On Thursday, during continuous liberal criticism of singer Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” music video, country music icon Lee Greenwood, best known for his uplifting song “God Bless the USA,” defended the musician.
“I enjoy Jason Aldean’s music. He is the most ardent patriot, just like many of us. On “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Greenwood stated that this had nothing to do with racism. “This is about people attempting to restrict free speech. I wish I owned it since it’s a terrific tune. I adore Jason’s strategy. He is a fantastic artist and always acts morally.
A recent music video by Aldean for the pro-gun, anti-crime song featured real news footage of riots and looting in 2020. The message of the song is that small towns wouldn’t put up with the rioting and lawlessness that many cities throughout the nation experienced in the summer of 2020.
On May 11, 2023, Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany Aldean go to The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards. Getty Images/Jason Kempin
Aldean’s suggestion that lawlessness would not be tolerated in a small town was deemed “racist and violent” by activists, and the country artist was accused of publishing a “pro-lynching song,” therefore CMT removed the music video from circulation.
“The heart of America is a small town where everyone knows each other, and people cannot take our freedom away from us because of that,” I said, referring to my hometown in California. America’s heartland,” he declared.
Aldean sings, “Yeah, ya think you’re tough? Try that in a small town,” with lyrics telling violent criminals to “try that in a small town,” as well as those who insult police enforcement and the American flag. Let’s see how far you can get down the road if you do it in a small town. In this community, we look out for one another; if you step over that line, you’ll soon find out, therefore I advise against it.
Liberals online expressed outrage over the song’s severe attitude on crime and pro-Second Amendment message, but Greenwood said he is “grateful” for Aldean’s portrayal of the Second Amendment in the song.
“When you talk about guns and having them in your home for defense, it is not about having an offensive weapon, it’s about hunting, it’s about having the right to have the gun, and the people on the other side of that, it is the idiots that take to the street and kill other people,” he said to Fox News host Jesse Watters. And we have compassion for those who pass away. Our hearts go out to the victims of gun violence, but the people using the weapons, not the weapons themselves, are to blame. When they witness such a tragedy, I am very sorry that they placed the Second Amendment first. I’m appreciative of Jason Aldean and what he’s about to accomplish.
According to Variety, who wrote, “Jason Aldean Already Had the Most Contemptible Country Song of the Decade,” the artist was the author of the filthiest song of this decade. Even worse is the video.
On stage, Lee Greenwood performs before the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 29, 2022, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Getty Images/Jared C. Tilton)
A day after the hosts of “The View” declared the song’s message to be “deplorable” on-air, CNN dubbed Aldean’s song “controversial” in another headline on Wednesday.
Despite the criticism, Aldean’s song topped iTunes on Wednesday.
The words and the message of the country star shouldn’t be misrepresented by political or cultural conflicts, according to Greenwood.
“Let’s not get caught up in the lyrics of the music. Because it says nothing other than the reality that in a small community we look out for one another. That is all, he proclaimed.
In tweets and Instagram posts, Aldean refuted assertions that the song was intentionally racist or had racial overtones.
“While I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music, this one goes too far,” he wrote. “There is not a single lyric that references race or points to it- and there is not a single video clip that isn’t real news footage.” Aldean said to his nearly 8 million social media followers, “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 the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too thrilled with the statewide BLM protests.
