Country music is known as two chords and the truth. In the case of Billy Ray Cyrus‘ “Achy Breaky Heart”, it was two chords and a whole lot of fun.
The first time Cyrus heard the hip-shaking hit, he stood up and declared: “That’s me. I want that. I’ve got to have that. That’s everything. That’s all my music that I was raised on. That feels so good.”
There was nothing like Cyrus or “Achy Breaky Heart” on country radio in 1992. Cyrus had the tightest pants, the longest mullet, and dance moves reminiscent of Elvis Presley. Then came the mercilessly catchy song. The ditty catapulted the struggling singer from Flatwoods, Kentucky, to a pop culture fixture.
Thirty-three years and multiple albums and television series later, the singer-turned-actor owes his decades-long career to the same song and video that can be credited with the popularization of line dancing – Cyrus’ hip-shaking anthem “Achy Breaky Heart.”
Videos by American Songwriter
“Achy Breaky Heart” Worked Because the “Pop World Was Stupid”
“Country music capitalized on the fact [that] the pop world was stupid,” country music historian Bob Oermann told me. “The song is ridiculously catchy, and at that time … the rock and pop world … had forgotten that people loved to dance. It’s a dance song, and … country music stepped into a void.”
Country line-dancing clubs popped up in small towns. The steps to the song’s accompanying line dance were added to the physical education curriculum in schools around the country. Cyrus played himself in popular network sitcoms. And his rocketing popularity helped usher in the country music boom that dominated the SoundScan sales charts in the ’90s.
Don Von Tress wrote “Achy Breaky Heart” alone at Nashville’s Music Mill. He told NSAI’s Bart Herbison that he was the guy who just wanted to hear his song on the radio, so he kept trying. Russ Zavitson ran Harold Shedd’s publishing company, and Tress played a piece of the song for him. Zavitson encouraged him to keep writing – and not to bring in a co-writer.
Tress finished the song, made a demo, and the over-the-top reaction was immediate. Another act recorded “Achy Breaky Heart” first, but changed the hook. The song never took off.
Billy Ray Cyrus Was 30 Years Old and Ready To Quit
Billy Ray Cyrus was approaching his 30th birthday and, after a decade of making periodic runs to Nashville, was losing faith. He told me he was always one failure away from quitting music and getting “a real job.” There were no jobs back home in Flatwoods.
One Monday, Cyrus drove to Nashville one last time. He met with producer Harold Shedd the next day. And after a decade of rejections, he finally got his first “yes.” Shedd wanted to structure a deal for him. Then Jim Cotton and Joe Scaife took the song to Cyrus, who was already a successful regional act in the Kentucky area. When he heard it, he loved it.
Cyrus’ record label agreed to let him record the song, but they knew it wouldn’t be an easy sell at country radio. Sandy Neese, director of public relations at Mercury Records when Cyrus was signed, said his mullet was too long, and he was too shy. She couldn’t get anyone in the press to talk to him. Everyone at the record label had seen Billy Ray Cyrus play live and knew how women reacted to him. They developed a marketing plan around his “visuals.”
“We were going to turn on women all over the country and put a demand on country radio to play that song,” she told me.
Mercury Records sent the video to every country music club in the United States, then instituted a dance contest to win a trip to Nashville and be featured on television. When Mercury released “Achy Breaky Heart” to country radio, the song already had an audience, and it quickly became a 10-week No. 1 hit.
“Achy Breaky Heart” Is a Wedding Song in Mexico
More than three decades later, “Achy Breaky Heart” has been recorded in languages ranging from Japanese to Welsh, and a Spanish version of the song is among the most popular wedding songs in Mexico.
Cyrus’ celebrity hasn’t waned. Some people call him a one-hit wonder, but Cyrus has had multiple hits on an assortment of platforms. In addition to “Achy Breaky Heart,” his “Old Town Road” holds the worldwide record for the longest consecutive No. 1 song of all time. He has credit as an artist and a songwriter on “Old Town Road.” He helped launch daughter Miley Cyrus’ career on Hannah Montana, played a small-town doctor in the big city on Doc, and was an Elvis impersonator on Still the King.
He’s also still making music. Billy Ray Cyrus released a recent song, “Over the Rainbow”, featuring Micki Free and Buck 22 on June 27, 2025. All proceeds benefit the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, coinciding with Black Music Month and Pride Month. The singer’s son, Braison Cyrus, is producing his new album, which will feature an array of special guests and be available this fall.
Photo via the ‘Some Gave All’ Album Cover
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