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In This Episode
Good thing Miley is buying herself flowers because — love her, but — I don’t know if they’re coming from us this round! Josie, Alycia, and Yasmine discuss the latest on their minds: a conservative governor acting pretty fruity, Jonathan Majors owning Hollywood, Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner…dating? and everything in between. Then, the girls dive deep into Miley Cyrus’s new album Endless Summer Vacation before ranking their top 6 Miley songs of all time.
TRANSCRIPT
[AD BREAK]
Yasmine Hamady: Well, good morning. Hi.
Josie Totah: Hi, Alycia.
Yasmine Hamady: Hi.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Hola hola.
Josie Totah: I miss you.
Yasmine Hamady: Alycia, where are you?
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I miss you guys. You guys look great and radiant. I’m in Puerto Rico.
Yasmine Hamady: [gasp] And tell us, why?
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Do you guys know that sound on Tik Tok with Anthony Ramos going Puerto Rico? No? Is that just, is that Latin TikTok only?
Josie Totah: Yes.
Yasmine Hamady: Mmm.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m in Puerto Rico, and I’m very happy to be here.
Yasmine Hamady: Oh, my God. Well, we miss you here on the orange couch.
Josie Totah: Alycia is filming a show.
Yasmine Hamady: Cause she’s a big, big little she’s a Hollywood star!
Josie Totah: A star.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: How are my sister’s doing in L.A.? Holding it down.
Josie Totah: We’re good.
Yasmine Hamady: We’re good. We’re just live laughing and loving. I feel abnormally far from Josie right now.
Josie Totah: We’re social distancing.
Yasmine Hamady: We’re social distancing for no reason other than social distancing, whatever that means for us. The year 2020 was the year Miley Cyrus came out with the hit album Plastic Hearts. And just last week, she came out with a new album called Endless Summer Vacation. And later today, we’re going to be talking about our thoughts, comments, questions, concerns about the album. But we also want to get into all the hot, juicy fucking tea that’s happened in the last week because a lot of shit’s gone down and we have a lot to say about it. So with that, what’s happened?
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Let’s get into it. I want to talk about what you guys care about. What’s happening in the world.
Josie Totah: I’m gagged and bound.
Yasmine Hamady: Okay.
Josie Totah: Over the lieutenant governor of Tennessee who is an elder man.
Yasmine Hamady: How old?
Josie Totah: At the ripe age of 79.
Yasmine Hamady: Jesus, Lord. Okay.
Josie Totah: And he has you know, he’s spoken out against gay marriage. He’s supported anti-LGBTQ bills. He most recently has been caught commenting on some twink’s instagram profile.
Yasmine Hamady: Please.
Josie Totah: Liter– there’s one. I mean, it is like emojis and–
Yasmine Hamady: Fire emojis.
Josie Totah: Fire emojis and hearts. And he literally commented on one shirtless pic of this guy. He, like, commented under like a half naked photo of him being like, super fine look. And then also the twink is responding to him in these comments and is like, thank you. You’ve always been so kind to me. So they have like a relationship.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: They’re familiar.
Yasmine Hamady: And didn’t he also comment like GQ, someone call GQ. He’s like, this is a great photo Finn. I think that’s the guy’s name. Finn, good job. This is incredible work. We’re so proud of you, Finn is gay. He’s a gay. As gay as it gets. And this lieutenant governor is just such a hypocrite. Randy commented, he said, and I quote, “Finn” this is the twink. “You can turn a rainy day into rainbows and sunshine.” Is that what you want, Randy? Do you want rainbows? [laughter]
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Do you want your day to be turned into rainbows, sir?
Josie Totah: Because all you have to do is is just come out, I guess. Randy. And then why, when they asked his office what was going on, because it was really–
Yasmine Hamady: Oh.
Josie Totah: –weird and unprofessional. He said what?
Yasmine Hamady: He said, [clears throat] this is the official response from their office. Trying to imply something sinister or inappropriate about a great grandfather’s use of social media says more about the mind of the left wing operative making the implication than it does about Randy McNally.
Josie Totah: You know what?
Yasmine Hamady: Um.
