8 Must-Listen Miley Cyrus Songs and 8 Hannah Montana Favorites for the Show's 20th Anniversary
With special guests Sammi Kandell, Marissa Finklestein, and Julie Stern!
Call me Jonny Jersey because of course, I’m a fan of the fictitious blonde singer with a secret like no other! Hannah Montana has truly stepped out of her iconic show and into all of our lives. There’s so much to celebrate as Hannah Montana turns 20 years old.
As we all settle in to watch this nostalgia bait anniversary special, let’s celebrate the musical legacy of Disney legend Miley Cyrus and her alter-ego Ms. Hannah Montana.
I wouldn’t have a lady like Hannah Montana in my life without these three incredible guest posters. They showed and showered me with girl culture, and for that I am forever grateful. Hear from my sister Sam Kandell and our lifelong family friends, Marissa Finklestein and Julie Stern.
1. Bone Dance!
I’d love to ask a medical professional who went through schooling if learning “The Bone Dance” version of the song helped in their studies. Love when a song pops up naturally in the show and connects to the story at large. Miley has a tough science exam and uses her music skills to ace her way through it. This episode is a great example of how the early seasons balanced the double-life conundrum, where both parts can’t help but bleed over.
2. Best of Both Worlds
The bop “Best of Both Worlds” welcomes you into the hilarious hijinks of Hannah Montana. It’s the perfect theme song for the super sweet show, and the message is right in the title. Miley Stewart AKA Hannah Montana, is living the life with “movie premieres” and “at school nobody knows.” Why wasn’t anyone analyzing these lyrics and putting the pieces together? She’s basically laying out her double life, and nobody questions anything but Rico? Sure… The wording is also super meta, especially now that Cyrus is a household name in pop music. Also, the c***y laugh at the end of the song strikes the same chord as Kesha’s giggle in “Blow” so yeah, I love it.
3. Gonna Get This feat. Iyaz
A lot of people don’t remember this one, but fortunately for you, I play it at every function. Iyaz was great with that hit song “Replay,” and they invited him onto HM to sing a duet with the titular character. “Are you the boy (x3) the honest truth, the real McCoy” is a lyric that has bothered my brain for two decades now. What is the real McCoy? Either way, the song is a total hit. I wish we got more crossover duets with real-world recognizable artists, bringing Hannah even more into our world.
4. He Could Be The One
This iconic song channels that young yearning we’ve all gone through and fondly remember. Your first crush is a special moment, especially when Miley Stewart was torn between guys. It’s wild to think many of us sang this along with the show 20 years ago, only to find our ‘Ones’ IRL. This song also taught a generation of kids the word ‘sentimental,’ and for that, Miley Cyrus deserves props.
5. True Friend
Miley and Lily have something so special! Miley even chose college and Lily in the finale of the series, cementing that their bond was for life. Though Lily (Emily Osment) wasn’t at the premiere due to work conflicts, her impact on the show is undeniable. We all wanted a loyal friend like Lily, who could not only keep a life-changing secret but forgive you when you messed up. And she looked great in her wig as Lola Luftnagle.
6. Nobody’s Perfect (thoughts by Sammi Kandell)
Growing up, kids are surrounded by pressure. Getting good grades, being the best on the team, getting into a good college. Nobody’s perfect was the reminder that there is learning in failure and you can always find a way to get a second chance if you work hard enough. As an overachiever myself, it helped get me through grades I wasn’t proud of, poor stat lines on the basketball court, and the occasional fight with a friend. You gotta live and you learn it, advice for folks of all ages.
7. You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home (thoughts by Julie Stern)
“You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home” is my favorite Hannah Montana song because of how much it sneaks up on you. When I was first introduced to the song at 13 years old when the Hannah movie came out, the perfect pop melody and instrumentals were enough to suck me in. Now at 30 years old, I can process how poignant and relatable the lyrics are, thanks to our lord and savior Taylor Swift. Name a better duo than Taylor and Hannah.
