Back to Tennessee (song)
"Back to Tennessee" | ||||
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Single by Billy Ray Cyrus | ||||
from the album Back to Tennessee | ||||
Released | February 2, 2009[1] | |||
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 released as the second single from Cyrus' eleventh studio album of the same name on February 2, 2009 by Lyric Street Records. Cyrus drafted the song after learning that Hannah Montana: The Movie, a film he would star in, would be set in Tennessee. The song, developed with the aid of co-songwriters Tamara Dunn and Matthew Wilder, includes country rock elements while describing Cyrus' longing to return to the South, where he grew up, after spending several years in Los Angeles. "Back to Tennessee" was featured in both Hannah Montana: The Movie and its soundtrack.
"Back to Tennessee" was well received by critics, though some felt it took the album's message too literally. It was a moderate commercial achievement for Cyrus and charted within the top fifty of the Billboard magazine chart Hot Country Songs. The song's music video was directed by Declan Whitebloom and features scenes of Cyrus at a beach inter cut with clips of Hannah Montana: The Movie. The song was performed in several venues.
Development
Cyrus moved to
Cyrus first read the script for Hannah Montana: The Movie while in Malibu in early 2008. The film's plot features the Stewarts leaving Hollywood for a summer and returning to Tennessee, their home state, to reconnect with their southern roots.[3] Having grown up in Kentucky, Cyrus was excited to learn the film would be set in the country and fought for it to be filmed on location. "They were gonna film it in a different state [but] I just knew that Tennessee had all the facilities, the man power, and the ability to make this film great," said Cyrus.[3] In addition, Cyrus believed that "in real life, Miley and [he] needed to come back home", saying, "It was important for us to come back to where we are from and remember who we are."[3] Once filming in Tennessee was settled, Cyrus was "overcome with a very positive emotion of coming back home" and wrote "Back to Tennessee" with the aid of songwriters Tamara Dunn and Matthew Wilder.[3]
Cyrus recorded "Back to Tennessee" for the film Hannah Montana: The Movie, in which his character performs the song at a fundraiser to save the meadows near his hometown from development.[4] Cyrus says the song is "part of the cornerstone" of the film because it reflects the film's theme of escaping the fast-paced, glitzy world of Hollywood in search of a simpler country lifestyle.[5] Cyrus commented,
"It's about remembering, you know, where you come from. It's always important to be aware of where you're at and always be looking to where you wanna go, but most importantly don't forget where you come from. That's 'Back to Tennessee' is all about [...] With me, I always try to keep it real with the music, you know. Line by line you listen to the song and you know that I'm walking the walk and talking the talk. It's what this song's all about. It definitely comes from the heart."[3]
Composition
"Back to Tennessee" is one of the more
Cyrus said of the lyrics, "If you download "Back to Tennessee" and listen to the whole song, you'll hear exactly how I felt after four years of Hannah Montana, and living in Los Angeles and giving up my previous life and existence and who I am and where I come from. You'll hear a guy who's immersed in music, and my love and desire and need to go back home."[5] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times interpreted the song as an apology "both to [Cyrus's] teenage self and, by extension, to the daughter under his wing."[8] Both Caramanica and Alison Stewart of The Washington Post took interest in the lines, "Great big town/So full of users".[8][9] Caramanica said the line recognized that "fame is illusory" and "talk[ed] about some of his daughter’s famous friends", while Stewart interpreted the line as a description of Hollywood life in general.[8][9]
Critical reception
The song received generally positive reviews from critics. Shelly Fabian of
Chart performance
In the United States, "Back to Tennessee" failed to reach the
Chart (2009) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] | 47 |
Music video
The
"When I see the video for 'Back to Tennessee,' there's a lot of emotion there. It's a combination between the Hannah Montana movie and going back to the actual spot where I wrote the song. I wrote the song in Malibu, and we went back to Malibu to film the video. I had never done a video exactly where I wrote the song. Then we take my little blue truck from the movie and travel back across the country. Again, it becomes a very articulate picture of what that song's about. It's everything a video is supposed to be."[19]
Cyrus's "little blue truck" is the blue 1990 Ford Ranger that he drove in the film, which was transported to California to be used in the video.[3] The video prominently features clips of Hannah Montana: The Movie, particularly the scene in which Cyrus performs "Back to Tennessee".[19] Cyrus's backup band in that performance includes part of Taylor Swift's band, Bucky Covington, and Marcel.[3] About the video as a whole, Cyrus said, "I hope when people, you know, watch the video. I hope that they can feel what this song is about. I hope they can relate to that in their life and their world."[3]
The video commences with the Hannah Montana: The Movie performance, in which Cyrus and his backup band perform atop a stage in a crowded barn. The video then switches to its principal setting, which features Cyrus on a beach at sunset. Cyrus is seen in a black T-shirt tossing rocks at the ocean and looking at a picture of a blond woman. The woman is portrayed by Melora Hardin, who plays Lorelai, Robby Ray's love interest in Hannah Montana: The Movie. As the video progresses, Cyrus is also seen with the blue Ford Ranger, 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, looking down, walking next to the seashore.
Live performances
Cyrus performed "Back to Tennessee" as part of the
References
- ^ About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the originalon February 14, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ Lavis, Slavo (2009-11-17). "Miley Cyrus' New Grown-Up Role". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ Viacom. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Hannah Montana The Movie Production Notes" (PDF). Walt Disney Pictures. VisualHollywood.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 23, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ a b Mervis, Scott (April 10, 2009). "Billy Ray Cyrus appeals to a whole new crowd". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the originalon April 12, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ^ Alfred Publishing. 3 August 2009. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Caramanica, Jon (March 13, 2009). "Street Swagger and Wistful Strains of High Lonesome". The New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ^ Washington Post Company. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ^ "Music Review: Cyrus falters by following trends". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. April 6, 2009. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (December 16, 2009). "Academy unveils original song candidates". The Hollywood Reporter. Trade Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ Anderson, Kyle (February 2, 2010). "Oscar Nominations: The Tragedy Of The Best Original Song Category". MTV News. MTV. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ Bronson, Fred (March 5, 2009). "Chart Beat: Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Swift". Billboard. Nielsen Media Research. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Billy Ray Cyrus Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Media Research. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Billy Ray Cyrus > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Billy Ray Cyrus Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- Viacom. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ CMT News(Interview). Interviewed by Craig Shelburne. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Back to Tennessee (Sessions)". AOL. Time Warner, Inc. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ a b "iTunes: Live from London". iTunes Store United Kingdom. Apple Inc. Retrieved December 1, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Cyrus, Billy Ray (April 13, 2009). "Billy Ray Cyrus on 'Hannity'" (Interview). Interviewed by Fox News. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
External links
- The official website of Billy Ray Cyrus
- The official website of Hannah Montana: The Movie
- "Back to Tennessee" music video on CMT