Josie Totah: Denial is a river in Egypt.
Yasmine Hamady: River in Egypt.
Josie Totah: Your lieutenant governor is gay.
Yasmine Hamady: Your [?] governor is gay. And that’s that on that, and there’s no other discussion. Okay, so moving on.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: For me, this man has always been the moment, but now he’s just getting his flowers. And that man would be Jonathan Majors.
Yasmine Hamady: Oooh.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I have been in love with him ever since I saw The Last Black Man in San Francisco, because that movie literally did change my life. This man has, like, such a beautiful story and is, like, currently making history. He’s a part of three movies out right now, Devotion, Ant-Man for Marvel and Creed three. And Creed and Ant-Man, both are like at the top of the box office, which makes him like one of the first Black men that can say that, that he has two movies running right now in theaters, like as we speak, that are like grossing a ridiculous amount. But yeah, he really is the moment. Like he was just the cover of Ebony. Him and Michael have been like all over Variety and everything else, um and it’s just really beautiful. Like, he really is the moment, every Black woman on the planet is talking about Jonathan Majors.
Josie Totah: I think Jonathan Majors has carved himself into stone in the zeitgeist of Hollywood. I think–.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Josie Totah: Now, every single studio is not pitching names without including Jonathan Majors.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.
Josie Totah: I think he’s one of the most talented people to come up right now.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Agreed.
Josie Totah: And I’m so glad that you brought him up.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: He is not only ridiculously talented, but I fangirl over his story. You know, he went to college for acting, knew he wanted to be an actor since high school, and then got himself to an Ivy League, was unhoused like always knew that he wanted to do this, is really like symbolic with the way that he decides to like hold his little teacup everywhere. I could not be more obsessed with him. I don’t, do you guys know the story about his teacup?
Yasmine Hamady: No.
Josie Totah: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: Tell us.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: That he carries on the red carpets and stuff? He was talking about it on a late night show. Cause everyone’s like, why do you always have this cup with you? Like, he’ll walk on red carpets, he’ll go to premieres, and he has his cup with him. And he said, well, like growing up, my mama always said, like, you know, mind your cup at a party, like when he was going out at college. But then also she always was like kind of stay true to who you are. And he sees that as like being mindful of his like vessel and like making sure that he’s always adamant about, like doing things with the right intentions and not wanting to get like, lost in the superficiality of entertainment and stuff. And I think he’s genuinely one of the best to be doing it like ever. I think he’s one of the most phenomenal actors of our generation. I think he’s so special and I’m glad that he’s finally getting his recognition, like with being a part of like multiple franchises and making history, having like what four movies out right now? Like as we speak. But I could not be more obsessed with him. Also him and Michael at the Oscars.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. Wow.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: [?] giving that nod to Angela after she had lost her Oscar.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: And them just being like, hey, we love you, I thought was really special. And–
Yasmine Hamady: Yup.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Just like, you know, the epitome of Black love and like, acknowledging your ancestors in that way. But I love him so much.
Josie Totah: Did you guys see the trailer for No Hard Feelings? It’s Jennifer Lawrence in this film about parents of, like this kid who is characterized as an unfuckable teenager that hires Jennifer Lawrence to sort of date him, court him and fuck him?
Yasmine Hamady: Fuck him. His parents hire Jennifer Lawrence.
Josie Totah: Wait he’s not a teenager, right?
Yasmine Hamady: He’s 19.
Josie Totah: Oh. Okay. So he is a teenager.
Yasmine Hamady: He’s 19. Yes, he’s 19.
Josie Totah: And here’s my thing about this film. If I would have seen Jennifer Lawrence come out with this movie in 2016.
Yasmine Hamady: Yup.
Josie Totah: 2015, I’m loving it.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Mmm.
Yasmine Hamady: Yup.
Josie Totah: I think–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Josie Totah: That if I want to see Jennifer Lawrence’s return after she’s been gone for so long, I want it to be at the level of like, a Triangle of Sadness or–
Yasmine Hamady: Yes, yes.
Josie Totah: –something.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. Not this.
Josie Totah: Like some foreign alt comedy film.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.
