Jason Aldean has taken a lot of heat over the last few days – and not just at his show in Connecticut when he had to cut it short after 20 minutes due to dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Aldean dropped his latest single, “Try That In a Small Town,” back in May. Written by Kelley Lovelace, Kurt Allison, Neil Thrasher and Tully Kennedy, the song was a direct shot at big city lawlessness, calling out looters and rioters while also taking a strong stance on gun control:
“Got a gun that my granddad gave meThey say one day they’re gonna round upWell, that sh*t might fly in the city, good luck
Try that in a small town
See how far ya make it down the road
‘Round here, we take care of our own
You cross that line, it won’t take long
For you to find out, I recommend you don’t
Try that in a small town”
He released a video for the song last week that features imagery of riots and looting from around the world, while Aldean sings in front of the Maury County courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee.
But many online have accused the outspoken country singer of featuring racist lyrics and imagery in both the song and video, with one viral tweet even connecting the music video to a 1927 lynching that took place at the courthouse where the video was filmed:
Jason Aldean shot this at the site where a white lynch mob strung Henry Choate up at the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tenn., after dragging his body through the streets with a car in 1927.
That's where Aldean chose to sing about murdering people who don't respect police. https://t.co/gBL7FlaBS2 pic.twitter.com/eGfmMc8HAI
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) July 17, 2023
Nobody can be shocked by Jason Aldean writing a racist as fuck song.
Him and his skanky wife hang out with Trump, and dress their kids in “anti-Biden” clothing.
The song is as shitty as he is. pic.twitter.com/TfLBtlRirT
— Liberal Lisa in Oklahoma (@lisa_liberal) July 18, 2023
Just a reminder that Jason Aldean grew up in a city (population approx. 160,000) and now lives in Nashville, TN (population 692,000).
He has no idea what “happens in a small town”, he’s just a racist who writes barely concealed lynching songs. https://t.co/5JvfucZ5cN
— Kendall Brown (@kendallybrown) July 17, 2023
Others have cried foul on a pro-gun anthem coming from the headliner of the Route 91 Harvest Festival, after Aldean was on stage when the massacre broke out in Las Vegas in 2017.
.@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
And now, Jason Aldean has responded to the accusations.
In a statement released on Twitter, Aldean called the accusations “not only meritless, but dangerous,” pointing out that the video features real news footage and none of the lyrics reference 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. 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.
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.
Try That In A Small Town, for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences. 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.”
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
Many politicians and political figures on the right have also come out in support of Aldean and the song:
.@Jason_Aldean put everything that is on our minds to music.
Everyone needs to listen to this song and just reflect on how far this great nation has fallen — but realize that WE THE PEOPLE can get it all back and MORE!
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) July 18, 2023
Jason Aldean just released an absolutely epic music video for the song "Try That In a Small Town" that rips into the left-wing riots, soft on crime governance in cities, gun control, and other leftist degradation. pic.twitter.com/dUYzGbnvc6
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 17, 2023
Jason Aldean's latest music video shines a spotlight on the brutal and violent riots that destroyed American cities in 2020, and some people are LIVID.
Instead of being angry with Aldean, people should be upset the riots happened in the first place. https://t.co/nq8Yu3ujfo
— OutKick (@Outkick) July 18, 2023
Meanwhile, CMT quietly pulled the video from their rotation, though they didn’t give a reason for removing it.
