Jason Aldean stirred controversy this week due to his song "Try That In a Small Town," which was released in May. The song's accompanying music video is also under fire, as Billboard confirms it was pulled from the rotation on CMT this week.
In the song, Aldean paints a picture of how residents of a small town may respond to crime or the possibility of guns being taken away by the government.
In the chorus, Aldean sings,
"Well, try that in a small town
See how far ya make it down the roadAround here, we take care of our ownYou cross that line, it won't take longFor you to find out, I recommend you don'tTry that in a small town"
The specific crimes Aldean mentions in the song include "Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk" and "Carjack an old lady at a red light," among others.
The lyrics have drawn criticism from some social media users who are disappointed by Aldean's reference about using gun violence against potential perpetrators. Some have noted that Aldean had performed during the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in 2017, which killed 60 concertgoers.
.@Jason_Aldean - who was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more - has recorded a song called “Try That In A Small Town” about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns. pic.twitter.com/hWGdEgS33v
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 17, 2023
Others interpreted the lyrics to be about "sundown towns," which were predominantly white neighborhoods that actively excluded people of color through discriminatory laws, intimidation or violence.
So how about Jason Aldean’s new dog whistle song that praises sundown towns? That’s really something, huh? pic.twitter.com/q9EHlghScJ
— Laura Burkhardt ? (@LauraAnnSTL) July 17, 2023
In the song's music video, Aldean performs in front of the Maury Country, Tenn., courthouse while news footage of protests and security camera footage of crimes are interspersed throughout. Social media users also pointed out that the courthouse was the site of the lynching of an 18-year-old Black man named Henry Choate in 1927.
Tacklebox, the production company behind the video, said Aldean did not pick the location and noted that it's is a frequent filming location. (Films such as the Lifetime Original Movie Steppin' into the Holiday as well as Paramount's A Nashville Country Christmas have been filmed there.)
Aldean released a statement Tuesday addressing the controversy, denying that the song was inspired in any way by race.
"In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests," Aldean writes. "These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn't a single video clip that isn't real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far."
He also addresses critics's concerns about the song's message about gun violence.
"As so many pointed out, I was present at Route 91-where so many lost their lives- and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy," he says, likely referencing the shooting at Nashville's Covenant School in March. "NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart."
He concluded the message by asserting that the song was inspired by the "feeling of a community" he says he experienced growing up in Macon, Ga., which is home to more than 150,000 residents. He says his hometown is a place where "we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief."
"My political views have never been something I've hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this Country don't agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to- that's what this song is about," he adds.
Jason Aldean Controversy
This isn't the first time Aldean has been embroiled in controversy. In 2015, the singer was photographed wearing blackface for a Halloween costume.
Aldean later addressed the incident.
"In this day and age people are so sensitive that no matter what you do, somebody is going to make a big deal out of it," Aldean told Billboard in 2016. "Me doing that had zero malicious intent ... I get that race is a touchy subject, but not everybody is that way. Media tends to make a big deal out of things. If that was disrespectful to anyone, I by all means apologize. That was never my intention. It never crossed my mind."
In 2022, Aldean's wife, Brittany Aldean, posted what was widely viewed as a transphobic comment on her Instagram account. Shortly after, Jason Aldean's longtime publicity firm Greenroom PR announced it would no longer be working with the singer.