Josie Totah: If it’s going to be comedy, I think it should be like–
Yasmine Hamady: –Absurdist.
Josie Totah: On that level of, like, satire, because I think she’s so incredibly talented and I want more from her than like a Seth Rogen comedy, which I love Seth Rogen, but I think this being her reintroduction is it’s very jarring. And I think it could either go one of two ways. I think it could either do really, really well in theaters and it could get a lot of people in there, or I think it could just tank because it also seems a little problematic.
Yasmine Hamady: It was just really weird to watch. It was just very odd because it’s like these two parents, they were basically trying to tell her, we’re hiring you, because she’s also an Uber driver in the movie, to fuck our son and to kind of get him ready for college. And in the movie they have to actually, like, start like doing things. And I’m like, she’s like proper 30 years old in the movie.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: And like, she has a job, she’s an adult. And I just think if it were a man and a woman and they’re opposing this movie, there would be more uproar.
Josie Totah: Mm. It kind of gives me American Pie vibes and like–
Yasmine Hamady: Okay.
Josie Totah: –that genre, which I don’t love for her.
Yasmine Hamady: I just don’t see the point of it. And I know not everything has to have a deeper meaning. Not everything has to have a point. Some things can just be slapstick comedy. I think that’s great. But just this was I just think if it was an older man with a younger woman like it was Leonardo DiCaprio and every one of his girlfriends. Like it makes people uncomfortable. And it’s just weird. It’s just weird.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Jennifer Lawrence specifically, one is just ridiculously talented, but two, she’s talked about, like, wanting to slow down and wanting to do things that were like really intentional with her career. So I’m like there has to be a reason that she gravitated like toward the script and decided to do this.
Josie Totah: On the other hand too, it is exciting to see her play something more similar to her personality because we never see Jennifer Lawrence be like herself in films. Like she it’s always a darker character, troubled, more normal person, and she is more similar to that.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.
Josie Totah: In real life. So I’m excited to see it. However, I want more. I want more from whore.
Yasmine Hamady: Ooh.
Josie Totah: Does that make sense?
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, it does. Yeah, it does.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Josie Totah: Also, J. Law for White Lotus?
Yasmine Hamady: J. Law for White Lotus three.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oooh.
Yasmine Hamady: Okay.
Josie Totah: Who would you guys cast in your dream White Lotus season?
Yasmine Hamady: Oh!
Alycia Pascual-Peña: What a good question.
Josie Totah: Should we draft our picks?
Yasmine Hamady: Let’s draft our picks.
Josie Totah: I have my one number one person.
Yasmine Hamady: Go on.
Josie Totah: Who I think and I’ll say for many reasons why I think a.), she earned her right to be on screen for a significant amount of time. She put her back into showing everything, including her bare back. And also she just has like an incredible personality. So I think Pamela Anderson, most definitely needs–
Yasmine Hamady: 100%.
Josie Totah: –to be in the next season of White Lotus.
Yasmine Hamady: 100%.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Her [?] absolutely.
Yasmine Hamady: Yes. Pamela Anderson for White Lotus Season three. Okay. Who else?
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I have Keke Palmer.
Yasmine Hamady: Yes.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Not a surprise.
Yasmine Hamady: Yes.
Josie Totah: Yeah.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I think she’d be amazing. I think her reactions alone, like, I wouldn’t even want her to say anything. I would just want her to sit there and give her um gagged expressions. Taye Diggs.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.
Josie Totah: Interesting.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like if you watch his TikToks, he is out of his mind and I think that that would be great on White Lotus. And my last draft as of now, still working on it is LaKeith Stanfield.
Yasmine Hamady: I was thinking that too.
Josie Totah: I love LaKeith to be like the dark, mysterious–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: LaKeith on a remote island. Yes, with the most eccentric ass people like Keke and Taye Diggs would be so good.
Josie Totah: You know who would also be good? Terry Crews.
Yasmine Hamady: I say Terry Crews also, right? Wouldn’t Terry, Terry Crews would eat.
Josie Totah: Terry Crews–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Insane.
Josie Totah: –and like kind of similar to his White Chicks character, like Terry Crews but he’s like he fetishizes drag queens secretly on the side.
