 The song received generally positive reviews from critics . Shelly <unk> of About.com said , " There 's a special quality to this single that might be able to help people get past ' that one song ' from Billy Ray Cyrus 's past and realize there 's so much more to the man than something from two decades ago . " While reviewing the Hannah Montana : The Movie soundtrack , Heather <unk> of Allmusic said the song " fits in smoothly with an acoustic version of Rascal Flatts ' witty ' <unk> ' " . Jon Caramanica of The New York Times said , " His hard @-@ won insight is the next best thing to a good <unk> . " Allison Stewart of The Washington Post described " Back to Tennessee " as a " <unk> of strident <unk> rock track " . She added that the song was " eager " and that it explained " Country as Country Can Be " . Yahoo ! Music thought the song was followed Back to Tennessee 's message " too literally " . The song was included on the short list for Best Original Song at the 82nd Academy Awards , but failed to achieve a nomination . 
