Does Jason Aldean write his own songs? Try That in a Small Town lyrics controversy explained

Jason Aldean recently released his new country song Try That in a Small Town, which has got the internet quite riled up. The song lyrics were written by Kelley Lovelace, Tully Kennedy, Neil Thrasher, and Kurt Allison. Jason Aldean himself hasn’t written any of his songs since 2009.

Aldean told Apple Music, “My problem was always and still is. It’s not that I don’t write or can’t write.” He added that he is his own worst critic.

The American singer’s last contribution to song lyrics was with Keep the Girl from his third album, Wide Open. Try That in a Small Town has been speculated to be racist and pro-lynching.

Aldean tweeted about the music video on July 14, 2023, saying:

"When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of “we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other."

He added that he hopes the music video would help bring back the sense of community and respect.

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Why did Jason Aldean's song, Try That in a Small Town, spark controversy?

Try That in a Small Town starts with Jason Aldean performing in front of a white building with his band. According to Variety, the location is where Henry Choate was dragged by a white lynch mob and hanged in 1927. The white building has a projector aligned to it, showing shots of riots and gun violence. There are clips of people burning the American flag and robbing stores.

After Try That in a Small Town was released on July 14, 2023, Jason Aldean went to his social media to share a clip of the music video. A part of the caption said:

"When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of “we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.” It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost."

He wanted to bring back that respect with the help of this song.

Shannon Watts, a gun violence prevention activist, took to Twitter to express her displeasure about the music video. She said Jason Aldean and his friends “will shoot you if you try to take their guns.”

In her tweet, she added the lyrics of Try That in a Small Town music video.

Shannon's post went viral, and many netizens came forward to criticize Aldean and the music video.

User @MsPackyetti also continued her remark by analyzing the lyrics of the video, calling it a "racist dog whistle."

In response to all the criticism and accusations, Jason Aldean posted a story on his Instagram story.

Jason Aldean's response to the hate he received for his music video (Image via Instagram/@jasonaldean)

He started by saying,

"In the past 24 hour 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 pleased with the nationwide BLM protests."

The country singer called the references baseless and dangerous. Aldean explained the meaning behind the music video. He said the song is about the community he grew up in, where everyone cared for “neighbors” regardless of background and belief.

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Country Music Television has pulled the song out of rotation

Aldean performed on the stage of CMA Fest 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Jason Aldean, 46, is an American country music singer from Georgia, USA. Aldean is known to be a spokesperson for pro-Trump politics and a supporter of gun possession. He has released 10 albums and 40 singles with Broken Bow Records since 2005. Jason Aldean usually does not write lyrics to his songs. The last song he contributed with lyrics was in 2009 when he co-wrote a song from his third album Wide Open, called Keep the Girl.

Try That in a Small Town was produced by Michael Knox, Aldean's longtime producer friend. After the Try That in a Small Town music video received immense backlash, Country Music Television pulled the song out of rotation. It was confirmed by USA TODAY, which received an email from a CMT spokesperson.