Audacy's Run That Back series is a deep dive into some of music’s most popular or underrated projects. Whether it’s been 5 years or 50, there’s never a wrong time to "run that back."
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You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the world who doesn’t have a reaction to the words, “Achy Breaky Heart,” and it’s all thanks to Billy Ray Cyrus.
Cyrus’ mega, career-defining hit, “Achy-Breaky Heart” has literally been heard ‘round the world, and whether it’s considered a joke, the greatest Country song of all time or simply a reminder of line dancing days in the 90s, it’s a song everyone and their mullet-loving mother recognizes.
While Cyrus was the artist who turned the Don Von Tress-penned tune into a smash, he was not the first to record it. The song was first released by the Marcy Brothers in 1991 under the title, “Don’t Tell My Heart.” After an unsuccessful run, Cyrus put his musical twist on it and changed the title to “Achy Breaky Heart,” releasing it as his debut single and part of his album, Some Gave All, in March of ’92.
It took the song all of three months to reach #1 and that was just the beginning of all the accomplishments it would see. Securing a spot as a crossover success, the tune also was the first Country song to reach platinum status in nine years following Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ “Islands In the Stream.” Additionally, it made the charts as a top 30 hit in more than 10 countries and hit #1 in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada.
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While some may say Cyrus’ career essentially started and ended with “Achy Breaky Heart,” it wasn’t due to a lack of effort to create further hits with songs like, “Busy Man,” “It’s All The Same To Me,” “Back To Tennessee,” and “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” feat. Miley Cyrus. He even re-visited “Achy Breaky Heart” and re-recorded it with more of a Rock feel to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
After several attempts, Billy Ray struck gold again in 2019 when he joined Lil Nas X on a song that would grow into another crossover sensation titled, “Old Town Road.”
The success of “Old Town Road” was a familiar feeling to Cyrus, only 27 years later and with more growth in the music industry.
"To be honest, this song [‘Old Town Road’] felt to me like 'Achy Breaky Heart' felt like at a different time," Cyrus The Boot. " I feel like I’m pushing a Flintstone wheel, going back to 1992 when there were record stores and there were actual records and CDs.”
Lucky for fans, Billy Ray has made it easy to go back to those simpler, “Achy Breaky” times with the music video which features 90s fashion, a lot of line dancing, and of course that sexy mullet that is often imitated, but never replicated.
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