Sheryl Crow Criticizes Jason Aldean for Promoting Violence in New Controversial Song ‘Try That In A Small Town’

Sheryl Crow isn’t letting Jason Aldean get away scot-free with his new song, ‘Try That In A Small Town.’

Sheryl Crow has always been an advocate for reforming our gun laws and bringing an end to the unnecessary amount of gun violence in this country. It was just a few months ago that the 61-year-old singer performed at a vigil for the lives lost during the Covenant School shooting in Nashville in March.

That’s why it came as no surprise when Sheryl Crow publicly called out fellow singer and songwriter, Jason Aldean, on Tuesday (July 18) over his controversial new song – titled ‘Try That In A Small Town.’ The song appears to promote gun violence by daring those ‘looking for a fight’ to ‘try that in a small town.’

When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of “we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.” It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost. Deep down we are all ready to get back to that. I hope my new… pic.twitter.com/b5E92j0YQ5

— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) July 14, 2023

His lyrics — which he sings, but didn’t write himself — are shocking to those who have followed his career, especially considering he was on-stage performing in front of thousands of people in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, when a gunman shot and killed 60 concert-goers – and wounded more than 400 others – at the Route 91 Harvest music festival.

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Sheryl Crow was baffled by his choice of lyrics and called him out on Twitter – joining the long list of celebrities who did the same. Noting that she’s ‘from a small town,’ Crow didn’t mince words and made it clear that violence of any form is unwelcome on any stage in America – whether it be a small town or city.

Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” has reached #1 on US iTunes. pic.twitter.com/PXZa31xpp4

— Billboard Charts (@billboardnewsb) July 19, 2023

“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,” she wrote in a Twitter post on July 18. “This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”

Her tweet was written in response to a critical post by Shannon Watts, who was also calling out Jason Aldean for his controversial lyrics and even shared a photo of some of the lyrics in question. She criticized him for recording a song ‘about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns’ away.

.@Jason_Aldean – who was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more – has recorded a song called “Try That In A Small Town” about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns. pic.twitter.com/hWGdEgS33v

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 17, 2023

In the song, Jason Aldean alleges he is calling out “violent people and dares them to act that way in a small town. “Well, try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own / You cross that line, it won’t take long / For you to find out, I recommend you don’t,” he sings in the song.

Jason Aldean Responds to the Criticism

On July 18, roughly seven hours before Sheryl Crow tweeted her criticism, Jason Aldean took to Twitter himself to share a statement in defense of his new song – which many are calling a ‘pro-lynching song’ with racist intent. According to Aldean, claims of him being racist are ‘not only meritless but dangerous.’

You can listen to the song for yourself below:

“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,” he wrote in a post that went beyond the normal 280 characters.

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

He acknowledged being present during the Route 91 shooting and emphasized that nobody – including him – ‘wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart’ as a result of the violence. As for his song, he believes people are taking the lyrics out of context and blown out of proportion.

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From his point of view, the song is referring to the ‘feeling of community that [he] had growing up’ – a community where people looked after one another ‘regardless of differences of background or belief.’ Of course, that’s not how everyone else is going to see it and that’s why he’s being so heavily criticized.