heaven or Las Vegas is the title track from Cocteau Twins’ sixth studio album.

Watch the send-up below: