Jason Aldean's song "Try That in a Small Town" caused a backlash for various reasons, but some have pointed out his hypocrisy as he was singing a different tune about small towns just four years ago.
The country song has caused a stir after being accused of promoting gun violence and containing "racist undertones." Social media has seen thousands of people slamming the song, which only aroused controversy after the music video was released in July.
Despite the backlash, the likes of former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have stood by Aldean.
"Try That in a Small Town" sees Aldean sing about how a small town community sticks together and won't stand for criminal behavior. He stood by the song and its message with social media statements, but Twitter users pointed out that in 2019's "Rearview Town" he seemed to have a different stance.
"The funniest thing about the Jason Aldean controversy is that he also released a song in 2019 called "Rearview Town" about how he defiantly left a small town because it sucked," journalist Ryan Deto wrote on Twitter in a post which has since gone viral.
Rearview Town was the name of Aldean's eighth studio album, released in April 2018. The titular song, "Rearview Town" was released in February 2019, and was written by songwriters Kelley Lovelace, Bobby Pinson and Neil Thrasher.
Similarly, Aldean's song "Try That in a Small Town," which was released on May 2023, was written by other people. Songwriters Lovelace and Thrasher worked on this track, alongside Tully Kennedy and Kurt Allison.
YouTuber Ryan Shead compared the lyrics of both songs and called Aldean a "typical conservative clown. Following the money and lying to make as much of it as possible before moving to the next musical grift."
The funniest thing about the Jason Aldean controversy is that he also released a song in 2019 called “Rearview Town” about how he defiantly left a small town because it sucked pic.twitter.com/Le9Ubw6SMV
— Ryan Deto (@RyanDeto) July 19, 2023Twitter user @HilbillyLiberal agreed with Shead, calling Aldean a "pandering fraud."
Another user to share the lyrics to "Rearview Town" was Twitter user @netcomp who called Aldean "all kinds of mixed up." They added, "a couple of years ago he couldn't wait to get out of a small town."
"Seems @Jason_Aldean forgot about THIS SONG of his, the hypocrite," @KatieAnnieOakly wrote on Twitter, pointing out "Rearview Town." She goes on to point out that Aldean's actual hometown might not be the one he's talking about in the song.
Anyone remember this Jason Aldean song? It’s called “Rearview Town”.
It’s about leaving a small town because it sucks.
He’s such a pandering fraud. 😂😂😂
(2nd pic is partial lyrics) pic.twitter.com/ODwRajYOZg
— The Southern Lib (@HilbillyLiberal) July 23, 2023Various biographies written about Aldean online state that he was born and raised in Macon, Georgia, a city in Bibb County with a population of 157,346 in 2020.
The 2023 song "Try That in a Small Town" was pulled off air by Country Music Television (CMT) after the lyrics were deemed "very scary" by some and after it was discovered the music video was filmed outside a Tennessee courthouse where a mob killed a Black man in 1927.
Influencer and activist Destinee Stark spoke out about how she'd received death threats from Aldean's fans because of a number of TikTok videos she'd made dissecting the lyrics to the song which she said had "racist undertones."
"All I've done is point out racist undertones of a song & I've gotten dozens of death threats, been slandered & accused of fraud, been doxxed, & have had the most vile s*** said to me by @Jason_Aldean's fans," she said on Friday, July 21. "If he won't stand against racism, he should AT LEAST stand against this."
Newsweek has contacted Aldean's representatives via email for further comment.
Responding to the criticism of "Try That in a Small Town," Aldean said on Twitter on July 18 that the song, "for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief."
"My political views have never been something I've hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this Country don't agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to—that's what this song is about," he said.
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