Jason Aldean defends ‘Try That in a Small Town’ as CMT pulls video

Country music singer Jason Aldean sought to defend his latest single “Try That in a Small Town” Tuesday after Country Music Television (CMT) pulled the song’s music video.

The song, released in May, has been heavily criticized in recent days after the release of the video, which was filmed in front of a courthouse in Columbia, Tenn., where a Black man was famously lynched in the 1920s. In the video, the courthouse is projected with images of violent protests, criminal acts and footage of demonstrations that took place during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face
Stomp on the flag and light it up
Yeah, ya think you’re tough,” Aldean sings.

“Well, try that in a small town
See how far ya make it down the road.”

A CMT spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that the video “has been removed” but did not offer additional information on the decision to pull it.

Aldean took to Twitter to defend the song and the video.

“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,” he said.

Aside from widespread criticism that the single is racially motivated and politically charged, many have pointed to references of common rhetoric used by those who oppose gun control.

“Got a gun that my granddad gave me
They say one day they’re gonna round up
Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck,” the song goes.

Some listeners have pointed to the country star’s tragic history with gun violence. Aldean performed at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival in Las Vegas in 2017 when a gunman opened fire and killed 58 people.

Following the performance, Aldean talked about his experience and signaled he was open to gun control legislation, calling for stronger background checks.

Aldean acknowledged the shooting in his post.

“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,” he said.

“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,” Aldean wrote. “Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences.”

— Judy Kurtz contributed.