Miley Cyrus And Adam Sandler Deliver A Stirring Cover Of ‘No Freedom’ In Response To The Las Vegas’ Shootings

The plan for The Tonight Show on Monday was an entertaining start to Miley Cyrus’ week-long stay on the show. Instead, the host and his guest were forced to open the show on a somber note due to the horrendous tragedy in Las Vegas. The death of 59 concertgoers in Vegas is the latest in a string of mass shootings over the past decade and the latest attack targeting music, making the choice to open with a song incredibly meaningful compared to another statement condemning the attacks or criticizing the lack of action from those in Washington.

While Jimmy Kimmel brought emotion and truth to his comments on the attack, Fallon stands aside to let Cyrus and guest Adam Sandler take the stage with a cover of Dido’s “No Freedom.” The song makes sense for the moment, not due to its intended concept but more due to what it has meant to people according to an interview with Dido in BBC News:

But apparently the singer frequently gets “letters from people who are in the middle of a war” telling her they’ve been listening to her music.

She’s touched, if somewhat confused, by the response…

Dido’s latest single, No Freedom, is one song that’s affected people on the frontline. Although it’s a painful story of heartbreak, the refrain: “No freedom without love”, has been adopted by rebel groups in Syria.

“There’s even videos now from Syria,” she marvels. “It’s pretty amazing, I certainly wasn’t writing about that.

“But when you write an intensely personal lyric, the thing that often surprises you is that it’s about most things for other people.”

All of it leads to a rare serious moment for Adam Sandler on national television and a touching way for the show to honor those that were lost in the attack and other attacks over the past years. The response from late night has certainly been strong, but now it will be the moment to see if it resonates elsewhere in the days to come.

(Via The Tonight Show)