'I'm from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,' Crow says in a post tagging the country singer.
Sheryl Crow is sounding off on Jason Aldean's controversial new music, adding her voice to a growing chorus of critics.
The 46-year-old country singer faced an onslaught of criticism over his song, "Try That in a Small Town," after some found the lyrics to be pro-gun and the imagery in the music video to be offensive. Country Music Television (CMT) also pulled the music video from broadcast on Tuesday, ET confirmed.
"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," Crow, 61, wrote in a tweet on Tuesday, tagging the country star. "You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town-like. It's just lame."
In her post, Crow retweeted a selection of lyrics from "Try That in a Small Town," including: "Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk / Carjack an old lady at a red light / Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store / Ya think it's cool, well, act a fool if ya like / Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you're tough / 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 / Try that in a small town."
The song continues, "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 / 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."
Crow was born and raised in Kennett, Missouri, located about 200 miles south of St. Louis. According to the U.S. Census, Kennett has an estimated population of 10,000 people.
Aldean hails from Macon, Georgia, with an estimated population of 156,000 people. In 2021 and 2022, he paid tribute to his hometown with the two-part album release of Macon and Georgia, respectively.
In response to the frenzy surrounding his latest release, Aldean took to social media on Tuesday with a statement.
"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. "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 -- and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music -- this one goes too far."
The statement continued, "As many pointed out, I was present at Route 91 where so many lost their lives -- and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy. NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.
"'Try That In a Small Town,' for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences. My political views have never been something I've hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this country don't agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to -- that's what this song is about."
The music video, which was released days ago, was filmed in front of the massive American flag displayed on the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee -- the site of the 1927 lynching of Henry Choate.
The music video is interlaced with clips of protestors vandalizing cities in the wake of police brutality and racial unrest during the height of the pandemic.
The music video’s production company, Tacklebox, told ET on Tuesday that the location is a "popular filming location outside of Nashville" and cited several music videos and movies that have been filmed there, including most recently the Lifetime Original movie Steppin' into the Holiday with Mario Lopez and Jana Kramer, a music video from Runaway June titled, "We Were Rich," a Paramount holiday film A Nashville Country Christmas with Tanya Tucker -- as well the Hannah Montana movie. The production company says, "Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false." Tacklebox also noted Aldean did not pick the location.
Aldean survived a deadly mass shooting when he was onstage at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in 2017 in Las Vegas, where 58 concertgoers were killed and nearly 500 others injured in the tragic shooting.
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