The outrage over "Try That In A Small Town" by Jason Aldean

[lonestar]

So I just saw that this dude also has a song called Rearview Town, about leaving a small town cause it sucked. He seriously needs to make up his mind lol



I'm outta here
I stuck my middle finger up in the sky
Flipped off that "Ya'll Come Back" sign
Looked in the mirror one last time
And watched it disappear
It ain't nothin' but a rearview town
Broken hearts and rusted plows
Roots ripped right up out of the ground
Never thought I'd ever leave it
Oh, it ain't nothin' what it used to be
Population minus me

[TAC]

So I just saw that this dude also has a song called Rearview Town, about leaving a small town cause it sucked. He seriously needs to make up his mind lol

Yeah, but every song is just a song that tells a story. Any one song shouldn't lock oneself in.

You mean a country guy can't have a song about moving out, AND having some sort of hometown pride. It has to be one of the other? Why does it have to be one or the other?

Many bands have songs about coming home AND enjoying life on the road. I don't know. I guess I don't get it.

[Jamesman42]

"The irony is Aldean doesn’t even hail from a small town, having grown up on the edge of Macon, Georgia, one of the largest cities in the state. But that didn’t stop him from admitting that his 2021 album, Macon (the first part of a double-album, Macon, Georgia), was a tribute to “that small-town vibe that just always sort of burned into me.” Of course, Aldean never digs much further into what that vibe was."

https://www.vulture.com/2023/07/jason-aldeans-offensive-small-towns.html

Wikipedia confirms it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Aldean

[lonestar]

So I just saw that this dude also has a song called Rearview Town, about leaving a small town cause it sucked. He seriously needs to make up his mind lol

Yeah, but every song is just a song that tells a story. Any one song shouldn't lock oneself in.

You mean a country guy can't have a song about moving out, AND having some sort of hometown pride. It has to be one of the other? Why does it have to be one or the other?

Many bands have songs about coming home AND enjoying life on the road. I don't know. I guess I don't get it.

Relax boo, just having fun with it man.

[TAC]

So I just saw that this dude also has a song called Rearview Town, about leaving a small town cause it sucked. He seriously needs to make up his mind lol

Yeah, but every song is just a song that tells a story. Any one song shouldn't lock oneself in.

You mean a country guy can't have a song about moving out, AND having some sort of hometown pride. It has to be one of the other? Why does it have to be one or the other?

Many bands have songs about coming home AND enjoying life on the road. I don't know. I guess I don't get it.

Relax boo, just having fun with it man.

Oh...you got me all outraged!

[King Postwhore]

Try being at the Brett Michaels Party Gras.  Lol

[TAC]

Try being at the Brett Michaels Party Gras.  Lol

Let's not.

[Cocopjojo]

"The irony is Aldean doesn’t even hail from a small town, having grown up on the edge of Macon, Georgia, one of the largest cities in the state. But that didn’t stop him from admitting that his 2021 album, Macon (the first part of a double-album, Macon, Georgia), was a tribute to “that small-town vibe that just always sort of burned into me.” Of course, Aldean never digs much further into what that vibe was."

https://www.vulture.com/2023/07/jason-aldeans-offensive-small-towns.html

Wikipedia confirms it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Aldean

I won't comment on the song at all one way or the other, but as possibly the only forumer who's spent significant time in Macon over the last 30 years, I can confirm that while it is technically one of the largest cities in the state, if he wasn't living in the dead center of town then yes, he could very easily have been from a place that had a small-town vibe. Once you hit the edge of Macon, it's just pure rural Georgia. So regardless of the motivation of the song, it could easily be the case that he grew up in, say, northeast Macon, 10 minutes from Gray, GA, which when I was growing up had approximately one stoplight. And a flower shop with a nice lady who let me use her phone when my car broke down there several decades ago. And that was pretty much it at the time.

[Jamesman42]

"The irony is Aldean doesn’t even hail from a small town, having grown up on the edge of Macon, Georgia, one of the largest cities in the state. But that didn’t stop him from admitting that his 2021 album, Macon (the first part of a double-album, Macon, Georgia), was a tribute to “that small-town vibe that just always sort of burned into me.” Of course, Aldean never digs much further into what that vibe was."

https://www.vulture.com/2023/07/jason-aldeans-offensive-small-towns.html

Wikipedia confirms it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Aldean

I won't comment on the song at all one way or the other, but as possibly the only forumer who's spent significant time in Macon over the last 30 years, I can confirm that while it is technically one of the largest cities in the state, if he wasn't living in the dead center of town then yes, he could very easily have been from a place that had a small-town vibe. Once you hit the edge of Macon, it's just pure rural Georgia. So regardless of the motivation of the song, it could easily be the case that he grew up in, say, northeast Macon, 10 minutes from Gray, GA, which when I was growing up had approximately one stoplight. And a flower shop with a nice lady who let me use her phone when my car broke down there several decades ago. And that was pretty much it at the time.

True! I live in South FL and I could see that being the case.

[King Postwhore]

Try being at the Brett Michaels Party Gras.  Lol

Let's not.

I'm there now. Lol

[TAC]

Try being at the Brett Michaels Party Gras.  Lol

Let's not.

I'm there now. Lol

I'm not.

[lonestar]

Try being at the Brett Michaels Party Gras.  Lol

Let's not.

I'm there now. Lol

I'm not.

I'm perfectly at peace with not being there.

