Achy Breaky Heart at 30
In March 1992 one of the most popular and polarizing songs in country music, “Achy Breaky Heart” was released.
The catchy country ditty catapulted unknown singer, 30-year-old Billy Ray Cyrus into stardom after years of struggling to make it in Nashville.
Prior to the release of “Achy Breaky Heart” and his debut album Some Gave All, Cyrus was living out of his Chevy Beretta. Everything changed when a producer played him a version of “Achy Breaky Heart.”
According to Cyrus before the chorus was over he stood up and said, ‘That’s me, that is all my music that I was raised on … that’s feel good music.’
You might not know Cyrus’s version of “Achy Breaky Heart” was actually a cover. Struggling songwriter Don Von Tress wrote the song which was first recorded in 1991 by The Marcy Brothers under a different title: “Don’t Tell My Heart.”
Whether it was Cyrus’ tight jeans, long mullet or dance moves, his version became a massive global hit, dominating both the country and pop charts.
It hit number one on the Billboard country charts the week of May 30th, 1992, and remained there for five weeks.
On the back of the single, the landmark album, Some Gave All, sold more than 9 million copies in the United States and spent 17 weeks atop Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.
“Achy Breaky Heart” also sparked the 90s line dancing craze with line dancing bars and clubs popping up just about everywhere and the steps to “Achy Breaky Heart’s” accompanying line dance were added to gym curriculum in schools around the country.
But not everyone was a fan of the song which was played ad nauseam on radio stations.
Outlaw country legend Waylon Jennings raised an eyebrow at Cyrus’ hip-swiveling dance steps that accompanied the song when he said, ‘I think the boy’s tennis shoes may be a little too tight,'
Then country superstar Travis Tritt called the song ‘frivolous’ and warned it was a sign that country music was going in the wrong direction by being turned into ‘an ass-wiggling contest.’
Cyrus responded at the 1993 American Music Awards by saying, ‘To those people who don’t like “Achy Breaky Heart,” here’s a quarter, call someone who cares,’ alluding to Tritt’s own 1991 hit.
Either way after the success of his debut album, Cyrus began making TV guest appearances and made the jump to feature films a few years later.
Then in 2006, he of course helped launch the Disney Channel original series Hannah Montana, starring his then-unknown daughter, Miley, in the title role.
Today, “Achy Breaky Heart” is remembered as a 90s touchstone. It has been translated into more than 100 languages and covered by a diverse range of artists including Alvin and the Chipmunks, South African singer Ray Dylan and Swedish star Kikki Danielsson.
In 2014, Cyrus laid down a remake of the song, “Achy Breaky 2,” with rapper Buck 22 and in 2017 on the song’s 25th anniversary Cyrus released a Muscle Shoals-influenced version and a multi-lingual version with Mexican quintet Caballo Dorado.
In 2020 Cyrus was once again topping charts and even won two Grammys after he partnered with Lil Nas X on “Old Town Road.”