Yasmine Hamady: Yes yes yes.
Josie Totah: Even though he has a devout Christian wife played by Sherri Shepherd.
Yasmine Hamady: Yes. And then another one we’re forgetting, a major comedy duo, Ramy Youssef and Mo Amer. The two Arabs that are just there trying to have a good time.
Josie Totah: They wouldn’t even make it to the hotel because they wouldn’t get past TSA.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m obsessed with them.
Yasmine Hamady: But I think I think they come in later to the whole season because of the whole TSA problem and they have airport security lead them into the White Lotus Hotel and there’s constantly security watching them and one of them dies. But I think that I don’t know. I just know that one of them is going to die in it. That’s my pitch.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: No they would be amazing. No, I don’t want either of them to die. This [?] cast [?].
Yasmine Hamady: I just feel like a two best friend duo kind of having their life. Pamela Anderson is kind of having her Jennifer Coolidge little moment–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: –from season one of trying to find herself after her mom dies.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: And I just feel like also I’ll pitch myself and you and you right now, Alycia Pascual-Peña, Josie Totah and Yasmine Hamady for White Lotus Season three.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: It’s insane to see how the Latina girlies are losing their shit on TikTok because Bad Bunny [gasp] and Kendall Jenner were like, confirmed to be on a date.
Yasmine Hamady: Oh my Gosh.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: And to be kissing in West Hollywood. Because there was just speculation. And the TikToks are having me rolling because it’s like all of these skits of like, Latinas, like burning pictures of Benito, [?].
Yasmine Hamady: Oh, yeah, Yeah.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like, obviously he’s so famous. He’s so famous for being, like, Latino’s Latinos. Like, everybody wants to be us, like, in a really beautiful way. And being super vocal and bold and um especially being here in Puerto Rico. Like, I find myself randomly having conversations about him with crew members and stuff. And it’s so funny.
Josie Totah: What are the actual Puerto Ricos saying about it?
Alycia Pascual-Peña: They’re heartbroken. They’re embarrassed.
Yasmine Hamady: It’s a tragedy.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: And if anything they’re making vulgar jokes that I couldn’t say on this podcast about, like, are the Jenners doing Santeria? Like–
Yasmine Hamady: Please.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like are the Jenners of the world, they have a chokehold on our men of color. Like like–
Yasmine Hamady: They really do.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: The abuelas are praying for Benito and Puerto Rico. They were very sad about it. It is like they’re mourning, which is hilarious. And yeah, it is fascinating to hypothesize what they’re talking about because he very openly explains that he doesn’t speak English well. And I don’t think that Kendall Jenner speaks Español. So pero yeah, the girls are crying in the club, and that’s what’s happening in this Latina corner.
Yasmine Hamady: The girls are crying in the club. [music break].
[AD BREAK]
Yasmine Hamady: Transitioning and another reason why the girls are crying in the club is because the one the only Miley Cyrus came out with a new album, Endless Summer Vacation.
Josie Totah: I just want to preface this by saying I love Miley Cyrus.
Yasmine Hamady: Yes, love Miley Cyrus.
Josie Totah: I think she’s one of the most incredible vocalists. I genuinely do. I think that she’s one of the most special artists of our generation and I mean that. This album did disappoint me.
Yasmine Hamady: Go.
Josie Totah: It felt like it was feigning alternative but at its best existed in the 2012 Miley Cyrus days, where she was on the Disney Channel with songs like Jaded. I think the best song on the album by far is You. It reminds me of–
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.
Josie Totah: –the Lady Gaga song, You and I.
Yasmine Hamady: Yes yes.
Josie Totah: It’s like a like a a like a back, what is it called? A low tempo?
Yasmine Hamady: A low tempo jazz rendition.
Josie Totah: Yeah, like a ballad and like a low tempo, sort of like rock moment. I think she was at her highest when she was leaning into her rock.
Yasmine Hamady: I agree.
Josie Totah: I think I was shocked, confused.
Yasmine Hamady: Oh!
Josie Totah: And appalled that she didn’t lead more into, like, actual of her rock side. Instead, I feel like it took a lot of weird turns.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.
