On a Roll explained

On a Roll
Cover:Ashley O - On a Roll.png
Type:promo
Artist:Ashley O
B-Side:Right Where I Belong
Genre:Dance-pop[1]
Producer:The Invisible Men

"On a Roll" is a song recorded by American singer Miley Cyrus under the moniker "Ashley O", the character in the Black Mirror episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too". It is an adaptation of the 1989 Nine Inch Nails song "Head Like a Hole". The episode was originally released on June 5, 2019, and the song was released as a promotional digital single by RCA Records and The Null Corporation on June 14, 2019. The B-side, "Right Where I Belong", is based on the 2005 Nine Inch Nails song "Right Where It Belongs". Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor approved of the adaptations, and released Black Mirror-themed merchandise to coincide with the episode's release.[2] The song was ranked 28th on the 100 Best Songs of 2019 list by Billboard.[3] The song was not released to radio in the US.[4]

Background and composition

The track interpolates elements of "Head Like a Hole", the 1989 single by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, from their debut studio album Pretty Hate Machine. Therefore, "On a Roll" credits Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor as a songwriter, and was produced by production trio the Invisible Men.[5] Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker gained permission from Reznor to use the song, and later re-wrote the lyrics to be "uber-positive" in order to serve as a juxtaposition with the "dark concepts" of the episode.[6] The song is written in the key of G minor in common time with a tempo of 122 beats per minute.[7] BuzzFeed noted online observations that the song's chorus, "Hey yeah woah-ho", sounds like "Hey I'm a hoe", and described it as an example of a mondegreen.[8]

Critical reception

In a positive review, Rolling Stones Brittany Spanos stated: "The underlying darkness and the disconnect of knowing that a cutesy, capitalistic take on a Nine Inch Nails classic shouldn't work but inexplicably does feels like more danger than [Cyrus]'s been able to extract before."[9] Andrew Unterberger of Billboard assumed that the song would become a bigger hit than Cyrus' previous single "Mother's Daughter" and compared Ashley O to Cyrus early in her career, writing: "It's Miley Cyrus freed from narrative. Sure, it probably helps your enjoyment of 'Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too' to consider how Cyrus' own early career was shaped by handlers who didn't necessarily have her own artistic vision or general best interests in mind, and how she ultimately felt the need to break out from that. But the song? It's just A Bop, one that requires no knowledge of Pretty Hate Machine to appreciate its straightforward catchiness and motivational — if more than a little absurd — lyrics."[10]

Music video

The official music video for "On a Roll" was released on June 13, 2019, on Netflix's official YouTube channel.[11]

Andrew Unterberger of Billboard described the video as "[splitting] the difference between 'Bad Romance'-era Gaga and 'California Gurls'-era Katy Perry in a way that would've certainly made it a YouTube smash."[10]

Live performances

Cyrus performed "On a Roll" and "Head Like a Hole" live on June 30, 2019, during her set at Glastonbury Festival 2019 in Pilton, Somerset.[12]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[13]

Charts

Chart (2019)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 86
Latvia (LAIPA)[15] 27
Lithuania (AGATA)[16] 21
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[17] 18
US Rolling Stone Top 100[18] 99

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Is Miley Cyrus' 'Black Mirror' Song 'On a Roll' Going to End Up Her Biggest New Hit?. Billboard. Unterberger, Andrew. July 3, 2019.
  2. Web site: Miley Cyrus Sings Nine Inch Nails Songs in 'Black Mirror' Season 5 . . June 5, 2019 . June 14, 2019 . Monroe, Jazz.
  3. The 100 Best Songs of 2019: Staff List. Billboard Staff. December 11, 2018. Billboard. December 30, 2019.
  4. Is Miley Cyrus' 'Black Mirror' Song 'On a Roll' Going to End up Her Biggest New Hit?. Billboard. July 3, 2019.
  5. Song You Need to Know: Miley Cyrus/Ashley O, 'On a Roll' . . June 12, 2019 . June 14, 2019 . Spanos, Brittany.
  6. Web site: 'Black Mirror' Got Trent Reznor's Blessing to Remix Nine Inch Nails for Miley Cyrus Episode. 6 June 2019.
  7. Web site: On a Roll (Head Like a Hole) (Music from the Netflix Original Series, Black Mirror).
  8. Web site: No, Ashley O Is NOT Singing About How She's A Hoe . . June 17, 2019 . June 26, 2019 . Zamora, Christian.
  9. Song You Need to Know: Miley Cyrus/Ashley O, 'On a Roll' . . June 12, 2019 . November 27, 2022 . Brittany . Spanos.
  10. Is Miley Cyrus' 'Black Mirror' Song 'On a Roll' Going to End Up Her Biggest New Hit? . . July 3, 2019 . November 27, 2022 . Andrew . Unterberger.
  11. Web site: Watch the New Video for Miley Cyrus' "Black Mirror" Song "On a Roll" . . Matthew . Strauss . June 13, 2019 . November 27, 2022.
  12. See Miley Cyrus Perform "On a Roll" and "Head Like a Hole" at Glastonbury . . June 30, 2019 . June 30, 2019 . Kreps, Daniel.
  13. Web site: On A Roll / Ashley O – TIDAL. Tidal. June 14, 2019.
  14. 15 July 2019 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20190716140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20190717-0000/Issue1532.pdf . The ARIA Report . Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) . 1532 . 4 . 16 July 2019 . 12 August 2019.
  15. Web site: Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 28. nedēļa. lv. LAIPA. November 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191010115014/https://www.parmuziku.lv/muzikas-zinas/latvija/muzikas-paterina-tops-28-nedela-8046. October 10, 2019.
  16. Web site: Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100). lt. AGATA. July 12, 2019. December 3, 2019.
  17. Web site: NZ Hot Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. June 24, 2019. June 21, 2019.
  18. Top 100 Songs. Rolling Stone. June 27, 2019. July 3, 2019.