Jason Aldean Defends Country Song After CMT Pulls It After Critics Say It’s ‘Pro Lynching’

Country singer Jason Aldean is defending his controversial music video for his song “Try That in a Small Town” after CMT pulled it from its air. 

The song was launched in May, but the music video was only released last Friday, which CMT has run multiple times. After receiving complaints from viewers, CMT decided to stop airing it on Monday. 

In a tweet on Tuesday, Aldean stated that he has “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.”

He continued on to call these claims “dangerous” and “meritless.”

“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it,” he said. “And there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage. While I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far.” 

The song includes some controversial lyrics like, “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s— might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town.”

Aldean defended this take saying that the lyrics refer “to the feeling of a community that I had growing up… regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any 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… But the desire for it to – that’s what this song is about.” 

This tweet did not make many listeners feel better – critics say that the video also seems to play into racist themes. It was actually filmed in front of the courthouse that is known to have the site where Henry Choate was lynched back in the 1920s in Tennessee. Additionally, it is where the Columbia Race Riot occurred in 1946.

Aldean noted that the song has been characterized as “pro-lynching” but didn’t address the controversy of the location. 

Many critics on social media said that the song does not focus on communities in small towns, but is a threat to outsiders and black people and promotes pro-gun views.

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. We will continue to call for common sense gun laws, that protect ALL our children and communities.”

The video additionally features violent scenes of demonstrations, protests, the burning of an American flag and fights between civilians and police officers. 

Many critics have brought up the tragic incident at the Route 92 concert in Las Vegas in 2017 after a shooter killed 60 people and harmed hundreds more where Aldean was performing.

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Aldean responded, “I was present at Route 91 – where so many lost their lives – and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy. NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.”