Josie Totah: Technologically, that I didn’t necessarily appreciate, but maybe that’s just me. Also, I think it should just have been called Flowers. I don’t think it should have been called Endless Summer Vacation. It sounds like a collection of like, Justice–
Yasmine Hamady: I was going to say.
Josie Totah: –summer wear like it doesn’t feel like–
Yasmine Hamady: Endless summer–
Josie Totah: –that’s the name of a Miley Cyrus album that we’ve waited for for so long.
Yasmine Hamady: Endless Summer Vacation sounds like a Marc Jacobs perfume.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I think Miley is an icon. I think she’s great. I’m a fan of her, but I’m going to keep it a whole buck. Stylistically, I like enjoyed listening to the album, but I wasn’t like, Oh my gosh, like it’s not like an album I have on repeat. And I think you guys know me very well. Like when I love something, it’s like all I want to listen to that week. But yeah, I kind of like the direction that she took. It feels like she’s really making music like for herself, if that makes sense.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: That she’s going to make shit that she liked. Like Wonder Woman was cool. You was cool. It didn’t feel like. I guess also at that point, you just shouldn’t have preconceptions about things because I went into it being like, Oh, like the name of the album. Like, Oooh, like this is going to be like summer bangers. Um. And it wasn’t really that, but I liked it. I think she’s cool. I think she’s leaning into like being authentically herself, which is awesome. And I commend any artist for like being vulnerable.
Josie Totah: When I think Endless Summer Vacation I think Rollin by Calvin Harris.
Yasmine Hamady: Yes. That whole album.
Josie Totah: Yes.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah yeah yeah–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I think Sly.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.
Josie Totah: I don’t think weird like–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah, it’s a groove.
Josie Totah: –ballads.
Yasmine Hamady: I also think I’m the one DJ Khalid, Quavo, Justin Bieber. That’s what I think. Or Wild Thoughts.
Josie Totah: Wild thoughts!
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Wild thoughts is such a summer song.
Yasmine Hamady: That’s an endless summer vacation.
Josie Totah: Santana.
Yasmine Hamady: I’m sorry, Jaded is not.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Work is a summer song like these weren’t–
Josie Totah: –considerations.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: These weren’t like–
Yasmine Hamady: Considerations.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: –summer songs. Like, these were–
Yasmine Hamady: Like Violet Chemistry, Muddy Feet, Wild Card.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: Also, I have a theory and I want to pitch it to both of you.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Okay? Please pitch us this theory.
Yasmine Hamady: So this–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: I’m going to play the first 30 seconds of Wonder Woman.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Okay.
Yasmine Hamady: Which is the second to last song on her album.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: And this is what I see.
[clip of Miley Cyrus’s wonder woman plays] [slow ballad piano plays] She’s a wonder woman.
Yasmine Hamady: All right, you heard that.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: It’s really pretty.
Yasmine Hamady: [starts singing Sarah McLachlan] In the eyes of an angel.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Of an angel.
Yasmine Hamady: –fly away. And all of a sudden, I’m seeing Sarah McLachlan in a humble home with a dog on her lap talking about the animal abuse that’s happening in the United States. That’s what’s happening when I listen to in the eyes of an angel, Wonder Woman. That’s my thoughts. And then I just feel like the whole album was is it’s they’re all the same song, but different beats. Does that make sense?
Josie Totah: It’s all very similar tones. I think in her highest moment she gives knock off Santa Monica Boulevard version of Kacey Musgraves.
Yasmine Hamady: Oooh.
Josie Totah: And I’m okay with that. But it’s not Kacey Musgraves.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: That’s a take.
Yasmine Hamady: No, it’s not. And also, Plastic Hearts was so good.
Josie Totah: But it was niche. But maybe that’s what’s good about it.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: It was great.
Josie Totah: Because it was specific–
Yasmine Hamady: I agree with you.
Josie Totah: –and because it had intention, because it had identity.
Yasmine Hamady: It had it had identity.
Josie Totah: Where this feels a little nonspecific.
