Jason Aldean speaks out on the controversy surrounding his “Try this in a small town” song and music video.
The 46-year-old country music star was criticized in July when the video surfaced, with many calling it racist. Aldean denied.
In a new interview on CBS Mornings along with Jan Crawford, Aldean continued to defend the song and criticized the use of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, as the backdrop for its music video. The courthouse was the scene of the lynching of a black teenager in 1927.
« I love the song. I was excited to cut it and I thought it was actually a song that said something for a change, not just another song for the radio, » Aldean expressed. « I didn’t expect it to get so much heat, and I think it was more because of the video than the song itself. »
As for the use of the courthouse, Aldean said, « For anyone who thinks we chose this building specifically for that reason, because there was a lynching there, whatever, » before Crawford does ask if he was aware of the building’s history.
« No, but I also don’t go back 100 years to check the history of a place before going to film there. It’s also the place where I get my license plates every year. C « This is my county that I live in, » he said. said.
As for whether he would choose to shoot the video in the same location this time around, Aldean said, « Knowing what I know now, probably not, but it’s also, again, I won’t go back 100 years back to check the history of this building. Honestly, if you’re in the South, you could probably go to any small town courthouse and be hard-pressed to find one that hasn’t had a racial problem over the years at a given moment. It is a fact « .
Aldean then shared his intention behind the video.
« The idea behind the video was to show, you know, lawlessness and disrespect for cops and, you know, trashing and burning down cities. I just don’t agree with that » said Aldean. « It’s just… I don’t know, I feel like the narrative has changed and become more of a racial type story. It’s like that’s what you take away from the song and from the video, I mean, I almost feel like it’s your fault because that wasn’t our intention.
He supports her song and video, saying, « I would do it again every time. »
When Crawford reminded him of his comments about changing the location of the courthouse video, he edited: « Without the setting – knowing what I know now, obviously, you know, knowing that it was going to be a thing. You know, maybe consider doing it somewhere else. I know what the intentions were behind the venue, the video, the song, all of that. And, you know, I stand by all of that. »
CBS Mornings Gayle King responded to Aldean’s interview, saying she wished he would have shown more « sensitivity » to the criticism surrounding the video.
The music video’s production company, Tacklebox, previously confirmed to ET that the location is a « popular filming location outside of Nashville » and cited several music videos and films that have been filmed there, including most recently the Lifetime Original film . Enter the holidays starring Mario Lopez and Jana Kramer, a music video from Runaway June called « We Were Rich », a holiday film from Paramount A Country Christmas in Nashville with Tanya Tucker — as well as the Hannah Montana movie. The production company said: “Any alternative narrative suggesting the clip’s localization decision is false. » Tacklebox also noted that Aldean did not choose the location.
Despite backlash and the removal of the music video from County Music Television, « Try That in a Small Town » found viral streaming success.
The track, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, is Aldean’s highest-charting single on the all-genre pop chart, with « Dirt Road Anthem » having peaked at No. 7 in 2011. His latest single, « That’s What Tequila Does », reached No. 77 earlier this year.
Following the initial reaction surrounding the clip, the clip was quietly reissued with some footage from Black Lives Matter protests removed.
RELATED CONTENT:
