Format 7"CDcassette Length 3:23 | Recorded January 1992 Label PolyGramMercury | |
Released March 23, 1992 (1992-03-23) Genre Country popcountry rock | ||
"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. As 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 and also 1992's best-selling single in the same country. 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. 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. 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."
Contents
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". 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 possesses 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. In 2002, Shelly Fabian from About.com ranked the song number 249 on the list of the Top 500 Country Music Songs. In 2007, the song was ranked at number 87 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s.
Despite its initally critical reviews, the song has become a cult classic and Billy Ray Cyrus has announced that he will be making a sequel to the infamous song
Parodies
In the Hannah Montana episode "The Way We Almost Weren't", Billy Ray Cyrus' character Robby Stewart is seen in a fictional setting 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."
Celtic fans used the tune of the song to pay tribute to winger Paddy McCourt, a trend continued by various teams, for instance Southampton for defender Virgil van Dijk, Newcastle United fans for midfielder Yohan Cabaye,West Ham United fans towards attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet and Leicester City fans for winger Anthony Knockaert.