A lighthearted take on heartbreak, made famous in the early ’90s as a country-pop crossover hit.
Original Artist: Billy Ray Cyrus
Genre: Country / Pop
Springsteen’s version is a live cover performed in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek style.
Date: March 23, 1993
Venue: Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, New Jersey
Event: A solo acoustic concert
Style: Springsteen performed the song in a stripped-down, playful acoustic version, likely as a humorous nod to the song’s pop culture ubiquity at the time.
This performance was part of an unofficial release titled Solo Acoustic (1993), which includes a variety of covers and rarities from that show.
Status: Unofficial.
The performance has not been officially released by Springsteen or Columbia Records. It circulates among fans via bootlegs and online recordings, such as on YouTube.
Even with a wink and a grin, Springsteen turns a novelty tune into a moment of charm – where even an achy, breaky heart gets its night on stage.
Achy Breaky Heart
You can tell the world you never was my girl
You can burn my clothes up when I’m gone
You can tell your friends just what a fool I’ve been
And laugh and joke about me on the phone
You can tell my arms go back to the farm
You can tell my feet to hit the floor
Or you can tell my lips to tell my fingertips
They won’t be reaching out for you no more
But don’t tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
I just don’t think he’d understand
And if you tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man
You can tell your ma I moved to Arkansas
You can tell your dog to bite my leg
Or tell your brother Cliff whose fist can tell my lip
He never really liked me anyway
Or tell your Aunt Louise, tell anything you please
Myself already knows I’m not O.K.
Or you can tell my eyes to watch out for my mind
It might be walking out on me today
But don’t tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
I just don’t think he’d understand
And if you tell my heart
My achy breaky heart
He might blow up and kill this man