Sheryl Crow blasts Jason Aldean's song Try That In A Small Town

Sheryl Crow blasts Jason Aldean’s controversial song Try That In A Small Town after CMT takes it off air: ‘There’s nothing American about promoting violence’

  • Crow defended small towns and said they were ‘sick of violence’
  • Aldean’s Try That In A Small Town has been blasted by liberal critics
  • They noted much of the video was filmed at a courthouse that hosted a lynching 

Sheryl Crow took country singer Jason Aldean to task on Tuesday in the wake of controversy struck up by his new song Try That In A Small Town.

The 61-year-old songstress took issue with the song’s lyrics, which critics have said appear to endorse vigilante violence, while others have noted that it was filmed in front of a historic courthouse infamous for being the site of the lynching of a Black man by a white mob.

‘@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,’ Crow wrote in a tweet addressed to Aldean, who is not credited as a songwriter on Try That In A Small Town.

‘There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence,’ she continued. ‘You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.’

She was referring to a 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, in which a gunman opened fire on the crow at the Route 91 Harvest music festival from his neighboring hotel room window during Aldean’s closing set.

Speaking out: Sheryl Crow, 61, took country singer Jason Aldean to task on Tuesday in the wake of controversy struck up by his new song Try That In A Small Town; seen in February in LA

Tired of the killings: ‘@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,’ Crow tweeted; Aldean pictured in March 2022 in Las Vegas

The shooting left 60 people dead, making it the deadliest mass shooting by a single person in the United States, while at leas 413 people were injured. 

Crow concluded her post by calling the whole affair ‘lame.’

‘This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame,’ she wrote.

The hitmaker quoted a tweet from the Shannon Watts, the founder of the gun safety organization Moms Demand Action, in which she noted Aldean’s connection to gun violence and the horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas.

‘@Jason_Aldean — who was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more — has recorded a song called “Try That In A Small Town” about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns,’ she wrote, while also posting some of the lyrics to the song.

Crow has long spoken out in favor of gun safety and stricter measures to prevent gun violence.

In March of this year, she sang at a vigil honoring the victims of a mass shooting in Nashville at The Covenant School, in which a shooter killed three children and three adults before being gunned down by responding police officers.

First-hand experience: ‘There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence,’ she continued. ‘You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting’; seen in March in NYC

Terrifying: She referenced the Las Vegas mass shooting Aldean was caught up in, in which 60 people were killed by a gunman firing from his hotel room onto a festival crowd; seen in 2020 in Nashville

Horrific setting: Aldean came under fire for filming his video in front of a courthouse that is infamous for being the site of a lynching against a Black man by a white mob; seen with wife Brittany in May

One of the biggest criticisms of Aldean’s music video was that he filmed much of it in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee.

The courthouse is infamous for being the site of a 1927 lynching of Henry Choate, a Black man, by a white mob.

He was reportedly kidnapped from the jail where he was being held by the mob, before being hit in the head with a hammer.

The blow allegedly killed him, but he was nonetheless dragged through the streets before being hanged from the second story of the courthouse.

Aldean has not addressed the disturbing history of the location chosen for his music video, and it is unclear if he or anyone involved in the making of the video was aware of the courthouse’s association with a lynching. 

Despite the widespread criticism of his new song as being ‘pro-lynching,’ Aldean defended it and its video after the network CMT pulled it from airwaves Tuesday.

On Friday, Aldean, 46, released the gun-toting video, which slams left-wing antagonists for antics that supposedly wouldn’t be accepted in the American South.

Both the lyrics and the video, which interlaced clips of BLM protestors supposedly vandalizing cities with lines endorsing so-called traditional values and ‘taking care of our own,’ have caused outrage online.

Aldean addressed his detractors in an Instagram story Tuesday in which he denied any anti-black or pro-lynching sentiment and pointed out that people have only discovered it now, two months after it was released.

‘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,’ he wrote. ‘These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.’ 

