Could've Been Me

For the song by The Struts, see Could Have Been Me.

"Could've Been Me" is a song written by Reed Nielsen and Monty Powell, and performed by American country music artist Billy Ray Cyrus. It was released in July 1992 as the second single from his multi-platinum selling debut album, Some Gave All. The song reached number 2 on the U.S. Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, and it also reached number 1 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It was the follow-up to the number 1 song, "Achy Breaky Heart".

"Could've Been Me"
Single by Billy Ray Cyrus
from the album Some Gave All
B-side	"I'm So Miserable"
Released	July 22, 1992
Length	3:44
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Reed Nielsen, Monty Powell
Producer(s)	Joe Scaife, Jim Cotton
Billy Ray Cyrus singles chronology
"Achy Breaky Heart" (1992) "Could've Been Me" (1992) "Wher'm I Gonna Live?" (1992)

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it a "flair of Springsteen-ish style." She states to "look for the multiformat ball to keep on rolling."^[1]

Music video

The music video was directed by Marc Ball and produced by Kitty Moon, and premiered in mid-1992.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1992) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[2] 43 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[3] 40 Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[4] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[5] 72 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[6] 67 Germany (Official German Charts)^[7] 59 Ireland (IRMA)^[8] 15 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[9] 28 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[10] 29 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[11] 7 UK Singles (OCC)^[12] 24 US Billboard Hot 100^[13] 72 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[14] 45 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[15] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1992) Position Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[16] 24 US Country Songs (Billboard)^[17] 30

References

1. Billboard, July 4, 1992
2. "Billy Ray Cyrus – Could've Been Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
3. "Billy Ray Cyrus – Could've Been Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
4. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1950." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 3, 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
5. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1890." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 31, 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
6. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 42. October 17, 1992. p. 31. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
7. "Billy Ray Cyrus – Could've Been Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Could've Been Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
9. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 45, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
10. "Billy Ray Cyrus – Could've Been Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
11. "Billy Ray Cyrus – Could've Been Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
13. "Billy Ray Cyrus Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
14. Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Adult Songs 1961-2006. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-169-7.
15. "Billy Ray Cyrus Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
16. "The RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1992". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
17. "Best of 1992: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1992. Retrieved August 15, 2013.