Achy Breaky Heart
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| "Achy Breaky Heart" | ||||||||
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| Single by Billy Ray Cyrus | ||||||||
| from the album Some Gave All | ||||||||
| B-side | "I'm So Miserable" | |||||||
| Released | April 14, 1992 (CS) September 29, 1992 (CD) |
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| Format | Cassette CD single 7" single |
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| Genre | Country | |||||||
| Length | 3:23 | |||||||
| Label | Mercury | |||||||
| Writer(s) | Don Von Tress | |||||||
| Producer | Joe Scaife, Jim Cotton | |||||||
| Certification | Platinum (RIAA) | |||||||
| Billy Ray Cyrus singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Achy Breaky Heart" is a hit country music song written by Don Von Tress. Originally titled "Don't Tell My Heart," it was recorded by the The Marcy Brothers on their 1991 self-titled second album but was not released as a single. The name was later changed to "Achy Breaky Heart" and was recorded by Billy Ray Cyrus on his 1992 CD Some Gave All. As Cyrus' debut single and signature song, it made him famous and has been his most successful song. The song became a crossover hit on pop and country radio, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. After being featured on Top of the Pops, the single peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart.
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[edit] History
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".[1] It was then recorded by The Marcy Brothers in 1991 under the title "Don't Tell My Heart",[2] and finally by Billy Ray Cyrus on his debut album Some Gave All in 1992.
The music video for the song was filmed during a concert at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Kentucky. It was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993, but lost both awards to Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven."
[edit] Alvin and the Chipmunks version
The Chipmunks covered the song in 1992 on Chipmunks in Low Places. This version reached number 71 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming their first chart entry on any Billboard chart in 42 years.
[edit] Parodies
"Weird Al" Yankovic wrote a parody called "Achy Breaky Song." The lyrics describe Yankovic's annoyance with "Achy Breaky Heart," where he states he would rather be tied to a chair and kicked down a set of stairs than listen to it. This parody appears on his album Alapalooza. Run C&W also parodied the song as "Itchy Twitchy Spot" on their debut album Into the Twangy-First Century.
In the Hannah Montana episode "The Way We Almost Weren't," Billy Ray Cyrus's 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."[3]
[edit] Critical reception
- Also reached #2 on VH1's 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs, and on Blender magazine's 50 Worst Songs Ever. [4]
- In 2002, Shelly Fabian from About.com ranked the song #249 on the list of the Top 500 Country Music Songs.[5]
[edit] Track listings
[edit] Billy Ray Cyrus version
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[edit] Alvin and The Chipmunks version
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[edit] Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
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| U.S.[6] | Platinum | July 7, 1992 | 1,000,000 |
[edit] Charts
[edit] Billy Ray Cyrus version
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| Preceded by "Some Girls Do" by Sawyer Brown |
Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks number-one single May 30-June 27, 1992 |
Succeeded by "I Saw the Light" by Wynonna Judd |
| Preceded by "Take It Like a Man" by Michelle Wright |
RPM Country Tracks number one single June 27-July 11, 1992 |
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| Preceded by "The Thunder Rolls" by Garth Brooks |
RPM Country Tracks number-one single of the year 1992 |
Succeeded by "In the Heart of a Woman" by Billy Ray Cyrus |
| Preceded by "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown |
Australian ARIA number-one single October 3-November 14, 1992 |
Succeeded by "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men |
[edit] Alvin and the Chipmunks version
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
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| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 71 |
[edit] References
- ^ The Ones That Got Away. Country Weekly. 2009-04-06.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "The Marcy Brothers - Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wjfpxqw5ldhe. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ "The Way We Almost Weren't". Hannah Montana. May 4, 2008. No. 23, season 2.
- ^ Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever! from Blender.com (Retrieved May 4, 2008)
- ^ Fabian, Shelly (2002). "Top 500 Country Music Songs". About.com. http://countrymusic.about.com/library/top500/ptop500.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved July 25, 2008)
- ^ a b c d e "Achy Breaky Heart," in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved December 22, 2007)
- ^ Irish Singles Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved December 22, 2007)
- ^ "Achy Breaky Heart," UK Singles Chart Songfacts.com (Retrieved January 2, 2008)
- ^ a b c Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved August 28, 2008)
- ^ 1992 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved July 25, 2008)
- ^ "Billboard Year-End listing for "Achy Breaky Heart"". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=414&cfgn=Year-end+Singles&cfn=Hot+Country+Songs&ci=3068464&cdi=8707063&cid=12%2F31%2F1992. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
- ^ "Billboard Year End listing for "Achy Breaky Heart"". Billboard. 1992-12-31. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=411&cfgn=Year-end+Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3077253&cdi=9015990&cid=12%2F31%2F1992. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
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