Country singer Jason Aldean has defended his new song "Try That In a Small Town," after Country Music Television pulled the song from its network.
Aldean, a conservative, claimed on Tuesday he had been accused of "releasing a pro-lynching song," and that he was "not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests." The singer stated on social media that "not a single lyric" in the song references race, and that the footage used in the music video was not actually news footage of riots.
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"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," said Aldean. "NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart. 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."
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.…
— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) July 18, 2023
The conservative singer added that his political views "have never been something I’ve hidden from," and while he does not know if the United States can return to a time "where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night," his song is about the desire to return to that time.
While the song was released in May, the song's music video was uploaded to YouTube on Friday. Footage in the video includes a U.S. flag burning, someone holding a Motolov cocktail, and people breaking into jewelry displays. CMT, a television network dedicated to country music videos, pulled the clip on Monday, according to a report.
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"Cuss out a cop, spit in his face/Stomp on the flag and light it up/Yeah, ya think you’re tough/Well, try that in a small town/See how far ya make it down the road,” the song's lyrics read.
As of Wednesday morning, the song's music video has 931,178 views on YouTube.