Country music sensation Jason Aldean has opened up about the backlash faced by his chart-topping song “Try That in a Small Town” and its subsequent music video. In a recent episode of Sean “Coop” Tabler’s podcast, “Coop’s Rockin’ Country Saturday Night,” Aldean delved deep into the criticism that surfaced upon the song’s release this summer.
Central to the controversy was a lyric in which Aldean references a “gun my grandfather gave me.” Reflecting on the uproar, Aldean stated, “Given the current climate, mentioning a gun seemed to strike a chord. Yet, people judged it before even viewing the video.”
The video, which premiered in July, incorporated scenes from contemporary protests, showcasing tense interactions between protestors and the police and instances of American flags being set aflame. It was promptly removed from broadcast on CMT.
Aldean emphasized that the video was a reflection of real events. “I didn’t fabricate these events. They transpired, and I documented them because I didn’t agree with what was happening.”
The summer saw a flurry of online debates with critics branding the video’s imagery as a “dog whistle” and some going as far as calling it “pro-lynching.” Aldean responded to these allegations in a July tweet: “There’s no racial undertone in the song or video. Every clip is genuine news footage. While I respect individual interpretations of art, some critiques are excessive.”