2023 in review: 'Try That in a Small Town' - a great controversy

In the summer of 2023, the song ‘Try That in a Small Town’ by American country music superstar Jason Aldean became a lightning rod for controversy. After its politically charged music video was released on July 15, 2023, opponents said it was blatantly racist and pro-violence. Its supporters, in turn, said they are “shocked” by the move to cancel the songs. These were the arguments of one of 2023's greatest controversies.

The lyrics, not written by Aldean, leave little to metaphor. It describes what would happen to people who disrespect police, commit crimes or stomp on the American flag in the town. “Well, try that in a small town/ See how far ya make it down the road/ Around here, we take care of our own.”

Image: ‘Try That in a Small Town,’ Jason Aldean, Youtube

The lyrics go on to insinuate what the “good ol’ boys, raised up right” would do if there was a threat to their firearms. “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/ Try that in a small town… You cross that line/ it won’t take long/ For you to find out...”

Image: ‘Try That in a Small Town,’ Jason Aldean, Youtube

The video contrasts Aldean singing with news footage of protests and rioting, at least some of the footage was related to Black Lives Matter. The video also showed footage of people committing other crimes to illustrate the kind of people not welcome in the song’s idyllic small American town.

Image: ‘Try That in a Small Town,’ Jason Aldean, Youtube

Another major point of controversy is that the video shows Aldean singing in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee. According to Ashton Pittman of the Mississippi Free Press, that is the “site where a white lynch mob strung Henry Choate up. After dragging his body through the streets with a car in 1927. That’s where Aldean chose to sing about murdering people who don’t respect police.”

Image: ‘Try That in a Small Town,’ Jason Aldean, Youtube

In a rare move, CMT decided to pull the video from its airwaves, which Billboard reported was in heavy circulation before the move. The massive broadcaster confirmed the video’s removal but did not comment as to why.

Image: ‘Try That in a Small Town,’ Jason Aldean, Youtube

Amid the controversy, his fans shot the track up to number one on Itunes. As of July 20, it was the 15th most played track on US Spotify, just below Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer.’ And as the controversy is growing, Youtube plays of the video are blowing up, with more than 6.3 million views less than a week after release.

“I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,” country singer Sheryl Crow tweeted. “There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.”

On his social media network Truth Social, former President Donald Trump waded into the conversation, saying Aldean is a “fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song. Support Jason all the way. MAGA!!!” This drummed up support from several other Republican politicians, as well as many supporters.

Democratic Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones tweeted: “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.”

Other right-wing political supporters include Ron DeSantis, who wrote: ““When the media attacks you, you’re doing something right.” The South Dakota governor defended the video for its “love for law and order” (even though it speaks of extrajudicial violence) and Senator Marsha Blackburn said Aldean was a victim of cancel culture.

The song officially became a ‘Hot Topic’ on the Daytime show ‘The View.' Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said to give Aldean the benefit of the doubt, believing that he did not mean to “stoke division.” However, she said the song reminded her of the February 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery — a “Black man in a small town in the South who got shot for doing nothing wrong.” Joy Behar said he has the right to make the song, but called it a dog whistle to racists.

Co-host Whoopi Goldberg said the track “went too far." Meanwhile, Sunny Hostin refused to give him the benefit of the doubt, saying her father is from the same small town as Aldean: Macon, Georgia. “I spent many summers there. It is one of the most racist places in this country,” she said. “Don’t tell me that he knew nothing about what that imagery meant.”

The singer took to social media to defend the song, saying accusations of it being “pro-lynching... 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.”

The singer went on: “‘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. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences,” he continued.

Image: ‘Try That in a Small Town,’ Jason Aldean, Youtube

Aldean also mentioned that he was performing at a Las Vegas music festival, where a gunman killed 58 people and injured nearly 1,000 — one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history. He said that because of this, he hates to see “senseless headlines.” Others, however, slammed him for promoting guns after that experience.