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:
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.
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.”
Many politicians and political figures on the right have also come out in support of Aldean and the song:
Meanwhile, CMT quietly pulled the video from their rotation, though they didn’t give a reason for removing it.
