SMALL TOWN, BIG CONTROVERSY

Jason Aldean released “Try That in a Small Town” in May and it came out like, well, a new Jason Aldean song. It went on country radio (it’s currently #26) and iHeart did a premiere across all of its country stations—with zero controversy.

The lyrics are pretty straight forward: “Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk/Carjack an old lady at a red light/Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store/Cuss out a cop, spit in his face/Well, try that in a small town.”

It wasn’t until the video was released on 7/14 that all hell broke loose. Filmed in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee—known for the 1927 mob lynching of 18-year-old Black man Henry Choate—the video includes violent news footage and clips of protests. CMT stopped playing the video on Monday (7/17) and are taking a lot of heat from Aldean supporters for the decision. On social media, there’s a number of “Go woke go broke, boycott CMT” and “Let’s give CMT the Bud Lite treatment.”

Aldean sent out a tweet on 7/18 defending it, writing, “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. 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.”

As for the lyrics, Aldean reference the mass shooting in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed at a music festival. He continued, “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. NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.”

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. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.…

— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) July 18, 2023

One of the lyrics at the forefront of those opposed is regarding guns: “Got a gun that my granddad gave me/They say one day they're gonna round up/Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck.”

Aldean and his wife, Brittany, have never been shy about their political views, including their relationship with a certain former president. Many are speculating online that this could be part of what’s fueling the fire of this controversy.

Aldean says to that, “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.”

Rep. Justin Jones followed later that day on Twitter, saying, “As Tennessee lawmakers, we have an obligation to condemn Jason Aldean’s heinous song calling for racist violence. What a shameful vision of gun extremism and vigilantism.”

As Tennessee lawmakers, we have an obligation to condemn Jason Aldean’s heinous song calling for racist violence. What a shameful vision of gun extremism and vigilantism. We will continue to call for common sense gun laws, that protect ALL our children and communities.

— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) July 19, 2023

While there are many threads on both side of the subject, industry folks have been steering clear for the most part, although Sheryl Crow did weigh in.

“I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,” she said, while labelmate Blanco Brown tweeted, “I hate the words to that song but I don’t believe he’s a racist.”

All that said, there’s nothing like a good old fashioned divisive controversy to fire up the base. There have been around 250k digital downloads of the single so far (It’s been #1 at iTunes since Tuesday and sat at #2 at Apple Music through the weekend).

What it really boils down to is a First Amendment issue. Even some of those who don’t necessarily agree with Aldean support an artist’s right to have their own opinion—they just have to be prepared for the ensuing avalanche of comments that will inevitably follow.