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And Just Like That, Billy Ray Cyrus is Cool Again
Some will debate if that finally makes Old Town Road “country” enough. But who cares? What a fun story.
“If you wait by the river long enough,” the old Chinese proverb goes, “eventually the bodies of your enemies will float by.”
Wonder what the proverb for living long enough for Billy Ray Cyrus to be cool again is?
I was my daughter’s age when “Achy Breaky Heart” was the biggest thing going, inspiring line dancing, pop-accessible country, and an appreciation for a Hall of Fame-level mullet.
I was the same age a few months later when the craze died down, and the burn-out level on the Achy Breaky craze reached scorched Earth status.
Like sands through the hourglass, time moved on and so did Billy Ray. Most notable in the years from then till now is Cyrus being one half of the parties responsible for Miley Cyrus, and is known to the younger generation from his role as Robby Stewart on another pop culture success, Hannah Montana, during the mid-to-late 00’s.
More than once, Cyrus poked fun at his biggest hit on the show, and has done several winks and nods to it over the years. He also continued his own, if much lower key, music career of recording and touring. A whole…