Yasmine Hamady: It’s very Wal-Mart artpop of Lady Gaga. It’s very much like she had Brandi Carlile and Sia on it. Last time she had Joan Jett, she had Stevie Nicks, she had Billy Joel.
Josie Totah: I didn’t know we were still using Sia features.
Yasmine Hamady: Like, we’re done with that. Um. So what we’re going to do is we’re going to rate the top six, why six? We don’t know. Top six Miley Cyrus songs that’s ever been put out. And this is not in any specific order. These are just the best six. And if you disagree, tell us why and you’re probably wrong. So, number one.
Josie Totah: I think you can’t rate the top best Miley Cyrus songs without including We Can’t Stop. Also, can we make a collective decision? Are we doing covers as well?
Yasmine Hamady: Yes.
Josie Totah: Are we?
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh, great question.
Josie Totah: Because that changes everything for me. If we’re doing covers, then Heart of Glass is like number one.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: That is number one. Number one. Absolutely.
Josie Totah: Also Fade Into You is on there as well. Two of those songs are covers, but they are her best vocal renditions that I’ve ever seen of her. And they’re incredible.
Yasmine Hamady: I’ll meet you halfway. Right. Let’s have We Can’t Stop and Heart of Glass. Fade into You will have to be for a next time, because there’s so many other songs that we need to have.
Josie Totah: Her NPR, Fade Into You is insane.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Fade Into You is amazing. But I say maybe let’s not include this in the list if we want to get a good range of like, her whole discography. So let’s say Heart of Glass is number one.
Yasmine Hamady: But this is not even in any specific order. It’s Heart of Glass, 100%. We can’t stop.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh okay okay okay.
Yasmine Hamady: And I’m also thinking, see you again, Hannah Montana. See you again. Or we could do Miley Cyrus, seven things.
Josie Totah: I think–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Seven things over See you–
Josie Totah: Yeah, I think seven things. I think the climb has to be in there for sure.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: Okay. So we’re going to have–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: It has to be.
Yasmine Hamady: It is part of history.
Josie Totah: The biggest anthem.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: We all were singing it crying.
Josie Totah: Ballad of all time, that song. And um–
Yasmine Hamady: When I look at you.
Josie Totah: No. That song and, um, this is real, this is me. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I’m gonna let the light shine on–
Yasmine Hamady: This is me. Demi Lovato, Camp Rock.
Josie Totah: Yes. Where are my–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Josie Totah: –childhood anthems?
Yasmine Hamady: Yes.
Josie Totah: Like if I had to cry in the shower and, like, want to blow my eyes away with tears, I would play those two songs.
Yasmine Hamady: Blow your nose really hard.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: The climb not only was like being played everywhere, but I feel like no matter like what color you were like, if you were under 15, like I would say 15 and under. You were obsessed with that song.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I personally had that song on replay. So much so that, like my family members knew every word to that song. It became much bigger than just like a Disney song. Like, I feel like when that movie came out, my mom was like, oh, this is a Disney movie.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, No.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: And because of its popularity. Like it became a part of our childhood.
Yasmine Hamady: I agree.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I think every girl sang it for an audition. Like. Like every girl sang it at a talent show. Like The Climb was that good.
Yasmine Hamady: Also, it’s objectively a good song. Like, that’s why like–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: It is, it is.
Yasmine Hamady: –it’s it’s a good it’s a good like, grit song. Like it’s a song that you feel like you can–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like lyrically.
Yasmine Hamady: –climb anything. [Alcyia starts singing The Climb] Lyrically. [Yasmine and Alycia singing The Climb by Miley Cyrus] and then the violins. [Yasmine making violin sounds] And then also I have to say, I have to bring it back. So we have–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: And her yelling at the end.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, but I also want to say I’m going to pitch Prisoner from Plastic Hearts with Dua Lipa.
Josie Totah: I, I agree. I think it’s really good.
Yasmine Hamady: I can’t that is I’m sorry, one of the best songs.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m like, is it top six, though?
Yasmine Hamady: Yes. [singing Prisoner by Miley Cyrus]
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I know the song. [singing Prisoner by Miley Cyrus]
Yasmine Hamady: You just want to dance.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I don’t know if it’s top six.
