Back to Tennessee cover art

  Studio Album · No. 11

Back to Tennessee Songwriting Credits by Billy Ray Cyrus

2009 Lyric Street Records 12 tracks 44 min

Produced by Mark Bright, Glen Ballard, Alan Silvestri

Lyric Street Records CountryCountry Pop
17%
Authorship
Singer / Performer

Holds writing credit on 2 of 12 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 2 / 12 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Billy Ray Cyrus carries a lyricist or composer credit.

17%
2 trackswritten by Billy Ray Cyrus 10 tracksoutside writers
Billy Ray Cyrus's roles on this album

Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist17%
Composer17%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

12
Tracks
26
Lyricists
3
Producers
29,000
US Copies Sold
2009
Released
Data Insight

Back to Tennessee is largely an outside-written record. Mark Bright produced eleven tracks stocked with material from Nashville professional songwriters, and Billy Ray Cyrus's own name appears on only two of them: the title track, which he wrote with Tamara Dunn and Matthew Wilder, and 'Country as Country Can Be,' co-written with Casey Beathard and Mick Adkins. The rest comes from writers such as Neil Thrasher, Craig Wiseman, Rivers Rutherford, and Jeffrey Steele, plus a cover of Sheryl Crow and John Shanks's 'Real Gone.' The album's commercial hook was its Hannah Montana movie tie-in, capped by the bonus duet 'Butterfly Fly Away' with Miley Cyrus, written and produced by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri. So the authorship story is a country star fronting a team-written album with one big family crossover moment.

Back to Tennessee is the eleventh studio album by Billy Ray Cyrus, released on April 7, 2009 through Lyric Street Records. It arrived alongside Hannah Montana: The Movie, in which Cyrus starred, and the record leans on that crossover moment, closing with the bonus duet 'Butterfly Fly Away' sung with his daughter Miley Cyrus. Mark Bright produced the eleven country tracks, while the film-tied 'Butterfly Fly Away' was produced by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri. Cyrus co-wrote two songs, the title track and 'Country as Country Can Be,' with the rest drawn from Nashville songwriting teams. The album spun off three Hot Country Songs singles in 'Somebody Said a Prayer,' 'Back to Tennessee,' and 'A Good Day,' none of which reached the top thirty, and it sold modestly, moving about 29,000 US copies by late May 2009.

Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Back to Tennessee #47
Billy Ray CyrusTamara DunnMatthew Wilder Billy Ray CyrusTamara DunnMatthew Wilder Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
2
Thrillbilly
J.R. ShelbyMarty DodsonDanny Orton J.R. ShelbyMarty DodsonDanny Orton Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
3
He's Mine
Casey BeathardTim JamesPhil O'Donnell Casey BeathardTim JamesPhil O'Donnell Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
4
Somebody Said a Prayer #33
Neil ThrasherCraig Wiseman Neil ThrasherCraig Wiseman Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
5
A Good Day #59
Danny OrtonJennifer Schott Danny OrtonJennifer Schott Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
6
I Could Be the One
Jay KnowlesThom McHugh Jay KnowlesThom McHugh Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
7
Like Nothing Else
Blair DalyTroy VergesBarry Dean Blair DalyTroy VergesBarry Dean Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
8
Country as Country Can Be
Billy Ray CyrusCasey BeathardMick Adkins Billy Ray CyrusCasey BeathardMick Adkins Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
9
Love Is the Lesson
Rivers RutherfordSteve McEwan Rivers RutherfordSteve McEwan Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
10
Give It to Somebody
Jeffrey SteeleTom Hambridge Jeffrey SteeleTom Hambridge Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
11
Real Gone
Sheryl CrowJohn Shanks Sheryl CrowJohn Shanks Mark Bright Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)
12
Butterfly Fly Away #56
Glen BallardAlan Silvestri Glen BallardAlan Silvestri Glen BallardAlan Silvestri Billy Ray Cyrus (Lead Vocals)Miley Cyrus (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 28 contributors

More from Billy Ray Cyrus

Frequently Asked Questions Back to Tennessee

When was Back to Tennessee released and on what label?
It came out on April 7, 2009 through Lyric Street Records, as Billy Ray Cyrus's eleventh studio album.
Did Billy Ray Cyrus write the songs on Back to Tennessee?
Mostly no. He co-wrote just two tracks, the title song 'Back to Tennessee' (with Tamara Dunn and Matthew Wilder) and 'Country as Country Can Be' (with Casey Beathard and Mick Adkins). The rest were written by Nashville songwriting teams.
Who produced the album?
Mark Bright produced the eleven main country tracks. The bonus duet 'Butterfly Fly Away' was produced by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri.
How is the album connected to Hannah Montana?
It was released alongside Hannah Montana: The Movie, in which Cyrus starred, and it closes with 'Butterfly Fly Away,' a duet with his daughter Miley Cyrus from the film.
What were the singles and how did they chart?
'Somebody Said a Prayer' peaked at No. 33, 'Back to Tennessee' at No. 47, and 'A Good Day' at No. 59 on Hot Country Songs. 'Butterfly Fly Away' reached No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Is there a cover song on the album?
Yes. 'Real Gone' was written by Sheryl Crow and John Shanks and originally appeared in the Pixar film Cars.
How well did Back to Tennessee sell?
It sold modestly, opening at roughly 14,000 US copies and reaching about 29,000 US copies by late May 2009.

Sources