country music megastar Jason Aldean’s The smash single “Try That in a Small Town” is that rare anthem, a piece of pop culture that so powerfully and clearly captures a turbulent political moment, sparking heated debate, It became a flashpoint for media maneuvering and rampant projection. The song comes from the angry left, who denounce it as racist. In other words, “Try That in a Small Town” took on a life of its own, far beyond anything its creators had foreseen. Now the writers of the 2023 hit are trying to turn this headline-grabbing controversy into something positive. new podcast ( Episode 2 Special feature jason aldean They hope the spotlight will once again be shone on the small American towns mentioned in the song, and perhaps even larger ones.
country music hit songwriters neil thrasher (jason aldeanCarrie Understand, Kenny Chesney), one of the song’s four authors, sat down with the show’s host, Mike Slater. Breitbart News Daily In our conversation, Thrasher talked about how the podcast can be a force for “good in the world” and empower people to “use their God-given gifts and talents to help small towns.” I explained what I wanted.
The idea for “Try That in Small Town” came from one of the song’s co-writers, a Grammy-nominated songwriter. kelly loveless He was watching news footage of violent assaults in New York, including random pedestrians being hit.
“He watched some of those clips and got more and more pissed off and that title just popped into his head,” Thrasher said of his songwriting partner. “He called me and said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to play golf today.’
In a video of a New Yorker being assaulted, the opening line of the song “Football Hitting Someone on the Sidewalk” plays, then goes on to explain carjackings, robberies, riots, assaults on police officers and other illegal acts plaguing America’s major cities. A series of acts ensued.
“The title immediately was like, boom, all the images that were going on in New York City, the burning of the flag, the disgusting police officers, all those images immediately popped into our heads. ”
At the same time, songwriters felt they were in sensitive territory.
“We stopped in the middle of the first verse and said, hey, no one’s going to cut this song,” Thrasher said. “I said there’s only one artist on the planet who would do this, and that’s Jason Aldean.”
Together with the co-authors, jason aldean band members Tully Kennedy and curt allison, they completed the song, created a demo, and pitched it to Aldean. Aldean responded immediately.
“He was ready to put out something that would make a little bit of noise and get a little attention,” Thrasher said. “We never expected it to make so much noise.”
Jason Aldean Band musicians Kurt Allison (left) and Tully Kennedy perform during the My Kinda Party tour at the Gibson Amphitheater on October 27, 2011 in Universal City, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Media coverage of “Try That in Small Town” comes after CMT released a music video in July, following a pressure campaign from establishment media who accused the song of being racist and pro-lynching. It spread explosively after the broadcast of the movie was canceled.
Many media outlets, especially NBC News, were obsessed with shots from the music video showing the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee. This historic courthouse was the site of the 1927 lynching of a black man named Henry Choate.
However, the courthouse has been used as a filming location for numerous movies and television shows. Hannah Montana: The Movie, Miley Cyrus stars in the movie, but she never drew the ire of the media.
When asked about accusations by leftists that the song is racist, Thrasher responded, “We’re the furthest thing from racists.”
The media also became obsessed with footage of the deadly 2020 Black Lives Matter riots featured on video. But the rioters are hardly recognizable as nearly all of them wear masks or Antifa-style face coverings. The song itself makes no mention of race or skin color.
Eventually, the Streisand effect kicked in and my curiosity exploded. The music video saw a surge in online viewership, and the song’s digital sales also skyrocketed.
“This song is not a threat. It’s just the truth. It’s just common sense,” Thrasher told Breitbart News Daily.
As for the crime that plagues many American cities, “You’re not going to see a crime happen in a hole-in-the-wall town square in Tennessee. It’s not going to happen. And no one is going to see it happen. We know it. They couldn’t wait to slam the truth. We wrote the truth. And these days, they hate it. There is.”
of new podcast — The title is also “try it in a small townThe song is designed to bring the focus back to the small town, people, and values that the song celebrates. Thrasher said he hopes to use the podcast to raise money for local governments, rural areas and veterans.
“Let’s literally take us to a small town with this song,” he said, “and let’s use the gifts and talents that God has given us to help small towns.”
Follow David Ng on Twitter @moon_ooooooooo. Any tips? Please contact us at dng@breitbart.com