Yasmine Hamady: C’mon. It’s so good. You have Dua Lipa and and Miley Cyrus in one song.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m a keep it a buck.
Yasmine Hamady: I’m so sorry.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I love them both. But her top six?
Josie Totah: I agree. But I think before we put Party in the USA, which is the most patriotic song in American history. Dare I say more patriotic than the national anthem itself.
Yasmine Hamady: Okay, so you heard it here–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: National anthem.
Yasmine Hamady: –first. Josie. What did you say?
Alycia Pascual-Peña: It is.
Yasmine Hamady: Look in the camera and say exactly what you said.
Josie Totah: I just think Party in the U.S.A. has to be on there. I think it’s such a good song. I think it brings–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I agree.
Josie Totah: –Republicans and twinks alike–
Yasmine Hamady: –Together. Please.
Josie Totah: Everybody is so happy just when that song comes on. When that song comes on, you have Nancy Pelosi shaking hands with Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Yasmine Hamady: No, you don’t.
Josie Totah: And Tulsi Gabbard–
Yasmine Hamady: No you don’t. No you don’t.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Absolutely not.
Josie Totah: –licking the face of Mike Pence, who’s hugging–
Yasmine Hamady: Who’s who’s humping–
Josie Totah: –Trevor Noah.
Yasmine Hamady: Who’s humping like Trevor Noah.
Josie Totah: And everybody literally wants to be happy when Party in the U.S.A. comes on. I swear to God. [Yasmine and Alycia start singing Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus] Next time we’re at some sort of dispute in Congress, play Party in the USA. It’s going to be a party. If they just played Party in the USA on January 6th. I bet they would have gone home.
Yasmine Hamady: I’m screaming.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: No insurrection.
Yasmine Hamady: No, honestly, the insurrection would have not happened if Party in the USA had been–
Josie Totah: Or they would have just brought red solo cups and sandwiches–
Yasmine Hamady: And be like–
Josie Totah: –with the crust cut off.
Yasmine Hamady: –let’s have a party. It’s the way in which she knew that she was bringing in the country together.
Josie Totah: The cunt.
Yasmine Hamady: The cunt-try.
Josie Totah: She brought the whole cunt in.
Yasmine Hamady: She brought, I guess that cunt getting eatin’. I guess that cunt getting eatin’. It’s–
Josie Totah: Is 212 Azealia Banks–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Mmm mm.
Yasmine Hamady: Yeah yeah yeah.
Josie Totah: –her toxic [?].
Yasmine Hamady: No please. It’s very much she can solve world hunger–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: No.
Yasmine Hamady: –with Party in the USA and I and I stand by that. Okay so we have Plastic Hearts, we have the climb, we have party in the USA, and we have– [Miley Cyrus song playing faintly in the background]
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Seven things I hate about you.
Yasmine Hamady: We can’t stop. Breaks like a heart.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: See You Again.
Yasmine Hamady: I don’t think [pause] with Mark Ronson. I don’t think–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Wait so we have five?
Josie Totah: It’s between Wrecking Ball and Adore You.
Yasmine Hamady: I think Wrecking Ball. Wrecking Ball was–
Josie Totah: Why is that?
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Wrecking ball.
Yasmine Hamady: The reason why I think Wrecking Ball over Adore You is because Adore You is just the same thing over and over again. I love you. I adore you. Wrecking Ball. She gave her heart and I think that performance–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: It’s beautiful but Wrecking Ball.
Yasmine Hamady: –of her with a Wrecking Ball.
Josie Totah: You’re right.
Yasmine Hamady: I know. Like the way she was sobbing with red lipstick and she she gave everything in that song. And I think that can’t go unnoticed.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Mm hmm. Also, it became like a cultural moment. Everyone was doing it as a skit. Everyone was dressing up as her.
