Billy Ray Cyrus, Achy Breaky Heart | The Flops

In the sixth edition of The Flops (2026), we examine the questionable “Achy Breaky Heart” famously covered by Billy Ray Cyrus. 

Like damn, bruh! Sis! C’mon! You thought it was bound to hit, but instead it was total shit – nothing but dookie 💩!  The songs that appear in The Flops didn’t hit, or at least many perceive them as underperforming or underwhelming for a given artist.  Flops are even more detrimental when the artist is considered a superstar and rarely misses the mark. Flops can even be successful, even if the quality sucked. Or maybe they’re not-so-bad, but they bombed on the charts.  Regardless, this is the column to highlight abject failure. In the sixth edition of The Flops (2026), we examine the questionable “Achy Breaky Heart” recorded by Billy Ray Cyrus.

And let the cringe begin! Before the massive success of “Old Town Road”, Billy Ray Cyrus was essentially a one-hit-wonder.  The song he’s both renowned and infamous for is “Achy Breaky Heart”.  “Achy Breaky Heart” was a BIG DEAL – “Big shit poppin’” fo’ sho’! It reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100.  The Recording Industry Association of America certified the single platinum. So, it’s no flop in regards to its commercial success. Also, playing devil’s advocate, the second track from Cyrus’ Some Gave All album is a cover… Don Von Tross composed it.  The Marcy Brothers originally recorded it as “Don’t Tell My Heart”. But the most renowned version, the ‘flop’ we love to hate, arrived courtesy of Billy Ray Cyrus.

“Achy Breaky Heart” is OBNOXIOUS from the start, PERIODT. It begins with the arrangement and production. Those guitars are relentless – over the top! Oh, and what about those honky tonk keys? Geez Louise, they’re pronounced! A true rhythmic machine rarely takes a break throughout this far-overplayed country cover. Notably, there is an instrumental break before the final chorus where those keys really turn up that honky tonk shee-it! But it’s not only the instrumental that grates on the ears. Billy Ray Cyrus deserves plenty of credit, too. Early on, Ol’ boy is countrified to the nth degree – that’s an understatement. He’s locked in with a heaping dose of twang and those annoyingly infectious melodies. Then he throws in some ad-libs, some “oohs” that further make you roll your eyes or throw a smirking emoji 😏 his way. But, folks, it’s the lyrics that most take the cake. It begins with the centerpiece, the chorus, that most of us would love to erase from our brains:

“But don’t tell my heart, my achy breaky heart

I just don’t think he’d understand

And if you tell my heart, my achy breaky heart

He might blow up and kill this man, ooh.”

Beyond the chorus, the verses yield irritation as well.  “You can tell my arms go back to the farm / You can tell my feet to hit the floor,” he sings in the first verse, and continues, “Or you can tell my lips to tell my fingertips / They won’t be reaching out for you no more.” Can you say C-R-I-N-G-E?!  At the end of the second verse, he asserts, “Or you can tell my eyes to watch out for my mind / It might be walking out on me today.” Word. In fairness, I have no doubt there are many folks, particularly country fans, who appreciate and enjoy “Achy Breaky Heart” – it was a country song that was a big-time pop hit. But, like me, others and critics find it hard to deny how annoying this song is. No offense, Billy Ray Cyrus!

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Billy Ray Cyrus » Some Gave All » Mercury Records » 1992

Billy Ray Cyrus, Achy Breaky Heart: The Flops No. 6 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Mercury Records; Will Oliveira from Pexels; Gordon Johnson, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

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