CoJo has entered the chat.
If you’ve ever been to a Cody Johnson show, you know a couple of things…. he brings the energy, he brings some country damn music, and he always brings the support for the red, white & blue, as well as the military, police officers and other first responders.
Jason Aldean is the talk of the music world this past week, following the release of his “Try That In A Small Town” music video.
Written by Kelley Lovelace, Kurt Allison, Neil Thrasher and Tully Kennedy, the song, which was released back in May, was a direct shot at big city lawlessness, calling out looters and rioters while also taking a strong stance against gun control.
Here’s a look at the lyrics:
“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”
The controversial music features imagery of riots and looting from around the world, while Aldean sings in front of the Maury County courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee.
The Maury County courthouse was the site of a lynching in 1927, which has prompted the Twitter-verse to come out full force, accusing Aldean of releasing a racist, “pro-lynching” song.
Artists like Sheryl Crow and Jason Isbell condemned the song, CMT pulled it from their rotation, meanwhile others like Travis Tritt and John Rich defended Jason Aldean.
And now, Cody Johnson is the latest to get behind him as well.
During a show the other night, CoJo voiced his support for Jason Aldean, saying:
“I remember a time when Merle Haggard said ‘you running down my country, son, you’re walking on the fighting side of me.’
“Yet, we live in a time where everyone gets pissed at Jason Aldean for putting out a song. If you’re videoing this, and Jason Aldean, if you’re watching this, you keep it up, brother. You do you.
If being patriotic makes you an outlaw, then by God, I’ll be an outlaw.”
Jason Aldean Has 5 Albums In The Top 10 Amid Controversy
For as much “trouble” that Jason Aldean’s new single “Try That In A Small Town” has caused, it has also had an equal amount of commercial success for the country singer.
This past week, the controversial song quickly rocketed up the iTunes charts after the music video was pulled from CMT’s rotation.
The attention that the tune has gotten from being in the middle of political crossfire has surely caused a little bit of a headache for Aldean, but it also seems to be helping him as well.
“Try That In A Small Town” isn’t the only project of Aldean’s that’s moved towards the number one spot on charts.
Interestingly enough, the 46-year-old now holds 5 of the top 10 spots on the iTunes country albums chart. It seems that the entire ordeal has caused somewhat of a “reverse boycott” of Aldean’s discography.
Currently at the number one spot on the iTunes Top Albums chart is his 2018 project Rearview Town. The project, which had a lead single of “You Make It Easy,” had great success when it was originally released, and is now benefiting from a “second wind” thanks to the divisiveness of his most recent single.
Coming in at the number four spot is 9 (a little confusing, I know), which Aldean released in 2019. That album actually has a song called “Keeping It Small Town,” which is similarly titled to the one currently making headlines.
The 6th and 7th spots on the iTunes charts are also held by Aldean at the moment. My Kinda Party, which was released in 2020, holds down the sixth spot, while his 2022 album GEORGIA follows right behind it at number seven.
And the other half of the double album to GEORGIA just cracked the Top 10, with MACON sitting right at the 10th spot on the iTunes Chart. The double album was actually viewed as somewhat underwhelming when upon its initial release last year, though it now is getting another chance with country music fans.
If you are wondering, there has not been any “pushing” or “marketing” for all of these Aldean projects taking up half of iTunes Top 10 albums. This seems to be a perfect case of the classic (and controversial itself) public relations theory of “any publicity is good publicity.”
Even though Aldean has been attacked by some of his country music peers like Sheryl Crow, he’s also been backed by the likes of Travis Tritt and other political figures such as Ron Desantis and former President Donald Trump.
There seems to be somewhat of a rally behind Aldean and his new song, and even Jason and his wife Brittany have refused to back down to the backlash. “Try That In A Small Town” is an interesting case without a doubt, because though it’s caused outrage, it’s also helped to boost the country music artist.
Aldean might be proving that sometimes it’s okay to stand up and face the music (pun most certainly intended)…
