Sheryl Crow took to Twitter to call out Jason Aldean's controversial lyrics in the chorus of his song "Try That in a Small Town." The lyrics have been widely accused of being pro-gun and pro-lynching, although Aldean has ardently denied those claims, calling them "meritless" and "dangerous."
In a Tuesday tweet directed at Aldean's account, Crow wrote: "I'm from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence. There's nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town-like. It's just lame." Crow was specifically referencing Aldean's 2017 Route 91 Harvest Music Festival performance when a gunman opened fire, killing 60 people and injuring hundreds.
Per Variety, Country Music Television (CMT) has officially removed Aldean's music video for the song on Monday. Scenes in the video were shot at the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a Black man named Henry Choate, was lynched in 1927. The courthouse was also the site of the 1946 Columbia Race Riot. Aldean, along with several conservative critics, have since defended the song on social media. "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 pleased with the nationwide BLM protests," Aldean wrote in a tweet. "These references are not only meritless, but dangerous."
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 pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.…
— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) July 18, 2023
.@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.
— Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) July 19, 2023
This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame https://t.co/cuOtUO9xjr
