Despite uproar over its provocative lyrics, country star Jason Aldean’s latest single is rising from strength to strength. Aldean, 46, published “Try That in a Small Town” in May, but it has gained traction since the 14th of July, when the accompanying music video was released.
Critics have labeled the song a “racist” and “lynching anthem” after discovering that the music video was shot outside the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where 18-year-old Black teenager Henry Choate was lynched in 1927 and where the Columbia racial riot occurred in 1946.
Luminate, an entertainment statistics business, claims that on-demand audio and video streams have climbed by 999 percent after the song’s issue erupted, rising from 987,000 to 11.7 million.
Weekly sales of the song have climbed from 1,000 to 228,000. The song debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart (a record high for Aldean) and No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart on Monday (24 July).
The lyrics to the song, which Aldean did not write, include: “Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk / Carjack an old lady at a red light / Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store.
“Well, try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own.”
Critics have also pointed out that Aldean performed at the Route 91 Festival in Las Vegas in 2017, during which a shooter killed 60 people and injured 400 more. The shooting is the deadliest mass shooting in American history by a single perpetrator.
Since its publication, the video has received over 17 million views on YouTube. However, it was removed off Country Music Television’s rotation on July 18, with no explanation supplied by the American broadcaster.
Aldean has subsequently replied to the criticism with a tweet.
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
“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,” his message began.
“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.”
“‘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 neighbours, regardless of differences of background or belief.”
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On Friday 21 July, while performing at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center, Aldean addressed the audience (according to The Columbus Dispatch) saying: “Cancel culture is a thing… which means try and ruin your life, ruin everything. One thing I saw this week was a bunch of country music fans that could see through a lot of the bulls***, all right?”
The single will be featured on Aldean’s forthcoming album, expected to release later this year.
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