Wanna Be Your Joe
Encyclopedia
Wanna Be Your Joe is the ninth studio album released from country music
artist Billy Ray Cyrus
. Released on July 17, 2006 on New Door Records and UMe
, it was Cyrus' first country album since 2000's Southern Rain
. It is also his first album of non-gospel music in three years. From Billy Ray's exposure on Hannah Montana
, the album debuted and peaked at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard
Top Country Albums chart, number 113 on the Billboard 200
and number 118 on the Billboard
Top Comprehensive Albums. The album sold well, but no hit single was released. The title track and "I Want My Mullet Back" were released as singles, but both failed to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs
chart.
, and a song with George Jones
and Loretta Lynn
. The song with Miley, "Stand", was made into a music video, but was not released as a single. "Country Music Has the Blues" is the song with Jones and Lynn; it was co-written with Cyrus' son, Trace Cyrus
, lead singer for the pop
group, Metro Station
.
On the track "The Freebird Fell", Cyrus co-wrote the song with Lynyrd Skynyrd
guitarist Ed King
and drummer Artimus Pyle
. Also, fellow country singer Mark Collie
contributes to the track "What About Us"; co-written with Cyrus and Terry Shelton.
Also, the album has two hidden tracks. The song "Without You" was originally on Cyrus' 2000 album Southern Rain
, but was not released as a single. "One Night
" is the second hidden track. It was originally a UK Singles Chart
number-one single for Elvis Presley
in 1958.
The album debuted at number 113 on the Billboard 200
, number 118 on the Top Comprehensive Albums and number 24 on the Top Country Albums chart, where it stayed at the peak position for two consecutive weeks. Although the title track was released on June 6, 2006, it failed to chart on the country music charts. A second single, "I Want My Mullet Back," was released later in 2006, but it also failed to chart. Cyrus left New Door Records by the end of 2006 and signed with Walt Disney Records
, due to the lackluster success of the album and its singles.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
. Released on July 17, 2006 on New Door Records and UMe
Universal Music Enterprises
Universal Music Enterprises, a.k.a. UMe is the catalogue division of Universal Music Group. It includes Hip-O Records, Universal Chronicles and UM3 ....
, it was Cyrus' first country album since 2000's Southern Rain
Southern Rain
Southern Rain is an album, released in 2000, by country music artist Billy Ray Cyrus. It was his first album for the Monument Records label. The album produced five singles on the Hot Country Songs charts, including the number 17 "You Won't Be Lonely Now"...
. It is also his first album of non-gospel music in three years. From Billy Ray's exposure on Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
, the album debuted and peaked at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Country Albums chart, number 113 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and number 118 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Comprehensive Albums. The album sold well, but no hit single was released. The title track and "I Want My Mullet Back" were released as singles, but both failed to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart.
Content
The album features colloborations with Cyrus' daughter, Miley CyrusMiley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
, and a song with George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
and Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
. The song with Miley, "Stand", was made into a music video, but was not released as a single. "Country Music Has the Blues" is the song with Jones and Lynn; it was co-written with Cyrus' son, Trace Cyrus
Trace Cyrus
Trace Dempsey Cyrus is an American musician. He was the former guitarist, songwriter and vocalist of Metro Station before the band broke up. Currently, he is the owner of a clothing company called From Backseats to Bedrooms. Cyrus is the adopted son of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus...
, lead singer for the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group, Metro Station
Metro Station (band)
Metro Station is an American pop rock band that formed in Los Angeles by Mason Musso and Trace Cyrus. In late 2006, the band signed a recording contract with Columbia/Red Ink. They are best known for their Top 10 Billboard hit single "Shake It" from their self-titled debut album...
.
On the track "The Freebird Fell", Cyrus co-wrote the song with Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
guitarist Ed King
Ed King
Edward C. King is an American musician. He is best known as the guitarist for psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd....
and drummer Artimus Pyle
Artimus Pyle
Thomas Delmer "Artimus" Pyle is an American musician best known for playing drums with Lynyrd Skynyrd, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.-Early life and career:...
. Also, fellow country singer Mark Collie
Mark Collie
George Mark Collie is an American country music artist and occasional actor. He has released eight albums, and has charted 16 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His highest peaking singles are "Even the Man in the Moon Is Cryin'" at #5, and "Born to Love You" at #6, from 1992 and...
contributes to the track "What About Us"; co-written with Cyrus and Terry Shelton.
Also, the album has two hidden tracks. The song "Without You" was originally on Cyrus' 2000 album Southern Rain
Southern Rain
Southern Rain is an album, released in 2000, by country music artist Billy Ray Cyrus. It was his first album for the Monument Records label. The album produced five singles on the Hot Country Songs charts, including the number 17 "You Won't Be Lonely Now"...
, but was not released as a single. "One Night
One Night (song)
"One Night" is a song popularized by Elvis Presley. It was issued as a double A-side with "I Got Stung". The single reached number one twice on the UK Singles Chart. In the U.S., "One Night", reached number four on the pop singles chart and number ten on the R&B chart...
" is the second hidden track. It was originally a UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
number-one single for Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in 1958.
Reception
Allmusic gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5. Although they said the album had been labored over and revised.
On the one hand, there's a collection of romantic ballads — "Wanna Be Your Joe," "I Wouldn't Be Me," "What About Us," "I Wonder," "Lonely Wins," "How've Ya Been," and "Ole What's Her Name" — that run the gamut from sincere pledges of commitment to expressions of frustration and outright kiss-offs.
The album debuted at number 113 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, number 118 on the Top Comprehensive Albums and number 24 on the Top Country Albums chart, where it stayed at the peak position for two consecutive weeks. Although the title track was released on June 6, 2006, it failed to chart on the country music charts. A second single, "I Want My Mullet Back," was released later in 2006, but it also failed to chart. Cyrus left New Door Records by the end of 2006 and signed with Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records is a family music record label owned by the Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Records was formed in 1956 as Disneyland Records. Before that time, Disney recordings were licensed out to a variety of other labels such as . It was Walt Disney’s brother Roy O...
, due to the lackluster success of the album and its singles.
Track listing
Album
The album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in 2006, number 113 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart and number 118 on the all-genre Billboard Top Comprehensive Albums chart, even after failing to release a hit single to county radio.| Charts (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 113 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Comprehensive Albums | 118 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 24 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
||
| 2006 | "Wanna Be Your Joe" | — |
| "I Want My Mullet Back" | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||