COUNTRY II: How was “Achy Breaky Heart”...

COUNTRY II: How was “Achy Breaky Heart” able to do what Brooks couldn’t with such country blockbusters as “Friends in Low Places” or Clint Black couldn’t with “Put Yourself in My Shoes”?

Industry observers say that the record benefited from good timing and shrewd marketing.

“I’d take my hat off to Mercury if I wore one,” says Ken Barnes, senior vice president and editor of the trade publication Radio & Records.

When Mercury launched the single on Valentine’s Day, it did so with a splash. Choreographer Melody Greenwood was hired to create a dance to go with the song. The dance, incorporating some of the ruggedly handsome singer’s sexy stage moves, was featured in a video that was widely played on cable’s Nashville Network and Country Music Television, and dance contests were held in 26 major country music clubs around the nation.

Suddenly, the “Achy Breaky Dance” was the biggest thing to hit the country nightclubs since bucking bull machines.

When country fans hear something they like, they usually buy the album--but Cyrus’ debut album, “Some Gave All,” wasn’t released until May 19, so the fans had to buy the single. And when pop programmers saw the record zip up the charts, they had to start thinking about the implications for their formats.

Here’s something else that should interest the pop programmers. Cyrus’ album leaped onto the Billboard charts this week at No. 4.