Republicans rush to defend Jason Aldean and ‘Try That in a Small Town’

by Sarah Fortinsky - 07/21/23 3:02 PM ET

Republicans are mounting up to defend Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town” and its music video against accusations of racist imagery and threats of violence.

Aldean’s video, which went up on YouTube last week and quickly drew attention on social media, features clips of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests interspersed with footage of crimes — including an apparent convenience store robbery, a carjacking and depictions of people setting American flags on fire.

“Stomp on the flag and light it up.
Yeah, you think you’re tough,” he sings.
“Well, try that in a small town
— See how far ya make it down the road.”

But perhaps what’s raised the most eyebrows is the location where the video was the shot: the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tenn. In 1927, 18-year-old Henry Choate was famously lynched at the courthouse, his body hanged off the balcony after he was accused of assaulting a white girl who never identified him. The building also played a part in the “Columbia race riot” of 1946.

In the Aldean video, images of recent demonstrations and destruction are projected on the courthouse, from which hangs a large American flag.

“Full of good ol’ boys, raised up right,
If you’re looking for a fight,
Try that in a small town,” Aldean sings.

Country Music Television (CMT) confirmed Tuesday that it had pulled the video from rotation, and Aldean took to Twitter to defend himself.

“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,” he said.

“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,” Aldean added.

Jason Aldean performs “Tough Crowd” at the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.

Republicans, including White House candidates former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, leapt to his side.

“Jason Aldean is a fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song. Support Jason all the way. MAGA!!!” Trump posted on his Truth Social account.

“When the media attacks you, you’re doing something right. [Jason Aldean] has nothing to apologize for,” DeSantis said.

Fellow 2024 contenders Vivek Ramaswamy and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are also embracing the song, playing it at Thursday campaign events in New Hampshire and South Carolina, respectively.

“I hope you loved my playlist before I came on,” Haley said.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley and other Republican presidential candidates are defending Jason Aldean from backlash over his newest song “Try That in a Small Town.” (Greg Nash)

Conservative voices in the media denounced what they saw as a prime example of cancel culture, but Aldean has arguably benefited from the controversy: The song shot up to No 1. on iTunes.

In an interview with The Hill, music historian Don Cusic rejected the idea that Aldean and his team could have been ignorant of the Maury County Courthouse’s past.

“Obviously Aldean wanted to set off a bomb — and he did it. That decision of location was not picked accidentally,” he said.

Cusic, who was recently inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame in the historian category, said there are lots of ways of looking at the “Try That in a Small Town” video: as an honest expression of Aldean’s beliefs, as a strategy to increase sales and even as a two-way conversation with the MAGA base, “to show Trump that he’s behind him and would like to play golf with him again someday.”

“At its best, the Aldean video is a celebration of rural, small-town America,” he said. “At its worst, it is a divisive song that drives a wedge between rural and metro America and prohibits a common bond from emerging for all Americans.”

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In addition to accusations of racism, the song’s second verse drew strong criticism from gun reform advocates.

“Got a gun that my granddad gave me,
they say one day they’re gonna round up.
Well, that s— might fly in the city, good luck,” Aldean sings.

Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones (D), who made national headlines earlier this year when he was briefly expelled from the legislature after joining gun control protests during a floor session, condemned the song on Twitter.

“As Tennessee lawmakers, we have an obligation to condemn Jason Aldean’s heinous song calling for racist violence. What a shameful vision of gun extremism and vigilantism. We will continue to call for common sense gun laws, that protect ALL our children and communities,” Jones wrote.

The Georgia NAACP issued a statement noting that Aldean is a Macon native, saying it is “concerned that the small town Mr. Alden is referencing may be Macon, Ga.”

“Given Georgia’s history of Civil Rights and recent social unrest due to race-based hatred, we strongly urge Mr. Alden and his record label to align with 21st Century and actual Georgian values. We look forward to a productive conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion with Mr. Aldean. Georgia has no place for hate and racism,” the group said.

“We respect the 1st Amendment but not thinly veiled threats of violence toward minority groups voicing displeasure with social issues on injustice,” it added.

And even Aldean’s fellow musicians threw some barbs his way, with Sheryl Crow tweeting at him that the song “is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”

“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,” Crow said.

Sheryl Crow arrives at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Aldean was on stage during the 2017 gun massacre in Las Vegas, which left 60 dead and hundreds more injured.

“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,” he said in his statement posted on Twitter, appearing to refer to the school shooting earlier this year in Nashville. “NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.”

This isn’t Aldean’s first brush with controversy. In 2015, he took heat for wearing blackface while dressed as Lil Wayne for Halloween. He’s also spoken out against vaccine mandates, and last year he was dropped from his public relations firm after transphobic comments from his wife, Brittany Aldean.

“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,” he said this week.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) posted a video Wednesday defending the song, saying she “was so impressed with” it when it was first released in May, “because it talked about the value of small towns and how we have our priorities right.”

“I am shocked by what I’m seeing in this country, with people attempting to cancel the song and cancel Jason and his beliefs,” Noem said. “And him and Brittany are outspoken about their love for law and order and for their love of this country and I’m just grateful for them.”

“I think a lot of times people that go out and fight every day on these important issues and have an opinion and remember the freedom and liberty that this country was founded on, get persecuted from it. And we’re seeing that with the Aldeans right now and the songwriters that worked so hard on this,” she continued. “And I just want them to know that we support them. We love them. Thank you for writing a song that America can get behind.”

Noem invited Aldean to come to South Dakota and sing the song “on the governor’s residence front lawn.”

Cusic, the music historian, said, “It’s definitely a red meat song for the Trump MAGA crowd — for that group it’s a home run.”

“But for many others it’s a strike out, with people striking out against others who don’t feel the same way. In spite of it showing love for small towns, it’s a nasty song hidden in small town praise,” he said.

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