On Friday night Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard covered Queen’s "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" at SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, which aired on Peacock. Tonight the pair returned for the big SNL 50: The Anniversary Celebration on NBC primetime. Again with house band the Roots, Cyrus and Howard covered "Nothing Compares 2 U."
The Prince-penned song was a blockbuster hit for the late Sinéad O’Connor, who had a contentious history with Saturday Night Live.
In May 1990, when the song was #1 on the Hot 100, the singer withdrew from being SNL's musical guest because comedian Andrew Dice Clay was hosting. When she eventually appeared on the show in October 1992, O'Connor performed "Success Has Made A Failure of Our Home" and an a cappella version of Bob Marley's "War," after which she famously tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II and said "fight the real enemy." The backlash was severe and O’Connor’s career never recovered. SNL did not air an unedited video of the performance until just last month, during the Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years Of SNL Music documentary.
Cyrus herself feuded with O'Connor back in the "Wrecking Ball" era. A decade later, shortly after the singer's death, Cyrus looked back at that ordeal and concluded, "God bless Sinead O’Connor, for real, in all seriousness."
Watch Cyrus and Howard's tribute, introduced by Aubrey Plaza, below.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sGrzWnT6NwY
