It's downright to bizarre to consider that in a year when Garth Brooks plotted a Dive Bar Tour and Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire released fantastic albums, no late 20th century country star grabbed more headlines than Billy Ray Cyrus.
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Most of that attention came from Cyrus' involvement with Lil Nas X's hit of the summer, "Old Town Road." Last week, Cyrus nabbed more dubious headlines when "Chevys and Fords," his new single featuring fellow country music artist Johnny McGuire, was widely ignored by country radio.
As for why the new song failed to make it out of the garage, Cyrus told Rolling Stone Country that it's too country for commercial airwaves.
"It was awfully quiet. Nobody wanted to talk. Finally somebody spoke up, and I said, 'How many adds did we have?'," says Cyrus. "The natural response was, 'What are they saying?' One of the [radio] consultants said they deemed it 'too country for the format right now.' Can you imagine?"
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Cyrus' frustration is understandable, as country radio didn't want "Old Town Road" despite years of so-called "bro-country" artists masquerading as rappers, and now the same format turns away an undeniably country song at a time when Miranda Lambert, Midland, Jon Pardi and others have reintroduced steel guitar and vocal twang to the format.
McGuire, formerly of country duo Walker McGuire, and Cyrus co-wrote the song with Jordan Walker and proven country hit-makers Rodney Clawson and Ben Hayslip.
"Chevys and Fords" Lyrics:
Stole my first whiskey kiss on the back of one
Heard my first country song through the dash of one
Made million's of memories between those two doors
Yeah I come from a long line of Chevys and Fords
Lots of beer cans and dolls broads abroad in the back
And mom always wanted a Cadillac
But that was a few dollars more, than what we could afford
So I come from a long line of Chevys and Fords
They were red, white and rusty
All bented up and dusty
They were sitting in that church parking lot
Every Sunday
Out in front of the bars you're parked under the stars
With a girl in your arms who don't want nothin' more
Than a guy from a long line of Chevys and Fords
After the Friday night lights were done
We'd pick up our girls and go ridin' on
We'd circle 'em up in a field of cut corn
'Cause we come from a long line of Chevys and Fords
They were red, white and rusty
All bented up and dusty
They were sitting in that church parking lot
Every Sunday
Out in front of the bars you're parked under the stars
With a girl in your arms who don't want nothin' more
Than a guy from a long line of Chevys and Fords
When they broke down we'd cuss 'em and kick em' sum
Then we'd haul them back home and we'd fix 'em up
Drive to town and grab another sixpack from the store
Yeah I come from a long line of
Red, white and rusty
All bented up and dusty
They were sitting in that church parking lot
Every Sunday
Out in front of the bars you're under the stars
With a girl in your arms who don't want nothin' more
Than a guy from a long line of Chevys and Fords
And on the day that I get called back home to the Lord
I bet there's a long line of Chevys and Fords
That's right
Chevys and Fords yeah
Thank you Lord for my Chevy and Ford
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