The song "Try That In a Small Town," which has made waves in the news after being pulled by Country Music Television, has made its way toward the top of several music charts in the wake of the reactions it has stirred online.
While the song was released a couple of months ago in May, CMT pulling it from its network has seemingly given it a boost in attention, reaching the No. 1 spot on iTunes on Tuesday. As of Thursday morning, the song is still going strong on iTunes, placing No. 15 on iTunes's Top 100 in the United States and No. 31 on the site's global Top 100.
Additionally, the song has made its way into the Top 10 songs on Amazon's "Hot New Releases" list, ranking No. 9 as of Tuesday. On YouTube, where the song's music video was uploaded on Friday, the song is at No. 2 as of Thursday morning.
The artist of the song, Jason Aldean, has defended the song after CMT pulled it from its rotation. Aldean, a conservative, also said that while his political views "have never been something I've hidden from," his song is about the desire to return to a time "where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night."
"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," Aldean wrote on social media. "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
Footage in the song's music video includes a U.S. flag burning, someone holding a Molotov 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.
Aldean has received support from multiple notable conservatives over CMT removing his song, including Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD), 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and Donald Trump Jr.