On defense:  Jason Aldean spoke out after he sparked controversy with his new song Try That In A Small Town, which slams left wing antagonists and caused liberals on Twitter to call it ‘pro-lynching’; pictured in May in Frisco, Texas

https://youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

‘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 claimed.

He said he was at the Route 91 Las Vegas Harvest Festival and that that ‘NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.’

Aldean attempted to explain what he felt the song represented and that it wasn’t necessarily a political message. 

”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 said he understood people knew him as a proudly pro-Trump conservative but he wanted to share a message of unity. 

‘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 finished.

A spokesperson for CMT confirmed to Billboard the video had been pulled from the airwaves. Aldean has not addressed the network’s decision. 

Aldean opens the song: ‘Cuss out a cop, spit in his face. Stomp on the flag and light it up. Yeah, ya think you’re tough? Try that in a small town.’ 

The music video was met with backlash among some who felt the lyrics were dog-whistles intended to offend, while others saw it as a commentary on America’s sharp divides. 

Tasteless: In the music video, Aldean sings before large white courthouse and an American flag interlaced with clips of BLM protests. A Black man was once lynched from the second story of the courthouse

Ripped from the headlines: The country music star used footage of supposed Black Lives Matter riots for the divisive song

https://youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

Aldean took aim at woke activists for acting ‘a fool’, particularly condemning the series of BLM protests that sprung up across America following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. 

The riots resulted in billions of dollars in damage and led to questions over why such a large number of people were willing to break the law, with Aldean feeling the unrest was due to people not being ‘raised right’. 

‘Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk, carjack an old lady at a red light,’ he sings. ‘Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store – ya think it’s cool, well, act a fool. 

‘See how far ya make it down the road. Around here, we take care of our own. You cross that line, it won’t take long for you to find out – I recommend you don’t try that in a small town.’ 

One line caused particular offense among some gun-hating listeners, where Aldean sang: ‘Got a gun that my grandad gave me, they say one day they’re gonna round up… well, that s*** might fly in the city, good luck.’ 

While some see any reference to guns as ‘crossing the line’, Aldean’s lyrics were also seen as insensitive given his connection to the deadly Las Vegas mass shooting. 

The 46-year-old capped off the song by paying tribute to Southern values, noting that small towns are ‘full of good ol’ boys, raised up right.’

‘If you’re looking for a fight, try that in a small town.’ 

Controversy: The song made repeated references to BLM protests. Pictured: NYPD officers block the entrance of the Manhattan Bridge as protests erupted in New York City on June 2, 2020

Publicity: Aldean posted on Twitter to celebrate releasing his new song to the public on July 14

The song was met with mixed reviews, with liberal listeners feeling Aldean’s touting of Southern norms and anti-rioting were far-right affronts, while fans found it hard to disagree with its traditional values. 

Taking to Twitter after the song was released Friday, Aldean said the hit was inspired by the ‘unspoken rule’ of small towns of ‘we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.’ 

‘It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost. Deep down we are all ready to get back to that,’ he added. 

‘I hope my new music video helps y’all know that u are not alone in feeling that way.’ 

Fans of the hit-maker were quick to praise the conservative-tinged tune, with one branding it ‘absolutely epic.’ 

‘(Aldean) rips into the left-wing riots, soft on crime governance in cities, gun control, and other leftist degradation,’ they added. 

‘You have to try to be offended by this,’ added another, with fans of the country music star agreeing his focus on traditional values should be merited. 

However, those on the other side of the aisle were quick to condemn Aldean for his Republican views. In 2021, the singer also caused offense after dressing his young daughters in anti-Joe Biden merchandise. 

One disgruntled former fan said: ‘Wow. I used to really like his music but when I found out just how conservative he was, that was it.’ 

Another accused Aldean of being disingenuous, given that the singer’s $100 million net worth doesn’t qualify him to sing about small-town life. 

‘What’s fun about Jason Aldean is that he recently left a home that had a bowling alley, outdoor kitchen, and giant fountain for an even nicer home in the heart of Nashville,’ they said. 

‘So miss me with this bullshit about your small town full of good ol’ boys.’ 

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