DAILY DIRT: That ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ debut may have been the most significant breakout hit of the ’90s

Daily Dirt for Monday, June 30, 2025

The popularity of Billy Ray Cyrus may have opened the door for numerous other crossover country stars … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,328 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Today we enter round two of our four-day pilgrimage.

We’re taking a look at the artists who enjoyed the best debut singles during a four-decade journey involving the period that covers the 1960s through the 1990s.

We’re looking at the 1990s today, and the most obvious observation is the impact of the modern country genre on “pop” music that decade, particularly the earlier years of that 10-year journey.

Only in the “group” category do I not have a country song ranked No. 1. The Spice Girls earned that honor with their 15 minutes of fame via “Wannabe”. (“I’ll tell a what I want, what I really, really want …”)My absolute favorite part of the 1990s was the emergence of Billy Ray Cyrus, starting with his 1992 classic “Achy Breaky Heart”.

I think too many dismiss his impact during those early and mid-years of the 1990s. Take a look at the string of his hits, many of which received airplay on mainstream outlets.

Do you remember:

• “Achy Breaky Heart” (1992)
• “Could’ve Been Me” (1992)
• “She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore” (1993)
• “In The Heart of a Woman” (1993)
• “Somebody New” (1993)
• “Words by Heart” (1994)

The man was on a serious roll, triggered by that “Achy Breaky Heart” breakout hit. Other country stars enjoyed crossover success with strong debuts, singers like Trisha Yearwood, Toby Keith, Brooks and Dunn, Lonestar and the (Dixie) Chicks.The one true pop star to emerge early in the decade was Britney Spears. At this point in time, the pop side of music coin was preparing for a takeover from the fast-rising rap genre. But that’s another story for another day.

Here’s our best debut singles from the 1990s:

1990s

Male

• Gold medal: “Achy Breaky Heart,” Billy Ray Cyrus (1992). In the early ’90s, modern country and pop became intertwined, as shown by these three medal-worthy efforts.
• Silver medal: “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” Toby Keith (1993).
• Bronze medal: “Brand New Man,” Brooks and Dunn (1991).

Female

• Gold medal: “She’s In Love With The Boy,” Trisha Yearwood (1991). Female country singers also impacted the pop sound in the early 1990s.
• Silver medal: “Baby One More Time,” Britney Spears (1998).
• Bronze medal: “Vision Of Love,” Mariah Carey (1990)

Groups

• Gold medal: “Wannabe,” Spice Girls (1996).
• Silver medal: “Tequila Talkin’,” Lonestar (1995).
• Bronze medal: “I Can Love You Better,” Chicks (1997).

Next: We’ll go back in time for the best debuts in the 1970s.

2. Did you know (Part 411)

• That more than $700 million worth of aluminum cans are thrown out by Americans each year.
• That the first rap song to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song was Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”
• That the Titanic wreckage was discovered during a top-secret mission to search for a sunken nuclear submarine.
• That the Apollo missions have left 96 bags of human excrement on the moon.
• That in Singapore, when you turn 21 you are automatically registered as an organ donor.

3. Chew on this, baseball fans:

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his historic debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

On April 15, 1954, Hank Aaron debuted for the Milwaukee Braves and got his first MLB hit. Before his debut and long afterward, Aaron always emphasized if not for what Robinson went through he would have never played in the major leagues.

Nowadays, every April 15 is recognized as Jackie Robinson Day across MLB. Every player on every team wears Robinson’s former No. 42, which is permanently retired. It has been that way since 2004.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Speaking of Hank Aaron, if you subtracted all 755 of his career home runs he would STILL have more than 3,000 base hits.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He was jealous of Billy Ray’s mullet.