'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
American country singer Jason Aldean's new song Try That in a Small Town has faced severe backlash online for being politically charged. On July 18, the 46-year-old star took to his Instagram handle to share a glimpse of his new music video that featured him performing in front of a courthouse with the national flag draped on it.
There are also scenes of protests, blazing cars and flags, smash-and-grab thefts, and at the end of the video, people raise American flags and talk about helping their neighbors. Captioning the footage, Aldean wrote that an "unspoken rule" of living in a small town means everyone looks out and has each other's backs.
"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."
The official video was shared on YouTube on July 14, and at one point shows a Fox News broadcast with the phrase "state of emergency declared in Georgia" flashing on the screen. An old man also appears on the screen and says:
“It’s what this community and a lot of farm communities stand for: Somebody needs some help, they’ll get it.”
The video caused an uproar online for its allegedly threatening lyrics. Country Music Television (CMT) also pulled the controversial Jason Aldean music video off the air after playing it in the morning music hours on July 16. The network gave no other explanation for why they removed the music video, which did not sit right with several Jason Aldean fans.
Twitter reacts to CMT yanking Jason Aldean's Try That in a Small Town video
After the news that CMT has yanked Jason Aldean's new music video for his song Try That in a Small Town went viral, Twitterati was furious. Several users slammed the network for following a leftist ideology on such matters and threatened it with the "Budlight treatment."
Others outrightly supported Aldean, stating he is not a "racist" and is only singing lyrics that represent the inner feelings of a small-town person.
Jason Aldean addressed the controversy surrounding the lyrics of Try That in a Small Town
On July 19, Jason Aldean took to his Twitter handle to share a lengthy tweet defending his new release, which has been dubbed as "a pro-lynching song" and compared to "BLM protests."
"These references 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."
He then points out that he witnessed one of the most deadly gun massacres in U.S. history in October 2017, and assures that no one, including him, "wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart."
Jason Aldean then defends his song and said that he grew up in a community where everyone took care of each other regardless of their background differences.
"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."
As of writing, CMT has not responded to the backlash received or shared the reason why it is not airing Jason Aldean's new song anymore.
