Back to Tennessee (song) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "Back to Tennessee" |
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| Song by Billy Ray Cyrus | ||||
| from the album Back to Tennessee | ||||
| Released | February 2, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Country rock | |||
| Length | 4:12 | |||
| Label | Lyric Street | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Ray Cyrus, Tamara Dunn, Matthew Wilder | |||
| Producer(s) | Mark Bright | |||
| Billy Ray Cyrus singles chronology | ||||
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"Back to Tennessee" is a country rock song by American singer, songwriter, and actor Billy Ray Cyrus. It was released on February 2, 2009. This song was the second single from Cyrus' album, also called Back to Tennessee.
Billy Ray Cyrus wrote the song after he found out that Hannah Montana: The Movie, a film he was starring in, would be set in Tennessee. He worked with other songwriters, Tamara Dunn and Matthew Wilder, to create it. The song has a country rock sound. It talks about Cyrus' wish to go back to the South, where he grew up, after living in Los Angeles for many years. "Back to Tennessee" was used in both Hannah Montana: The Movie and its soundtrack.
Critics liked "Back to Tennessee." It was a fairly successful song for Cyrus. It reached the top fifty on the Billboard magazine chart called Hot Country Songs. The song's music video was directed by Declan Whitebloom. It shows scenes of Cyrus at a beach mixed with clips from Hannah Montana: The Movie. Billy Ray Cyrus also performed the song at several live shows.
About the Song
"Back to Tennessee" is one of the songs on the Back to Tennessee album that has more of a rock music sound. It has a steady beat, like many country rock songs.
Billy Ray Cyrus explained what the lyrics mean to him. He said that if you listen to the whole song, you will understand how he felt after four years of working on Hannah Montana. He was living in Los Angeles and felt like he had given up his old life and where he came from. He said the song shows his deep love for music and his strong desire to go back home.
Jon Caramanica from The New York Times thought the song was like an apology from Cyrus. It was an apology to his younger self and also to his daughter, Miley Cyrus. Both Caramanica and Alison Stewart from The Washington Post noticed the line, "Great big town/So full of users." Caramanica said this line showed that fame can be tricky and talked about some of his daughter’s famous friends. Stewart thought the line described what life in Hollywood is like in general.
Where It Charted
In the United States, "Back to Tennessee" did not make it onto the main singles chart, the Billboard Hot 100. However, it did well on the country music chart. On March 7, 2009, "Back to Tennessee" first appeared at number fifty-nine on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.
In the same week, "The Climb" by Cyrus' daughter, Miley Cyrus, debuted at number forty-eight. This was a special moment. It was the first time a father and daughter had separate songs on the country chart since Johnny Cash and Rosanne Cash did in 1990. "Back to Tennessee" reached its highest spot, number forty-seven, on the chart on April 25, 2009.
Music Video
The music video for "Back to Tennessee" was directed by Declan Whitebloom. It first aired on March 12, 2009, on CMT. Parts of the video were filmed in Malibu, California, which is where Cyrus wrote the song. Just like the song, the video shows Cyrus' strong wish to return home.
Cyrus explained his feelings about the video. He said it had a lot of emotion. It combined scenes from the Hannah Montana movie with going back to the exact place where he wrote the song. He had never filmed a video where he actually wrote the song before. He also mentioned using his "little blue truck" from the movie to travel across the country in the video. He felt it showed exactly what the song was about.
Cyrus's "little blue truck" is a blue 1990 Ford Ranger. He drove it in the movie, and it was brought to California for the video. The video often shows clips from Hannah Montana: The Movie. One important scene is where Cyrus performs "Back to Tennessee." His band in that performance included members of Taylor Swift's band, Bucky Covington, and Marcel. Cyrus hoped that when people watched the video, they would feel what the song is about and relate to it in their own lives.
The video starts with the Hannah Montana: The Movie performance. In this scene, Cyrus and his band play on a stage in a busy barn. Then, the video switches to its main setting, which shows Cyrus on a beach at sunset. He is wearing a black T-shirt and is seen throwing rocks into the ocean. He also looks at a picture of a blond woman. This woman is Melora Hardin, who plays Lorelai, Robby Ray's love interest in Hannah Montana: The Movie. As the video continues, Cyrus is also seen with the blue Ford Ranger. He is either driving it or leaning against it while playing an acoustic guitar. The video also includes clips of Lorelai, Robby Ray, Miley Stewart, and Miley Stewart's love interest, Travis Body. The video ends with Cyrus walking next to the seashore, looking down.
Live Performances
Billy Ray Cyrus performed "Back to Tennessee" as part of the AOL Sessions on April 13, 2009. He also performed the song and others at an Apple Store in London on April 24, 2009. This performance, along with some songs by Miley, was recorded. It was sold only by the United Kingdom iTunes Store as an extended play called iTunes Live from London. On August 1, 2009, Cyrus performed the song at the 2009 Hannity Freedom Concert. This concert supported the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund.
- Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Images for kids
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Cyrus was inspired by the simple Tennessee life to write the song.
