"You Won't Be Lonely Now" is a song written by Brett James and

John Bettis John Gregory Bettis (born October 24, 1946) is an American lyricist. He was originally part of the band Spectrum, which also featured Richard and Karen Carpenter. He wrote the lyrics for " Top of the World", a hit for both Lynn Anderson and Th ...

, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...

. It was released in May 2000 as the first single from the album ''

Southern Rain ''Southern Rain'' is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Billy Ray Cyrus released October 17, 2000. album sold 14,000 copies in its first week of release and would go on to sell over 160,000 copies. It produced five singles on ...

''. The

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romance (love), romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn m ...

debuted at number 62 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs chart) on July 8, 2000. It was the first of five singles released from the album, as well as the highest-charting single, peaking in the Top 20. "You Won't Be Lonely Now" was Cyrus' last Top 40 country hit until 2007, when "

Ready, Set, Don't Go "Ready, Set, Don't Go" is a country song performed by American singers Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus. It was released as the lead single from '' Home at Last'', Billy Ray Cyrus' tenth studio album on August 13, 2007. The song has received differ ...

" reached number 4.

Critical reception

William Ruhlmann of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

said that the song "properly displayed the artist's sense of determination against adversity, cloaked in the terms of a love song."

Music video

The music video was directed by Jim Shea and premiered in June 2000.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Notes

Musician credits

* Drums: Chris McHugh * Bass Guitar: Mike Brignardello * Acoustic Guitar:

Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...

, Gordon Kennedy * Electric Guitar: Dann Huff, Gordon Kennedy * Steel Guitar: Paul Franklin * Keyboards: Tim Akers, Steve Nathan * Percussion: Eric Darken * Background Vocals: Gene Miller, Vicki Hampton, Lisa Cochran

References

{{Authority control 2000 singles 2000 songs Billy Ray Cyrus songs Songs written by Brett James Songs with lyrics by John Bettis Song recordings produced by Dann Huff Monument Records singles