entertainment

Speaking of the VMAs, Cyrus also spoke to Stern about taking the VMA stage with Robin Thicke (and that infamous foam finger) back in 2013. As controversial as their performance was, in a way, it helped her understand what she wanted to do with her massive platform — a realization that indirectly inspired the  Happy Hippie Foundation , her nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting injustice. "The reason why that’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life is that’s when I realized my power,” she told Stern about the 2013 VMAs. "What if that could be a thing that isn't self-serving to me?" To drive home just how much she's grown over the years, Cyrus also performed some of her old hits on "The Stern Show," including this updated version of "Party In The U.S.A."

"Almost Like Praying" borrows one of the most recognizable verses and one of its most beloved voices from  West Side Story , Leonard Bernstein's musical interpretation of   Romeo and Juliet   set in 1950s New York City. The story centers on the tragic romance of Tony and Maria, and the tensions that come to fatal blows between Tony's gang, the Jets, and the Sharks, a Puerto Rican gang led by Maria's older brother, Bernardo. One of   West Side Story 's most moving moments lies in "Maria," the ballad Tony sings once he realizes he's fallen for the soft-spoken stranger. He adores everything about her, even the sound of her name: "Say it loud and there’s music playing/Say it soft and it’s   almost like praying ." Miranda's throw to the verse is perfect and thoughtful, considering both the name of the hurricane and his passion for musical theater. He further strengthened the  West Side Story  tie by bringing Rita Moreno into the fol...

For many Dashboard Confessional followers, likely including known fan Taylor Swift , "Hands Down" feels like a time capsule of the early 2000s. It conjures up images of unrequited middle-school crushes, Myspace Top 8 lists, and AIM away messages typed in Comic Sans. For Carrabba, though, the song's victorious finale — "You stood at your door with your hands on my waist / And you kissed me like you meant it" — vividly recalls a scene from his life that seems lifted straight out of a rom-com. "Whenever I sing the line 'The streets were wet and the gate was locked / So I jumped it,' I can remember it," he said, referencing the same swoon-worthy verse. "I can remember how the street felt under my sneakers, I remember finding the locked gate, jumping over the other side and unlatching it from the inside. And I think of it every single time without fail when I sing that line."