I would not call these "all time favorites" but I TRULY appreciate their appeal... both of these songs have HUGE groups of detractors.

As already mentioned - and is ALWAYS the top of most lists...

Achy Breaky Heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byQIPdHMpjc

I was in Nashville for the aftermath of this song. It was reviled there, too, by a large majority of writers.

However...

...the song launch and defined Billy Ray Cyrus' career.

Don Von Tress made $2,500,000 from the songwriting royalties. IF you didn't notice that way... 2 and a half MILLION DOLLARS.

I would love to write something that the world would hate that much.

Most writers would do well to embrace the WHYs of "why this song 'worked'". It is commercial in all respects. Even those who say "I don't write commercial. I don't want to write commercial" would benefit from having their songs be "more commercial". You don't have to write Achy Break Heart songs, but it would be nice to add a little more "listenability" to your songs.

Even though the Nashville writer community scoffed at this, they ALL pumped out similar sounding songs from several years after this....



In similar love-to-hate fashion...

Mean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYa1eI1hpDE

Again, a song that has HUGE numbers of detractors. But, also HUGE numbers of this-is-my-favorite-song-ers...