Jason Aldean might be the most trending person this week, and it’s not for a good reason.
His latest music video, “Try That In A Small Town” was supposed to be a celebration of the community, however many communities and fellow country stars felt the song was either an anthem for lynching, a call for violence, or a blatant sign of covert racism.
Shot in Columbia, Tennessee, the video for “Try That In A Small Town” is Aldean’s celebration of the sort of small community he grew up in. But critics have called out what they see as the glorification of vigilantism in the song, while others have pointed out that the courthouse featured in the video was the site of the 1927 lynching of 18-year-old Henry Choate.
“Like many small towns across America, Columbia, Tennessee is focused on bringing people together,” Mayor Chaz Molder told FOX 17 News on Wednesday. “I hadn’t listened to the song prior to today, but I’ve now seen the video. I respect the artist’s freedom of his own lyrics and the fans who support him, but I’m hopeful that the next music video that uses our historic downtown as a backdrop will seek a more positive message.”
.@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
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
