Achy Breaky Heart

"Achy Breaky Heart"
Single by Billy Ray Cyrus
from the album Some Gave All
Released March 23, 1992 (1992-03-23)
Format
Recorded January 1992
Genre
Length 3:23
Label
Songwriter(s) Don Von Tress
Producer(s)
  • Joe Scaife
  • Jim Cotton
Billy Ray Cyrus singles chronology
"Achy Breaky Heart"
(1992)		 "Could've Been Me"
(1992)
Music video
"Achy Breaky Heart" at CMT.com

"Achy Breaky Heart" is a country song written by Don Von Tress. Originally titled "Don't Tell My Heart" and performed by The Marcy Brothers in 1991, its name was later changed to "Achy Breaky Heart" and performed by Billy Ray Cyrus on his 1992 album Some Gave All. The song is Cyrus' debut single and signature song, it made him famous and has been his most successful song. It became the first single ever to achieve triple Platinum status in Australia[1] and also 1992's best-selling single in the same country.[2][3] In the United States it became a crossover hit on pop and country radio, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the first country single to be certified Platinum since Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's "Islands in the Stream" in 1983.[4] The single topped in several countries, and after being featured on Top of the Pops in the United Kingdom, peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. It remains Cyrus's biggest hit single in the U.S. to date, and his only one to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Thanks to the video of this hit, there was the explosion of the line dance into the mainstream, becoming a craze.[5][6][7][8] The song is considered by some as one of the worst songs of all time, featuring at number two in VH1 and Blender's list of the "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever".[9] However it is recognized as a transitional period in country music where Cyrus brought renewed interest in a dying breed of music amongst younger listeners.

Background

Don Von Tress wrote the song in 1990.

The song was initially to be recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys in the early 1990s but the group decided against recording it after lead singer Duane Allen said that he did not like the words "achy breaky".[10] It was then recorded in 1991 under the title "Don't Tell My Heart" by The Marcy Brothers, although their version changed some lyrics.

Billy Ray Cyrus heard Von Tress's version of the song, and chose to include it on his debut album Some Gave All in 1992. It is written in the key of A major and has only two chords: A and E.

Critical reception

The song reached number 23 on CMT's 100 Greatest Videos in 2008, and number 2 on Blender magazine's 50 Worst Songs Ever.[9] In 2002, Shelly Fabian from About.com ranked the song number 249 on the list of the Top 500 Country Music Songs.[11] In 2007, the song was ranked at number 87 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s.[12] A review from Cash Box magazine was positive, stating that "The song is good, but it [sic] his performance that will keep you wired."[13]

Despite its initially critical reviews, the song has become a cult classic in which for his most recent album titled Set The Record Straight Cyrus recorded an updated version of the song. [14]

Parodies

In the Hannah Montana episode "The Way We Almost Weren't", Billy Ray Cyrus's character Robby Stewart is seen in a dream sequence writing "Achy Breaky Heart" in a New Mexico cafe in 1987. He tries the words "itchy twitchy heart" and "herky jerky heart" but is unsatisfied. Jackson suggests he use the words "achy breaky", but Robby blows it off as "the dumbest thing I've ever heard".[15] The series makes several different references to the song, for example: When Robby got a back injury in the Season 2 episode "I Want You, To Want Me To Go To Florida", as he got the injury, he exclaimed "My achy breaky back!". The two-part Season 2 episode "Achy Jakey Heart" also was named in reference to the song. Robby also mentions the song in the Season 1 Episode "Ooo, Ooo, Itchy Woman", when he chased a mouse into the piano and it started playing melodies, later asking the mouse: "Do you know Achy Breaky Heart?".

"Weird Al" Yankovic parodied it as "Achy Breaky Song" about a man's disdain for the song. Al considered the song "mean-spirited" and donated its proceeds to charity.[16]

In 2014, a rapper called Buck 22 released a hip-hop version of the song with Cyrus called "Achy Breaky 2",[17] in which Cyrus reprised his role for the chorus. While Cyrus does not explicitly say the song is a parody, the lyrics and accompanying video clearly make several references to daughter Miley's bad-girl image at the time, with Billy Ray noting in a Rolling Stone article that he "[hopes] that she got to read the one critic who wrote that the video made her performance at the VMAs look like Sesame Street".[18]

