The country singer released a statement that defended the lyrics of the song after the music video, which was filmed at the Maury County Courthouse, caused internet outrage.
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00:00 Now Jason Aldean is getting heat from the country community and beyond for his new single
00:04 Try That in a Small Town and the music video that goes along with it.
00:08 The video was filmed at the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, which is the same
00:13 location that an 18-year-old African American, Henry Choate, was dragged in the streets and
00:19 lynched in 1927 after being accused of attacking a white woman.
00:24 It also includes footage of some of the violence that took place during the BLM protests, a
00:29 majority of which were peaceful.
00:30 The song itself refers to Jason owning a gun and referring to the fact that he and fellow
00:36 small town folks will hurt anybody who gets in their way or disagrees with their values.
00:41 CMT has chosen to stop airing the music video for the single, which came out back in May,
00:46 and many stars, including Sheryl Crow, have slammed Jason for the song and the visuals.
00:51 In a tweet, Sheryl wrote, "I'm from a small town.
00:53 Even people in small towns are sick of violence.
00:56 There's nothing small town or American about promoting violence.
00:59 You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.
01:03 This is not American or small town-like.
01:05 It's just lame."
01:06 As the Soak Up The Sun star mentioned, Jason notably survived the Route 91 Harvest mass
01:11 shooting in Las Vegas that took place while he was performing on stage in 2017.
01:16 The gunman killed 60 people at Jason's show, which you would think would make him sensitive
01:21 to things like gun control and violence.
01:23 The singer released a statement in response to the backlash on his social media pages,
01:27 denying that he meant any harm with the lyrics or the video.
01:31 Jason wrote, "In the past 24 hours, I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song,
01:35 a song that has been out since May, and was subject to the comparison that I direct quote
01:40 'was not too pleased' with the nationwide BLM protests.
01:44 These references are not only meritless but dangerous.
01:47 There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it, and there
01:51 isn't a single video clip that isn't real news footage.
01:54 And while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with
01:59 music, this one goes too far."
02:02 He continued, "As so many pointed out, I was present at Route 91, where so many lost
02:06 their lives, and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy.
02:11 No one, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines of families ripped
02:15 apart.
02:16 'Try That in a Small Town' for me refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing
02:21 up, where we took care of our neighbors regardless of differences of background or belief.
02:26 Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences.
02:29 My political views have never been something that I have hidden from, and I know that a
02:34 lot of us in this country don't agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we
02:39 go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night.
02:42 But the desire for it too.