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Try That in a Small Town

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"Try That in a Small Town"
The song's cover artwork has Jason Aldean in a cowboy hat, featured on the left side.
Single by Jason Aldean
ReleasedMay 22, 2023 (2023-05-22)
GenreCountry[1] Country Rock
Length3:01
LabelBBR
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Michael Knox
Jason Aldean singles chronology
"That's What Tequila Does"
(2022) 		"Try That in a Small Town"
(2023)
Music video
"Try That in a Small Town" on YouTube

"Try That in a Small Town" is a song written by Kelley Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, Tully Kennedy, and Kurt Allison, and recorded by American country music singer Jason Aldean. It was released to country radio in May 2023 as the lead single to Aldean's upcoming eleventh studio album.

The song was the subject of widespread controversy and media attention following the release of its music video in July 2023. Due to the extensive media coverage, the song garnered significant public interest and a surge in popularity.

The song debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, Aldean's highest-peaking effort on that chart to date.[2] After the cancellation and controversy, its popularity surged and it experienced the biggest sales week for a country song in over 10 years.[3]

Content

"Try That in a Small Town" contrasts rural and urban lifestyles. It asserts that behavior such as flag burning or protests and attacks toward police officers will face stronger consequences in a rural setting than an urban one: "try that in a small town, see how far ya make it down the road".[4] In the second verse, Aldean sings about gun rights and not wanting his own to be confiscated.[5][6]

Music video

On July 14, Aldean released the song's music video, directed by Shaun Silva. The video features Aldean performing in front of the courthouse of Columbia, Tennessee—where the lynching of Henry Choate had also occurred in 1927[7]—interspersed with news footage of rallies, looting, and riots directed at police officers.[8] It has scenes of Americana, such as a young girl playing hopscotch and a group of farmers helping each other.[9]

Four days after the video's release, the television network CMT withdrew it from rotation.[9] In response to Aldean's statements, social media users and media outlets reported that the video includes multiple clips filmed outside the United States, including commercial stock footage.[10] Rolling Stone reported that the music video contains footage from Canadian protests in Toronto and Montreal.[11] An edit of the video, removing a scene of protest footage in Atlanta, Georgia, was uploaded to YouTube on July 26.[12]

Reception

Alexandra Willingham of CNN wrote that "on the surface, it has the makings of a common country hit, with themes of small towns, guns, and rugged self-sufficience".[1] Writing for MusicRow, Robert K. Oermann described the song as "[t]uneless, bellicose bellowing about how evil big cities are".[13]

In July 2023, the song and its music video were condemned by many critics, artists, politicians, and consumers who considered the lyrics and video to be racist and violent. Chris Willman of Variety called it "the most contemptible country song of the decade [and] the video is worse", saying that the song "is close to being the most cynical song ever written about the implicit moral superiority of having a limited number of neighbors" and is "a list of hellishly dystopian tropes about city evils that seems half-borrowed from Hank Williams Jr.'s 'A Country Boy Can Survive', half-borrowed from the Book of Revelation". He said that the video "conflates the act of protesting with violent crime".[6] Marcus K. Dowling of The Tennessean wrote that "online critics highlighted the following song lyrics as emblematic of songs heightening pro-gun violence and lynching sentiments upon many in his rural, small-town fanbase". Of the video, Dowling noted that the courthouse was the site of the lynching of Henry Choate in 1927 and the Columbia race riot of 1946.[14]

Cheryl L. Keyes, chair of the department of African American studies at UCLA said, "I think there is a lack of sensitivity using that courthouse as a prop".[15] Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder said that he respected Aldean's "freedom of his own lyrics", but hoped the next video filmed in Columbia would "seek a more positive message".[16] 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."[17] He explicitly referred to the song as a "heinous vile racist song" which attempts to normalize "racist, violence, vigilantism and white nationalism" in a later interview on CNN.[18]

CNN and Newsweek reported that many listeners found the lyrics to be hypocritical in promoting guns, as Aldean had previously called guns "too easy to get" after having fled the stage during the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.[1] Others thought the lyrics were supportive of lynchings and sundown towns.[4][5][1] Sharon Knolle of TheWrap likewise noted such comparisons among users of social media.[7]

Amanda Marie Martinez of NPR considered it an example of country music songs which denigrate urban lifestyles while praising rural ones: "Cities are painted as spaces where crime, sexual promiscuity, and personal and financial ruin occur, while the 'country' is meanwhile framed as a peaceful space where happiness reigns." She wrote that the song "builds on a lineage of anti-city songs in country music that place the rural and urban along not only a moral versus immoral binary, but an implicitly racialized one as well...selective availability of home loans in suburbs and racially restrictive housing covenants in cities furthered white flight, making cities synonymous with non-whiteness." She concluded by stating that such songs are "why country music continues to be a frightening space for marginalized communities".[19]

The music video garnered over 17 million views on YouTube in the first ten days of its release on July 14.[20] Republican presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley began playing the song at their campaign events, with Ramaswamy saying he wanted to help get it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[21]

Response from artists

Other musicians have responded to the song. Sheryl Crow criticized both the song and Aldean on Twitter, claimed that "even people in small towns are sick of violence", accused Aldean of "promoting violence", and stated that the song "is not American or small town-like. It's just lame."[22] Adeem the Artist recorded and posted on Twitter a parody titled "Sundown Town", satirizing the song's viewpoints: "we root for the cops to stop people like you".[23] Jason Isbell dared Aldean to author his own next song instead of licensing from a third party.[24]