Other cover versions

  • Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song in 1992 on Chipmunks in Low Places. This version, which features speaking parts by Billy Ray himself, reached number 71 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming their first chart entry on any Billboard chart in 32 years. In Australia, this version peaked at number 61 in early 1993.[19]
  • Kikki Danielsson covered the song with lyrics in Swedish by Mikael Wendt and Christer Lundh, as "En allra sista chans" on her 1993 album Jag ska aldrig lämna dig.[20]
  • Caballo Dorado (Latin Grammy winners for Best Grupero Album in 2009) covered the song in 1999 with lyrics in Spanish, as "No Rompas Más (Mi pobre corazón)".[21] This version is commonly played and danced in many parties in Mexico, including birthday parties, graduation parties, wedding parties and Quince Años, along another song of the band titled Payaso de Rodeo (Rodeo Clown).[22]
  • The Kidsongs Kids covered the song in 1994 on their Country Sing-Along DVD. The lyric "He might blow up and kill this man" was changed to "I might break down and cry today" to make the song a little more kid friendly.

Track listings

Charts

Billy Ray Cyrus version

Sales and certifications

Country Certifications Certifications sales
Australia 3× Platinum[1] 210,000
United Kingdom Silver[46] 200,000
United States Platinum[47] 1,000,000

References

  1. 1 2 "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 31 Jan 1993 and 7 Feb 1993 (1–60)". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved August 30, 2017. N.B. The triangle symbol indicates platinum certification, with the number beside it indicating the level of platinum achieved. Both "Achy Breaky Heart" and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" were certified triple platinum during the same week.
  2. ↑ Hurst, Jack (1993-07-04). "Achy Breaky Start Bruised by the Critics, Billy Ray Cyrus is Coming Back For More". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  3. ↑ "ARIA Charts — End Of Year Charts — Top 50 Singles 1992". ARIA. Archived from the original on 28 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  4. ↑ Cyrus Goes Triple-Platinum; Brooks Breaks 8 million. Billboard. 1992-08-15. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  5. ↑ "Line dancing refuses to go out of style". Star-News. 1992-10-30. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  6. ↑ "Stepping to country fun". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City). 1993-04-17. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  7. ↑ "Cyrus sets off dance craze". The Daily Courier. 1994-07-25. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  8. ↑ "This time around, the country craze proves to have some staying power". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 1995-06-13. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  9. 1 2 "VH1 & Blender Magazine Present: 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs ... Ever". Archived at PR Newswire. VH1, Blender. 12 May 2004.
  10. ↑ "The Ones That Got Away". Country Weekly. 2009-04-06.
  11. ↑ Fabian, Shelly (2002). "Top 500 Country Music Songs". About.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
  12. ↑ "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". Music News — VH1 Music. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Feature Picks" (PDF). Cash Box: 19. March 28, 1992.
  14. ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2014/02/nothing-will-prepare-you-for-billy-ray-cyrus-achy-breaky-heart-sequel/
  15. ↑ "The Way We Almost Weren't". Hannah Montana. Season 2. Episode 23. May 4, 2008.
  16. ↑ Yankovic, Alfred M. (May 1999). ""Ask Al" Q&As for May, 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Archived from the original on 24 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  17. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGs_qK2PQA
  18. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-billy-ray-cyrus-on-how-mileys-advice-led-to-achy-breaky-2-20140214
  19. ↑ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 14 Feb 1993 (61–100)". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved August 30, 2017. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
  20. ↑ "Jag ska aldrig lämna dig — Svensk mediedatabas (SMDB)". Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  21. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/song/no-rompas-mi-coraz%C3%B3n-mt0010259044
  22. ↑ "Eduardo Gameros of pioneering Mexican country band Caballo Dorado". Digital Journal. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  23. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 05, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2004." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. July 25, 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2170." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. June 27, 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2022." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. July 25, 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Musicline.de – Cyrus,Billy Ray Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 31, 1992". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  32. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Billy Ray Cyrus" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  34. ↑ "Charts.nz – Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart". Top 40 Singles.
  35. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Billy Ray Cyrus Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Billy Ray Cyrus Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Billy Ray Cyrus Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  39. ↑ 1992 Australian Singles Chart aria.com Archived July 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved July 25, 2008)
  40. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1992". RPM. December 19, 1992. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  41. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1992". RPM. December 19, 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  42. ↑ The Official New Zealand Music Chart - NZ End Of Year Charts 1992
  43. ↑ "Billboard Year End listing for "Achy Breaky Heart"". Billboard. 1992-12-31. Archived from the original on 2009-07-20. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  44. ↑ "Best of 1992: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  45. ↑ "The Chipmunks Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  46. ↑ "BPI certification results". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
  47. ↑ "RIAA singles for "Achy Breaky Heart"". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
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