Yasmine Hamady: All the memes. All the memes naked with–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like Wrecking Ball–
Yasmine Hamady: –Doc Martin’s on top of a wrecking ball. That was incredible. What a time to be alive in America.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Josie Totah: She is weirdly one of the most influential–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Josie Totah: –singers of our generation, whether we like it or not. She actually is.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: We watched her grow up. It’s crazy to think like looking back. Like I went to go watch a Hannah Montana movie, like about her life when I was a kid in theaters and she was 14 selling out stadiums like, quote unquote, “as two characters,” right? Like as Miley and as Hannah. Like, that’s insane. And then we watched her grow up and she was like at the scrutiny of press and like, we watched her in all of these phases and like, they were each iconic. Everybody was talking about it, whether you agreed with it or not. You know, these are bangers. These songs took me back.
Yasmine Hamady: I completely agree. I think, like if we start all the way from when we were younger, from the Hannah Montana moment, she created brands with Justice and Limited Too back in the day. People all the time wanted to dress up as her. I remember I would sing best of both worlds when I was younger, and I just wanted to be Hannah Montana so badly. And then she started doing The Last Song where she met her ex-husband, and that movie was one of the saddest movies ever. And she gave in that performance, too. And then she started singing, and she has her own foundation for LGBTQ youth, Happy Hippie. She does so many good things. She’s outspoken about shit and she’s she’s genuinely such a brave woman. And can I say she’s my favorite type of nepotism baby. Dolly Parton’s goddaughter, Billy Ray Cyrus’s daughter. That is a nepo baby I will stand by and I stand by that.
Josie Totah: I agree. I think she’s so iconic. I think the world changed when we saw her at the MTV VMAs with Robin Thicke.
Yasmine Hamady: Robin Thicke!
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Mmm.
Josie Totah: That–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh, my gosh.
Josie Totah: –was a shift.
Yasmine Hamady: Remember when she was twerking–
Josie Totah: Return–
Yasmine Hamady: –with her little butt.
Josie Totah: –and control. It was crazy. She was gyrating on him that that was–
Yasmine Hamady: With the foam finger when she was fucking–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah.
Yasmine Hamady: –herself with the foam finger? [indistinct banter]
Alycia Pascual-Peña: And those Teddy bears came out.
Josie Totah: It changed all of us forever. We’re not the same because of it.
Yasmine Hamady: Bangerz.
Josie Totah: So regardless of this album being the best one of her discography or one of the best of this year–
Alycia Pascual-Peña: Which we all agree isn’t.
Josie Totah: She remains one of the most influential–
Yasmine Hamady: Yup.
Josie Totah: –talented vocalists of our generation. And this album that may have not hit the highest highs that we thought it was going to, surely doesn’t change that.
Yasmine Hamady: Completely agreed with that. So with all that said, we have come to the conclusion that the top six Miley Cyrus songs ever are: We Can’t Stop, Heart of Glass, The Climb, Party in the USA, Wrecking Ball, and Prisoner. Let us know what you think. What an episode. What a great, a hot topic week that we have discussed and talked about. Alycia, we miss you.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: I miss you guys.
Yasmine Hamady: Josie you’re standing, sitting right here. It hurts.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: But it was good. It was good to catch up, hear what’s going on in the world. The weird, the good, the bad.
Yasmine Hamady: The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Josie Totah: Until next time.
Yasmine Hamady: We’ll see you soon. Make sure to, like, subscribe, download and rate, Dare We Say, on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Stitcher. Thank you. We’ll see you next week.
Josie Totah: Dare We Say is a Crooked Media production.
Yasmine Hamady: Caroline Reston is our showrunner, producer and mommy and Ari Schwartz is our producer and show daddy. Fiona Pestana is our associate producer and Sandy Girard is the almighty executive producer.
Josie Totah: It’s hosted and produced by me, Josie Totah.
Yasmine Hamady: And me, Yasmine Hamady.
Alycia Pascual-Peña: And me, Alycia Pascual-Peña. Vasilis Fotopoulos and Charlotte Landes, they’re both our engineers. Brian Vasquez is our editor and theme music composer. Our video producers are Matt DeGroot, Narineh Melkonian and Delon Villanueva and Mia Kellman.
Josie Totah: Lastly, thank you to Jordan Silver, Gabriela Leverette, Jesse McLean, Caroline Heywood, Shaina Hortsmann, Deisi Cruz, Danielle Jensen and Ewa Okulate, for marketing the show and making us look so damn good.
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