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Jason Aldean continues to stand by his supposedly offensive song “Try That In A Small Town” in a new interview on Coop’s Rockin’ Country Saturday Night. Read until the end to learn more.
Jason Aldean’s Offensive Lyrics
In May of 2023, Jason Aldean released the lead single to his 11th studio album. That single was labeled “Try That In A Small Town,” a title that now strikes anger in the hearts of many. The song immediately became infamous in and out of the country genre. Listeners raged over the lyrics, claiming they supported gun violence, general hate crimes, and acts of racism. Here are a few lines of the song that caused this response:
Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalkCarjack an old lady at a red lightPull a gun on the owner of a liquor store…
…Cuss out a cop, spit in his faceStomp on the flag and light it up…
…You cross that line, it won’t take longFor you to find out, I recommend you don’tTry that in a small town…
…Got a gun that my granddad gave meThey say one day they’re gonna round up…
Both fans and haters were taken aback by these words, ignoring the rest of the lyrics and the general meaning behind the song. Many people viewed this as a mere threat, while others picked apart each word.
Jason Aldean ‘Try That In A Small Town’ Music Video
Things only got worse for the songwriter when Jason released the music video to his song. Though it may have offered clarity to some viewers, others became even more infuriated. In the music video, clips of violent acts and protests are projected behind Jason Aldean and his band members.
Filming took place at the Maury County Courthouse, where a young black man was lynched in 1927. Though the majority of the comments on the YouTube video itself seem positive, the artist was still being bashed on apps like X, Instagram, and Reddit.
Community Backlash
What backlash actually occurred? Obviously, fans were upset, but Jason Aldean had no idea how much it would affect his career. Not only were fans reacting, but so were fellow creators. Many of them had a large platform and successful careers of their own. CMT stopped airing his video, protestors started coming to his concerts, and celebrities stomped on his reputation. However, this also brought a lot of success to Jason and his wife.
.@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.
This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame https://t.co/cuOtUO9xjr
— Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) July 19, 2023
Jason Aldean Speaks Out Once More
Aldean has defended and explained himself a few times, which helped a little. However, the flames within the music community have not died down as listeners continue to criticize the 46-year-old. Jason faced the public once more this week, this time on a podcast called Coop’s Rockin’ Country Saturday Night. Here is what he had to say:
“If you’ve got common sense, you can look at the video and see, I’m not sayin’ anything that’s not true… In the video, I’m showin’ you what happened — I didn’t do it, I didn’t create it — it just happened, and I saw it, and I’m not cool with it… I don’t care which side of the political fence you want to stand on, but to me, what I was seeing was wrong, and nobody would say anything, especially in the music industry or entertainment industry.”
Did Jason Aldean do the right thing by releasing this song? Comment your thoughts.
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