On a Roll


"On a Roll" is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus, performed under the moniker "Ashley O", her 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 originally aired on June 5, 2019, and the song was later distributed as a 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 airing. The song was ranked 28th on the 100 Best Songs of 2019 list by Billboard. The song was not released to radio in the US.

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 Dylan Cooper and production trio The Invisible Men. 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. The song is written in the key of B-flat Major in common time with a tempo of 122 beats per minute. 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.

Music video

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

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.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.