Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Ready, Set, Don’t Go:” A Song Every Parent Would Relate

When most of your life has been defined as a parent, you may find it quite challenging to adjust to life without kids in the home. But they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do, so we focus our energy on being a supportive parent. And that’s what Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” is all about.

The country ballad was released in 2007 as the lead single off Cyrus’ tenth studio album, Home at Last. But the singer revealed that he wrote the song many years before its release when his daughter, Miley Cyrus, moved from Nashville to Los Angeles to pursue acting before she even stars in Disney Channel Original Series Hannah Montana. 

And it expressed what a lot of parents may feel about their kids as they wish them success, and at the same time, will be dearly missing them. As a result, “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” reached No. 47 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

The song was eventually re-released as a duet with then fourteen-year-old Miley, who was also a rising star at that time. The father-daughter tandem quickly became a crowd favorite, and their version enjoyed much more commercial success. In addition to reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, it also climbed all the way up to No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Cyrus’ first top 40 hit since his debut single in 1992. It also marked Miley’s debut in country music.

Since then, it has become one of Billy Ray Cyrus’ songs he often performs live. In fact, the country star premiered the track during the 2007 CMA Music Festival. Meanwhile, the duet version was first heard on Dancing With The Stars, where Cyrus had earlier competed that same season.

Check out “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” by Billy Ray Cyrus in the video below.