Amid the ongoing debate and controversy surrounding Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town,” the mayor of the “small town” the music video was filmed in has spoken out.
Mayor Chaz Molder of Columbia, Tenn., said that he respects Aldean’s “freedom of his own lyrics,” but also hopes the next music video filmed in his town will “seek a more positive message,” according to local news station FOX 17.
“Like many small towns across America, Columbia, Tennessee is focused on bringing people together,” he told the station. “I hadn’t listened to the song prior to today, but I’ve now seen the video.”
On Tuesday (July 18), the country singer responded to recent claims that “Try That in a Small Town” is pro-gun, pro-violence and a “modern lynching song.” The song challenges those who “pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store” or “cuss out a cop” to, as the title suggests, try those actions in a small town and “see how far ya make it down the road.” The song’s video features footage of American flag burning, protesters having confrontations with police, looters breaking a display case and thieves robbing a convenience store.
“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 a comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests,” Jason wrote in his statement. “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.”
CMT has since pulled the video from its rotation after running it for three days, Billboard confirmed, and Aldean’s wife Brittany came to his defense. On the other hand, stars like Sheryl Crow and Margo Price have spoken out against Jason Aldean’s choice to perform and release a song like “Try That in a Small Town.”
This story originally appeared on Billboard
