Jason Aldean has issued a statement responding to the backlash to his latest music video, “Try That in a Small Town”, calling accusations of the images being in support of lynching “meritless”.
The country musician, 46, released the song in May, but it has garnered more attention since the release of the accompanying video on Friday (14 July).
The song has been criticised for its mention of gun ownership and use, particularly since Aldean was a performer at Route 91 Festival in Las Vegas in 2017, where a shooter killed 60 people and injured 400. The incident is the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in American history.
“Try That in a Small Town” contains lyrics that warn those who cause trouble in the narrator’s neighbourhood of the possible consequences.
Scenes in the video show Aldean performing in front of a courthouse with an American flag hanging from the entrance, as well as images of protesters fighting with police officers.
Examples of offending actions mentioned in the song include “Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk / Carjack an old lady at a red light / Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store”, before Aldean sings: “Well, try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own”.
Since the video was released, it has been viewed over 800,000 times on YouTube. However, it was pulled from rotation on Country Music Television on Tuesday (18 July), though the American broadcaster has not provided a reason for its decision.
Aldean has since responded to the criticism in a post on Twitter.
Jason Aldean— (Getty Images)
“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,” his message began.
“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.”
Aldean went on to reference the deadly violence at Route 91 festival, as well as another “heartbreaking tragedy” – a mass shooting last week in his home state of Georgia.
“NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart,” he continued.
“‘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 neighbours, regardless of differences of background or belief.”
The single will be featured on Aldean’s forthcoming album, expected to release later this year.
