Is Billy Ray Cyrus’ ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ the Worst Country Song Ever?

Country music: what are we going to do with you? For every Dolly Parton masterpiece, we get a lot of mediocrity and a few songs as bad as Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart.” Of course, one could argue that “Achy Breaky Heart” is the worst country song of all time. Here’s a look at other country tracks that are in the running to be the worst of their genre.

Bill Ray Cyrus’ ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ is bad in every possible way

“Achy Breaky Heart” is abysmal before it even starts. The title alone is an abomination. It’s the sort of song title that should only appear on albums by The Wiggles or Rafi. The fact that this song was marketed toward teenagers and adults is downright insulting.

Of course, there are good songs with undignified titles. Few would have expected “I Am the Walrus” to be any good when they first read its name on the cover of a vinyl copy. However, “Achy Breaky Heart” makes its title even worse by taking it very literally. Cyrus sings about how his different body parts will explode if his lady leaves him. Was this supposed to be charming? It’s daft, strange, and gross. Eventually, Cyrus would redeem himself in the eyes of crossover audiences with “Old Town Road” but that would take decades.

1 country song that’s worse than ‘Achy Breaky Heart’

The real question here is whether or not “Achy Breaky Heart” is the worst country song. It’s definitely horrible. However, lousy country music can get so much worse than this. “Donkey” by Jerrod Niemann is far worse. It’s a song about going down to a honky tonk that uses donkey noises as a hook. I know that some country music fans work on farms, but does anyone want to hear barn animals take the mic?

“Donkey” is supposed to be cool and sexy. In it, Niemann wants to come across as a cowboy Cassanova. How someone could try to be hip while sounding like a demented reject from the Shrek 3 soundtrack is beyond me. “Donkey” truly is worse than “Achy Breaky Heart.”

Billy Ray Cyrus said the song represented him

“Achy Breaky Heart” was co-written by Don Von Tress and originally performed by The Marcy Brothers. During a 2019 interview with The Tennessean, Von Tress discussed The Marcy Brothers’ version. “You know, they did a good job, but the record didn’t really catch on,” he said. “It just didn’t get the magic. Meanwhile, Jim Cotton and Joe Scaife took it up to Kentucky, I believe, or West Virginia somewhere, and played it for Billy Ray Cyrus. This kid, who was already a regional star. Most people don’t know that. Billy heard the record and he said, ‘That’s me.'”

Journalist Bart Herbison affirmed Von Tress’ account. “That’s exactly his quote,” he recalled. “I’ve heard Billy say it a million times. ‘That’s me. That’s mine. That’s my song.’ I remember when the phenomenon hit. There were more people in the parking lot over here than a Titans game, wanting a glimpse of Billy, wanting to meet you. This place was electric.” Herbison said the whole era of music was a golden age.

“Achy Breaky Heart” is one of many reasons why the 1990s weren’t as great as people like to remember.