When Miley Cyrus and Jimmy Fallon hit the stage in outlandish ‘80s getups to sing Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s “Islands in the Stream,” fans were probably expecting a hilarious parody cover. The cover was indeed a hoot, but it was actually really sweet and touching as well. Parton is Cyrus’s godmother, and you can tell that it really meant a lot for the younger star to sing Parton’s iconic hit.

It’s no secret that Cyrus is the real deal as a vocalist, and she does a cracking job hitting all the right notes on her classy cover of Parton’s vocal lines. Her solo verse from 1:30 onward is soulful and passionate – check out that belting, folks! For his part, Fallon does a great job keeping up with Cyrus, and the funnyman proved here he’s no slouch on the mic. The Music Man has to say that the pair’s rendition of “Islands in the Stream” is certainly a cover done right!

The Tonight Show’s upload of Cyrus and Fallon’s cover of “Islands in the Stream” proved to be quite popular, as it has drawn 6.7 million views on YouTube. Fans enjoyed the throwback and added comments such as “Knowing how close she is to Dolly, and the wonderful friendship Dolly and Kenny had makes this all so sweet” and “A terrific performance. What could have come off as parody actually feels like a heartfelt tribute.”

Cyrus and Fallon’s cover of “Islands in the Stream” is not the first time the pair have teamed up on a Parton cover. In a viral surprise busking session on the New York City subway, the pair performed Parton’s hit “Jolene,” with Cyrus delivering a sensational vocal. The pair revealed their identities after the “Jolene” cover, and then went into a rollicking rendition of Cyrus’s hit “Party in the U.S.A.,” with plenty of crowd interaction. The fun session did some real numbers, with 52 million fans tuning in on YouTube.

The Music Man readers might be interested to hear the tale of how Parton became Cyrus’s godmother. The tale goes all the way back to 1992, when Miley’s father Billy Ray Cyrus and Parton toured together while he was promoting his breakout hit “Achy Breaky Heart.” Parton spoke about her connection with Billy Ray on The Howard Stern Show, saying, “We just got to be good friends because he’s a Kentucky boy, I’m from Tennessee. And he said, ‘We’re having a girl, and you’ve got to be her godmother!’ And I said: ‘Well, I’d be honoured.’ So actually, Miley and I took over from there. We just stayed very, very close through the years.”