Travis Tritt wrote in support of Aldean that "[In my opinion], this song isn't promoting violence as some have suggested", and that it represents the viewpoint of many Americans who are opposed to the escalating violence of certain activist groups.[25][26] In more support for Aldean, singer Parker McCollum retweeted a post, originally by political commentator Matt Walsh, highlighting a perceived double-standard of those who say the song "promotes violence" while "nearly every rap song for the past 30 years has directly and enthusiastically glorified murder, drug dealing, robbery and every other violent crime, and these people say nothing".[24]

TikTok user Destinee Stark analyzed footage of the video and found that contradicting Aldean's claims, there were multiple instances of content pulled from stock footage sites, including a clip from a German music festival and another from a Bulgaria-based stock footage studio. She later reported receiving death threats from Aldean's fans after publishing her analysis.[27]

Responding to criticism, Aldean tweeted that the song "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."[1] He said, "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."[14]

Charts

"Try That in a Small Town" debuted at number 24 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated June 3, 2023.[28] On the Hot Country Songs chart that week, it debuted at number 35.[29] It debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Aldean's highest-peaking effort on that chart to date.[2] Furthermore, it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Aldean's first number one on that chart since "Burnin' It Down" in 2014.[30]

Weekly chart performance for "Try That in a Small Town"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[31] 36
Global 200 (Billboard)[32] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 2
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[34] 24
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[30] 1

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Willingham, Alexandra (July 18, 2023). "Jason Aldean responds to backlash over politically charged single". CNN. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Trust, Gary (July 24, 2023). "Jung Kook's 'Seven,' Featuring Latto, Blasts In at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Followed by Jason Aldean". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  3. ^ Sherman, Maria (July 24, 2023). "Jason Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' scores record-breaking sales despite controversy". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Skipworth, William (July 18, 2023). "Jason Aldean Sees Backlash For Music Video About Guns And Police Protesters". Forbes. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Power, Shannon (July 17, 2023). "Jason Aldean's New Song Sparks Outrage Over Guns—'Very Scary Lyrics'". Newsweek. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Willman, Chris (July 18, 2023). "Jason Aldean Already Had the Most Contemptible Country Song of the Decade. The Video Is Worse". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Knolle, Sharon (July 18, 2023). "Jason Aldean Denies 'Try That In a Small Town' Song Is 'Pro-Lynching' as CMT Pulls Inflammatory Video". TheWrap. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  8. ^ Wendowski, Andrew (July 14, 2023). "Jason Aldean Makes Bold Statement With Politically-Charged Music Video For "Try That In A Small Town"". Music Mayhem. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Newman, Melinda (July 18, 2023). "CMT Pulls Jason Aldean's Controversial 'Try That In a Small Town' Video: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Getahun, Hannah (July 23, 2023). "TikTok sleuths discover Jason Aldean's music video of protest footage features multiple clips from demonstrations outside the US". Insider. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  11. ^ Blistein, Jon (July 19, 2023). "Jason Aldean's 'Try That In a Small Town' Video Sure Features a Lot of Footage From Canada". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  12. ^ Daniel Kreps (July 26, 2023). "Jason Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' Video Edited to Remove Atlanta Protest Footage". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  13. ^ Oermann, Robert K. (June 9, 2023). "DISClaimer Single Reviews: Parker McCollum Shows His Star Power On 'Smoldering Heartache Song'". MusicRow. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Dowling, Marcus K. (July 18, 2023). "Jason Aldean speaks out on controversial 'Try That In A Small Town' video". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  15. ^ Carballo, Rebecca (July 21, 2023). "The History of the Lynching Site Where Jason Aldean Filmed a Music Video". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  16. ^ Whittington, Jordan (July 19, 2023). "Columbia mayor responds to controversial Jason Aldean music video shot in downtown square". Fox 17, WZTV Nashville. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  17. ^ Ellis, Maddie; Kaufman, Sarah (July 23, 2023). "Jason Aldean defends controversial song 'Try That In a Small Town' at concert". Today. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  18. ^ Kaufman, Gil (July 20, 2023). "Jason Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' Condemned as 'Vile Racist Song' By Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  19. ^ Martínez, Amanda Marie (July 22, 2023). "Jason Aldean's 'Small Town' is part of a long legacy with a very dark side". NPR. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  20. ^ Murray, Tom (July 24, 2023). "Jason Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' soars to the top of US charts amid music video controversy". The Independent. Retrieved July 25, 2023 – via Yahoo! News.
  21. ^ Barnett, Emma; Egwuonwu, Nnamdi (July 21, 2023). "Haley and Ramaswamy play Jason Aldean song 'Try That In A Small Town' at campaign events". Meet the Press Blog. NBC News.
  22. ^ Weisholtz, Drew (July 19, 2023). "Sheryl Crow forcefully responds to controversy around Jason Aldean's song 'Try That in a Small Town'". Today. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Willman, Chris (July 20, 2023). "Country Music's Adeem the Artist Satirizes Jason Aldean's 'Small Town' With a Biting Parody Song, 'Sundown Town'". Variety. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Macke, Johnni (July 21, 2023). "Musicians Jake Isbell and Jake Owen Quarrel Over Jason Aldean's "Try That In A Small Town" Song". U.S. Weekly. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  25. ^ "Travis Tritt Speaks Out To Show Support For Jason Aldean Amid "Try That In A Small Town" Backlash". Music Mayhem. July 19, 2023.
  26. ^ Weisholtz, Drew (July 21, 2023). "Why is Jason Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' so controversial?". Today. NBC News.
  27. ^ "TikTok User Who Debunked Jason Aldean's Bogus Claims Says She's Receiving Death Threats". Gizmodo. July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  28. ^ "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. May 26, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  29. ^ "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. May 30, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Jason Aldean Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  31. ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  32. ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  33. ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  34. ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
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