Miley Cyrus capped off Saturday Night Live’s 2018 with a festive Christmas performance of John Lennon’s classic holiday song, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).”
Cyrus performed the hit, originally released by John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band and the Harlem Community Choir, alongside Mark Ronson and Sean Lennon, the son of Lennon and Yoko Ono.
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It was a simple number, but fans of Cyrus and Lennon were split over the cover.
Miley Cyrus is covering John Lennon and I am just going to drink straight out of the Jim Beam bottle! How was this approved???
— Greg Boysen 🏒🐷🐺🐻 (@GregBoysen) December 16, 2018
Some thought the performance fell far short of the original recording, with the former Voice coach’s vocals overpowering the peaceful protest song.
“Miley Cyrus is covering John Lennon, and I am just going to drink straight out of the Jim Beam bottle! How was this approved???” one viewer wrote. “I have never seen anyone put more effort into sounded bad than Miley Cyrus. Awful. And get off my lawn!”
Another viewer wrote, “Don’t get me wrong I like Miley, but she f—ing butchered that song. Too much yelling instead of singing. Poor John Lennon.”
I love Miley singing John Lennon. So much. And that outfit. 💟#snl
— jc (@justagirlincbad) December 16, 2018
However, the feedback was not all negative. Plenty of viewers were won over by Cyrus and company’s earnest take on “Happy Xmas.”
“You can’t deny Miley Cyrus is talented and seeing the love child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono on SNL performing their song is something special,” one viewer wrote.
Another fan added, “I love Miley singing John Lennon. So much. And that outfit.”
Some fans were more split down the middle, and ultimately were just fine getting into the Christmas spirit.
Just when I thought nothing could ever surprise me I saw Miley Cyrus singing John Lennon and it didn’t piss me off. Good job! #SNL
— Rudy Reber (@RudyReber) December 16, 2018
“Just when I thought nothing could ever surprise me I saw Miley Cyrus singing John Lennon, and it didn’t piss me off. Good job!” one viewer wrote.
Cyrus and Ronson released a studio version of the cover on all platforms Friday. It is unclear if it will appear on Cyrus’ upcoming studio album, which is also expected to feature the Ronson collaboration, “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart.”
Saturday Night Live airs weekly at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. New episodes will begin airing in 2019.
Photo Credit: Will Heath/NBC
