Jason Aldean, Try That In A Small Town | Controversial Tunes 😈🎶

In the 19^th edition of Controversial Tunes (2023), we explore the controversy behind the song, “Try That In A Small Town” by Jason Aldean.

Bring on the controversy! Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 is a column that provides background information and insight into songs that raised eyebrows and totally stirred the pot.  The records that grace Controversial Tunes are old and new alike, with all genres of music welcome.  In the 19^th edition of Controversial Tunes (2023), we explore the controversy behind the song, 🎵 “Try That In A Small Town” by 🎙 Jason Aldean. 

Intent is important. Sometimes, things happen that we didn’t originally intend, good or bad.  When something bad happens, the hope is that there wasn’t bad intent.  Country musician 🎙 Jason Aldean, known for his conservative, Republican views, ignited a firestorm with his song, 🎵 “Try That in A Small Town”.  To be fair, the song itself, which was released in May 2023, is NOT explicitly controversial, at least without dissection.  The intent behind this country song seems to be about the beauty of the small town – morals, togetherness, and a lack of controversy.  Musically, Aldean sings well – his tone is lovely.  Furthermore, the sound of the record is idiomatic of country music.  Without the music video, a huge source of the controversy, or digging deeper to decode lyrically, “Try That in A Small Town” appears to have gotten the short end of the stick.  Despite this ‘cancellation,’ the record has earned Aldean the biggest hit of his career, peaking at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. So, besides the video, what specifically has offended folks about the song itself?

“Try That In A Small Town” does raise some eyebrows sans the video.  Taking a fair approach, let’s examine some of the lyrics considered potentially problematic. It begins with “Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk,” which, morally, most would agree sucker punching someone randomly on the sidewalk is wrong.  However, that lyric, intentionally or unintentionally, opens a can of worms. These sucker punches – considered to be more urban myth statistically – referenced are tied to fearmongering and have a “racially motivated history” per Insider. Later, Aldean sings,  “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough.” Aldean speaks about the importance of respecting the men in blue and honoring the flag. Those lyrics don’t sound malicious but, it should be noted, coupled with the video, the lyrics write-off protest, which for many Americans, is an important means to enact change. The music video highlights protest footage, painting it in a negative light, hence, discounting what cause people are fighting for.

Moving to the chorus, Jason Aldean makes it clear that the wokeness of the city wouldn’t stand a chance in his small town! In fact, if that wokeness entered, his “Good ol’ boys, raised up right” will take care of that themselves! The tight-knit nature of a small town shouldn’t be written off.  If you have lived in or been raised in a small community, there is something truly special. So, where’s the controversy? Internal justice, to some extent, as well as potential closeminded-ness. “Try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road,” he threatens, adding, “‘Round here, we take care of our own / You cross the line, it won’t take long / For you to find out, I recommend you don’t.” In some regard, there is a sense of exclusivity, which can rub folks the wrong way if you happen to be, say, different from others in a small town. Is this a huge red flag lyrically? No, but how does a small town determine who’s allowed and who’s not, and where does that become potentially discriminatory.  Do I believe this is Aldean’s intent? No, but some may perceive it as such.

The song, for the most part, embraces a conservative, simpler less complicated view of America. It is a view where there is no space for chaos or disorder.  Those big cities are ruining the United States, basically… Donald Trump called them democratic-run cities. The biggest issues with “Try That In A Small Town” is the video. The worst part is the dark history that Aldean conjures up with the video: Black Lives Matters protests projected on a Tennessee courthouse where a black teen was lynched in 1927.  Not cool.  To be fair, Aldean was likely unaware of this.  However, showing Black Lives Matter scenes in a negative light makes some question if he is racist. Notably, given the lack of clearance for the footage, the Black Lives Matter scenes were edited out, which is a positive. A host of folks have cancelled Jason given the protest/police brutality footage, and CMT removed the video. Even so, Aldean’s song has been a huge success.  All told, 🎵 “Try That in A Small Town” has earned its place in controversial tune history.  The music video carries the brunt, however, Aldean is not absolved – he’s had his share of controversy.  Basically, make your own decision regarding this song – most folks already have.

🎙 Jason Aldean • 🎵 “Try That in A Small Town” • 🏷 Macon Music, LLC • 🗓 2023

Jason Aldean, Try That in A Small Town: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 19 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Macon Music, LLC; Anand Kulkarni, Aykut Bingül, Luân Phan, mohammadreza merhvand via Pexels; Anna, Gordon Taylor, harshahars from Pixabay; christian buehner on Unsplash]