Sheryl Crow criticises the divisive new song by Jason Aldean, “This Is Not American
Sheryl Crow hasn’t been silent about Jason Aldean’s contentious new song, which has generated a lot of discussion in recent days.
The 61-year-old native of Missouri joined the conversation on the song “Try That in a Small Town,” expressing her disappointment and worry that Aldean, 46, was spreading misinformation with the song’s divisive lyrics.
The following are some of the lyrics in particular: “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 / Try that in a small town.”
Crow, who is herself from a small town, stressed in her tweet addressed to the country artist that even people in small towns are sick of violence.
“@Jason_Aldean I come from a tiny town. Even in small communities, people are tired of violence. Promoting violence is not small-town or even American. Anyone who has survived a mass shooting should know that better than you, she tweeted.
This is not like a little town in America. It’s absolutely pathetic.
She berated the song for encouraging violence, emphasising that it is not representative of American values nor a feature of small-town life. Crow added that Aldean should be especially sensitive to this issue because he himself survived a mass shooting at the 2017 Las Vegas concert tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of 60 people and over 400 injuries.
‘Try That in a Small Town’ by Jason Aldean sees Aldean performing in front of a courthouse that has been the site of lynchings in the past. The music video for the song received harsh criticism and was taken down from CMT programming.
The song’s lyrics were criticised for endorsing violence, and the video’s incorporation of images from numerous events, particularly those connected to the Black Lives Matter movement, further stirred up debate.
Aldean responded to the claims with a lengthy message on Twitter, denying any link with ideas in favour of lynching or against the widespread BLM protests.
“In the past 24 hours, I have faced accusations of publishing a song that supports lynching (a tune that has been available since May) and have been compared to someone who (exact quote) wasn’t too happy with the widespread BLM protests. These allusions are harmful in addition to being worthless, he said.
“While I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far,” it said. “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it – and there is not a single video clip that isn’t real news footage.”
The vocalist of “Dirt Road Anthem” continued, “”Try That In A Small Town” for me speaks to the sense of community I experienced as a child, where we looked out for one another despite of differences in background or belief. Due to the fact that their proximity to us outweighed any distinctions.
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