8. Life’s What You Make It (thoughts by Marissa Finklestein)
I often do not take Hannah’s advice and let small frustrations get me down - no, no, no, no! But when I do, I can turn to songs like “Life’s What You Make It” to turn it all around. There is a solid bridge in this song, some time for a dance break, and a clap track to close it out. At 11 year’s old, the message to “make it rock” was a good one. When I listen to the song now caught up in adult life, I think back to this 11 year old girl and the Hannah Montana era. A sort of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” for the millennial, when I listen to “Life’s What You Make It” now, I can remind myself that not much is in my control beyond what I make of it.
8 Miley Cyrus Bops
1. Adore You
“Adore You” isn’t just a top Miley song, but an underrated bop in general. It’s sultry, sweet, and sad. Miley is one of our great energy channelers, and her music really has become an outlet for us all. The state of yearning and adoration is explored beautifully in this sonic sleeper hit, and I always gush when it hits speakers.
2. Malibu
This song takes me back! Like Miley in the music video, I want to be running on the beach with no cares in the world. It’s wild to see her country roots evolve into a California lifestyle, largely thanks to the move from Hannah Montana. Unfortunately, her Malibu home burned down in the 2025 wildfires.
3. Fweaky
Another deep cut and obscure song that not many people know is “Fweaky” from her “Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz” era. It’s equally angelic and weird, like you’re floating on a bed of Jell-O. This hazy, dreamlike song continues to stop me in my tracks when it comes on shuffle. Plus, who else but Miley would spell a song like this? Maybe my other icon, Kesha.
4. Wrecking Ball
THE EMOTION!!!! Before we had “Driver’s License,” the emotional power ballad working in tandem with our teenage tantrums was “Wrecking Ball.” If you say that you never sang this gut-wrenching hit alone in the car or shower, you are a liar! The music video proved insane, from her iconic riding of an actual wrecking ball to licking a sledgehammer. This solidified with fans and haters alike that Cyrus was out to do her own damn thing post-Disney.
5. Party in the USA
Perhaps one of the most quotable songs in her arsenal of memorable bops is “Party In The USA.” It captures joy as we tag along with Miley, hopping out of the plane for the first time at LAX. I’m a sucker for a song that shares a story, and Party In The USA does exactly that.
6. See You Again (thoughts by Sammi Kandell)
As the lead track off Miley’s first non-Hannah album, Meet Miley Cyrus, it was our first introduction to a new world of the young pop star and she starts off with a bang! Sometimes you need a song to scream. In the car, in the shower, maybe in your room getting ready to go out with friends. See you again has the build up that starts to get you going and a chorus that just brings the house down and shows us what we’re in for in the post-Hannah era.
7. “Angels Like You” (thoughts by Julie Stern)
My favorite Miley song is “Angels Like You” because I think it shows off her once-in-a-generation vocals more than anything else in her discography. For so long, I was wishing for a song that captured the power she achieves on her amazing rock covers (like Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” or Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You”). “Angels Like You” finally achieved this and should be more appreciated!
8. The Climb (thoughts by Marissa Finklestein)
“The Climb” is arguably the best song to come out of the Hannah Montana universe, and one that I did not fully understand the grasp of at age 13. This song aged like . Proof is Miley’s 2017 performance on Jimmy Fallon. When I listen to this song, I am transported to seeing the Hannah Montana movie with childhood friends, to screlting (screaming and belting) the song in a college dorm room, to belting it now on the way home from a bad day at work. I think that screaming “The Climb” might be the cure for a bad day. “The Climb” feels like this great youthhood unifier of millennials. In 2009, this ballad written by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe, was far more than we deserved from a Disney movie. It is one of the songs that I believe shows Miley is one of the greatest voices of our generation. The song won “Best Song From a Movie” at the MTV Movie Awards, but it probably deserved “Best Original Song” at the Oscars. May you reach that dream you’re dreaming.