"Try That in a Small Town" is a 2023 Jason Aldean single that became a national flashpoint after its July music video drew accusations of promoting vigilantism and racial dog-whistles. CMT pulled the video days later. Aldean denied any racial intent, and the backlash drove a sales surge that took the song to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — his first.
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Jason Aldean released "Try That in a Small Town" as a single in May 2023. The song drew limited attention until its music video premiered on July 14, 2023. The video intercut footage of protests and unrest with Aldean performing in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee — a building that was the site of a 1927 lynching and the 1946 Columbia race riot.
Critics argued the song and video promoted vigilante justice and carried racial undertones, with some describing it as evoking "sundown town" sentiment. CMT pulled the video from rotation on July 18, 2023, days after it premiered. The song and video became one of the most-discussed pop-culture stories of the summer of 2023.
Aldean rejected the criticism in a public statement posted to his official social accounts, saying the song contains no references to race. He wrote that "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 framed the song as being about the sense of community and looking out for neighbors that he associates with small towns. He also said he had been unaware of the courthouse's history.
The controversy drove a sharp increase in downloads and streams. "Try That in a Small Town" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 — behind Jung Kook's "Seven" — and rose to No. 1 the following week in early August 2023, the first time a Jason Aldean song had topped that all-genre chart. That week country songs held the Hot 100's top three spots (Aldean, Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs) for the first time in the chart's history.
The episode is a frequent example of the "Streisand effect," where attempts to condemn or suppress content amplify its reach and commercial success.
Why was the 'Try That in a Small Town' video controversial?
It intercut protest and unrest footage with Aldean performing outside the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee — the site of a 1927 lynching — leading critics to call it pro-vigilante and racially coded. CMT pulled the video.
What did Jason Aldean say in response?
He denied the song references race, saying no lyric points to race and that every video clip is real news footage, and said the song is about small-town community.
Did the controversy hurt the song?
The opposite — the backlash boosted sales and streams. The song debuted at No. 2 and rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Aldean's first-ever chart-topper there.
When was 'Try That in a Small Town' released?
It was released as a single in May 2023; the music video premiered on July 14, 2023.
Did 'Try That in a Small Town' hit No. 1?
Yes. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and rose to No. 1 the following week in early August 2023 — Aldean's first No. 1 on that chart.