Current:Home > FinanceJason Aldean defends 'Try That in a Small Town' song: 'What I was seeing was wrong'-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Jason Aldean defends 'Try That in a Small Town' song: 'What I was seeing was wrong'
lotradecoin two-factor authentication setup View Date:2024-12-25 21:15:41
Jason Aldean says the reaction to his hit song "Try That in a Small Town" and the accompanying music video was made into "something that it's not."
During a Wednesday episode of "Coop's Rockin' Country Saturday Night," a country music podcast hosted by radio host Sean "Coop" Tabler, the 46-year-old talked about the controversy surrounding the song and video, which was released over the summer.
"The biggest issue I think people had when we released the song was that it mentioned 'having a gun that my grandfather gave me,'" Aldean said. "I mentioned a gun, that's a no-no right now, and I just remember thinking, 'Man, you guys haven't even seen the video yet.'"
The music video, released in July, shows clips from recent protests, including clips of protestors yelling at police and the igniting of American flags. The video was quickly pulled from CMT.
"If you've got common sense, you can look at the video and see, I'm not saying anything that's not true," Aldean said. "In the video, I'm showing you what happened — I didn't do it, I didn't create it — it just happened, and I saw it, and I'm not cool with it."
Aldean's video received fervent criticism online this summer, with some claiming the visual is a "dog whistle" and others labeling it "pro-lynching."
"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 wrote in a tweet posted in July.
The "If I Didn't Love You" singer told Tabler on Wednesday that he needed to be "the guy" to say something about the violent protests.
"I don't care which side of the political fence you want to stand on, but to me, what I was seeing was wrong, and nobody would say anything, especially in the music industry or entertainment industry," Aldean explained. "It's very uncommon for someone to say something for fear of losing a job or losing some money… losing friends or whatever. It just kind of reaches a breaking point to where you're like, 'Somebody needs to say something, and if nobody's gonna do it, then I'll be the guy.'"
Jason Aldean links'Try That In A Small Town' to Boston Marathon bombing at concert
In response to the massive wave of criticism against the music video for "Try That In A Small Town," which topped the Billboard Hot 100, The Washington Post reported that a version featuring Black Lives Matter protest footage was removed less than two weeks after its release.
A news clip from Atlanta's Fox 5 showing the city's 2020 and 2021 Black Lives Matter protest confrontations is no longer visible in the video. Aldean's representatives said a spoken-word clip of a wheelchair-bound elderly man appealing to rural values and another man in a baseball cap and sunglasses staring into the sun are not present in the video's re-uploaded version.
About the removal of the clips, Aldean's label, Broken Bow Records, added that "third party copyright clearance issues" are to blame for the removal of the footage − not online criticism.
Contributing: Maria Sherman, The Associated Press, and Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean
Maren Morrissays she's leaving country music: 'Burn it to the ground and start over'
veryGood! (9)
Related
- The Sunscreen and Moisturizer Duo That Saved My Skin on a Massively Hot European Vacation
- When a teenager's heart stopped, his friends jumped into action — and their CPR training saved his life
- 3 caught in Florida Panhandle rip current die a day after couple drowns off state’s Atlantic coast
- Here’s a look at Trump’s VP shortlist and why each contender may get picked or fall short
- Infamous LA officer’s gun found in $1 million watch robbery case
- Cruise ship rescues 68 migrants adrift in Atlantic
- Man accused of 'deliberately' trying to drown his two children at Connecticut beach: police
- LOCALIZE IT: HIV cases are on the rise in young gay Latinos, especially in the Southeast
- A stowaway groundhog is elevated to local icon
- Florida family whose roof hit by debris from space station sues NASA for damages
Ranking
- How 'Millionaire' host Jimmy Kimmel helped Team Barinholtz win stunning top prize
- Travis Kelce's Mom Donna Shares Video of Him Carrying Taylor Swift Onstage at Eras Tour Show
- The Wayback Machine, a time machine for the web
- USA TODAY 301: NASCAR qualifying canceled at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, lineup set
- Giants trading Jordan Phillips to Cowboys in rare deal between NFC East rivals
- Alyson Stoner Addresses Whether They Actually Wanted to Be a Child Star
- Taylor Wily, 'Hawaii Five-0' and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' actor, dies at 56
- California boy, 4, who disappeared from campground found safe after 22 hours alone in wilderness
Recommendation
-
Anchorage police shoot, kill teenage girl who had knife; 6th police shooting in 3 months
-
Scottie Scheffler wins PGA Tour event after 6 climate protesters run onto 18th green and spray powder
-
Why Candace Cameron Bure Is Fiercely Protective of the Full House She's Built With Husband Valeri Bure
-
Gen X finally tops boomer 401(k) balances, but will it be enough to retire?
-
NASA still hasn't decided the best way to get the Starliner crew home: 'We've got time'
-
Mega Millions winning numbers for June 21 drawing: Jackpot rises to $97 million
-
COVID summer wave grows, especially in West, with new variant LB.1 on the rise
-
Caeleb Dressel's honesty is even more remarkable than his 50 free win at Olympic trials