Sheryl Crow and Brittany Aldean are both sharing their thoughts — however different they may be — after Jason Aldean‘s new song sparked backlash.
Crow, 61, took to Twitter on Tuesday, July 18, after lyrics to Jason’s “Try That in a Small Town” ignited a debate among listeners. “@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,” she wrote. “There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.”
She added: “This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”
Included in her post was a screenshot of Jason’s lyrics. “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s–t might fly in the city, good luck,” he sings in the track. “Try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / You cross that line, it won’t take long / For you to find out, I recommend you don’t / Try that in a small town.”
Conversation surrounding the pro-gun anthem — which was initially released in May — began after the release of its music video on Friday, July 14. Some fans acknowledged that the sensitive subject matter came as a surprise given Jason’s own experience involving mass shootings.
In 2017, the country singer was performing in Las Vegas when a gunman opened fire in the audience. The incident left 58 people dead and another 546 injured.
Jason addressed the controversy via Twitter on Tuesday, defending his songwriting. “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,” he wrote, responding to claims that the lyrics promote racist ideology.
He added: “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far.”
While fans and some fellow songwriters slammed Jason’s song, he received a public showing of support from his wife. “Never apologize for speaking the truth❣️🇺🇸,” Brittany, 35, captioned an Instagram post on Tuesday alongside a selfie of the couple.
The pair, who have been married since 2015, previously weathered controversy in August 2022 after Brittany shared transphobic comments via social media. The scandal sparked a lengthy feud between the Aldeans and Maren Morris, a vocal LGBTQ+ ally.
“People can cowardly hide behind their phone screens,” Morris, 33, said during a September 2022 episode of the “I’m Listening” podcast. “I totally feel for the kids that are dealing with that because I’m where I’m at and I still deal with that. … I can sleep at night knowing that I’m always trying to be a better person.”
