Jason Aldean defends his new controversy song and music video that was withdrawn by CMT, calling the claims against the track “not only without merit, but dangerous.”
After Aldean released “Try That In a Small Town” in May and its accompanying music video on Friday, he came under fire for promoting gun violence and targeting the Black Lives Matter movement.
The song includes the lyrics: “Curse a cop, spit in his face/Stomp on the flag and light it up/Yeah, you think you’re tough/Well, try it in a small town/See how far you go down the road.” Aldean then sings in the song: “I’ve got a gun my grandfather gave me/ They say one day they’re gonna gather/ Well that shit might fly in town, good luck.”
The music video features the burning of the American flag, protests, looting, and more. CMT, which makes country music videos, removed the clip from its rotation on Monday.
Aldean denied the accusations against his song in a tweet on Tuesday.
“In the last 24 hours I was accused of releasing a pro-lynching song…and was compared to me (direct quote) not being very happy with the BLM protests across the country. These references are not only without merit, they are dangerous,” he wrote. “There’s not a single lyric in the song that references or targets race, and there’s not a single video clip that isn’t actual news material, and while I can try to respect others to have their own interpretation of a song set to music, this one goes too far.”
On social media, some users were offended by the lyrics, especially since Aldean was performing onstage at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas in 2017 when a shooter opened fire, killing 60 concertgoers and injuring hundreds more. In her tweet, the Grammy-nominated star referenced the tragedy: “NO ONE, including me, wants to keep seeing meaningless headlines or broken families.”
“’Try That In A Small Town,’ for me, refers to the feeling of community I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of origin or beliefs. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any difference, ”he continued. “My political views have never been something I have hidden from, and I know many of us in this country disagree on how we return to a sense of normalcy where we go at least one day without a headline to keep us up at night. But the wish that… that’s what this song is about.”
“Try That In a Small Town” peaked at number 35 on Billboard’s Hot country chart in June. The song is ranked 25th on Billboard’s Country Music Playlist this week, which tracks success on country radio.
