This mullet-sporting country crooner was once one of the hottest faces in Nashville. Though kids today know him as Miley Cyrus' dad (and her co-star on Disney's Hannah Montana), Billy Ray Cyrus had an unforgettable presence in country music back in his day. Time flies, but Cyrus pretty much still looks the same, and his name still evokes '90s country radio nostalgia.
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Since he's popped back up on the scene with his hit, the "Old Town Road" remix with Lil Nas X (which pretty much immediately hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and won Grammy awards for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video), let's look back on some of his greatest songs to hit the country charts. Here are the ten best Billy Ray Cyrus songs.
10. "Busy Man"
In 1998, this song about priorities hit No. 3 on the charts. it's from his Shot Full of Love album.
9. "In the Heart of a Woman"
This single from Cyrus' second album It Won't Be the Last hit No. 3 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs chart in 1993.
8. "Burn Down the Trailer Park"
Cyrus namedrops everyone from Oprah to Maury Povich in this tongue-in-cheek tale of a heartbroken man bent on destruction.
7. "One Last Thrill"
This tune from Cyrus' 1994 album Storm in the Heartland is pure vintage Billy Ray.
6. "It's All the Same to Me"
Written by Kerry Kurt Phillips and Jerry Laseter, "It's All the Same to Me" hit the Top 20 on the country charts in 1997.
5. "Ready, Set, Don't Go"
His famous daughter Miley joins Billy Ray in this song about a father watching his little girl grow up.
4. "Could've Been Me"
This tune about the heartbreak of unrequited love hit No. 2 on the country charts in 1992.
3. "Old Town Road"
This Hot 100 hit and multi-Grammy winner put Billy Ray Cyrus back on the radar of youngsters from New York to Kentucky. It's his first single that's gotten mainstream love in a while, and it's well deserved.
2. "Some Gave All"
The country star honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice with the moving "Some Gave All" from his debut album of the same name.
1. "Achy Breaky Heart"
It's the song that put Billy Ray on the map. I think pretty much every American knows all the words by heart. This crossover hit broke the radios of the United States for half the '90s and made the phrase "achy breaky" part of the cultural lexicon forever.
Honorable mentions: "She's Not Cryin' Anymore," "Wanna Be Your Joe," "Back to Tennessee," "Southern Rain," "Deja Blue," "When I'm Gone," "Wher'm I Gonna Live?," "Trail of Tears," "Somebody New," a cover of "Harper Valley PTA," Bryan Adams team-up "Hey Elvis" and a duet with his daughter Miley, "Butterfly Fly Away"
This story previously ran on May 16, 2020. It was updated on Aug. 25, 2022.
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