[King Postwhore]

See my Facebook post. Lol

[Stadler]

"The irony is Aldean doesn’t even hail from a small town, having grown up on the edge of Macon, Georgia, one of the largest cities in the state. But that didn’t stop him from admitting that his 2021 album, Macon (the first part of a double-album, Macon, Georgia), was a tribute to “that small-town vibe that just always sort of burned into me.” Of course, Aldean never digs much further into what that vibe was."

https://www.vulture.com/2023/07/jason-aldeans-offensive-small-towns.html

Wikipedia confirms it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Aldean

I won't comment on the song at all one way or the other, but as possibly the only forumer who's spent significant time in Macon over the last 30 years, I can confirm that while it is technically one of the largest cities in the state, if he wasn't living in the dead center of town then yes, he could very easily have been from a place that had a small-town vibe. Once you hit the edge of Macon, it's just pure rural Georgia. So regardless of the motivation of the song, it could easily be the case that he grew up in, say, northeast Macon, 10 minutes from Gray, GA, which when I was growing up had approximately one stoplight. And a flower shop with a nice lady who let me use her phone when my car broke down there several decades ago. And that was pretty much it at the time.

I wasn't in Macon, I was in Lawrenceville (north east of Atlanta) but I know Macon from work, and can vouch for this.

[Stadler]

Try being at the Brett Michaels Party Gras.  Lol

Let's not.

I'm there now. Lol

Tell me more! Sounds like fun!  Did he wear the bandana? 

[KevShmev]

Not like I am an Aldean fan, but he wouldn't be the first person to sing about a plight he didn't experience or a background that doesn't exist for him.  Springsteen, anyone?

[Stadler]

Not like I am an Aldean fan, but he wouldn't be the first person to sing about a plight he didn't experience or a background that doesn't exist for him.  Springsteen, anyone?

 

Bono, Gabriel... and we love them for it, don't we?

[KevShmev]

Not like I am an Aldean fan, but he wouldn't be the first person to sing about a plight he didn't experience or a background that doesn't exist for him.  Springsteen, anyone?

 

Bono, Gabriel... and we love them for it, don't we?

Yep, yep, and therein lies the difference.  When someone whose music we (the general "we") like does it, it's cool.  If we do not like their music, it's not as acceptable. 

[King Postwhore]

Try being at the Brett Michaels Party Gras.  Lol

Let's not.

I'm there now. Lol

Tell me more! Sounds like fun!  Did he wear the bandana? 

Is the Pope Catholic?

Also, so many douchebags wearing that small cowboy hat he wears.  It's also law when wearing that hat to have a sleeveless tee shirt. Lol

[KevShmev]

Also, so many douchebags wearing that small cowboy hat he wears.  It's also law when wearing that hat to have a sleeveless tee shirt. Lol

So...what sleeveless tee did you wear?

[Jamesman42]

Not like I am an Aldean fan, but he wouldn't be the first person to sing about a plight he didn't experience or a background that doesn't exist for him.  Springsteen, anyone?

That's true, but it probably won't help him in this controversy.

[KevShmev]

So, after being out for months and not doing worth a damn, all the outrage or whatever we want to call it resulted in this song landing at number 2 on the Hot 100 this week. See, this is why it is better to ignore a song you do not like or are bothered by.  The "outrage" gave it new life.  And now this bland song is the number 2 song in the nation.  Blech.

[King Postwhore]

Also, so many douchebags wearing that small cowboy hat he wears.  It's also law when wearing that hat to have a sleeveless tee shirt. Lol

So...what sleeveless tee did you wear?

I had an ELO tee shirt.  W/ sleeves.

So, after being out for months and not doing worth a damn, all the outrage or whatever we want to call it resulted in this song landing at number 2 on the Hot 100 this week. See, this is why it is better to ignore a song you do not like or are bothered by.  The "outrage" gave it new life.  And now this bland song is the number 2 song in the nation.  Blech.

Either way, I have not once listened to it or seen the video.  Just not interested in that style of music.

[KevShmev]

Consider yourself lucky.  It was a reminder of why I dislike modern country music, generally speaking.

[Adami]

So, after being out for months and not doing worth a damn, all the outrage or whatever we want to call it resulted in this song landing at number 2 on the Hot 100 this week. See, this is why it is better to ignore a song you do not like or are bothered by.  The "outrage" gave it new life.  And now this bland song is the number 2 song in the nation.  Blech.

I can only speak from my personal experience. I only listened to this song because I heard about it in this thread. The only people I've seen mention it, outside of this thread, are my conservative friends on social media. I am not sure how many "angry libs" are making this song number 2 or how many people angry at the "angry libs" or people like me, who were just curious what the hoopla was about, are giving it the audience it has.

This actually could a be a brilliant marketing campaign for future releases. Do a song that is conservative with some vague hints at problematic stuff, go all over social media about how angry libs are about it, and BAM, you have a built in audience to go to town defending it and making sure it gets a lot of hits.

Probably would work both ways.

[KevShmev]

So, after being out for months and not doing worth a damn, all the outrage or whatever we want to call it resulted in this song landing at number 2 on the Hot 100 this week. See, this is why it is better to ignore a song you do not like or are bothered by.  The "outrage" gave it new life.  And now this bland song is the number 2 song in the nation.  Blech.

I can only speak from my personal experience. I only listened to this song because I heard about it in this thread. The only people I've seen mention it, outside of this thread, are my conservative friends on social media. I am not sure how many "angry libs" are making this song number 2 or how many people angry at the "angry libs" or people like me, who were just curious what the hoopla was about, are giving it the audience it has.

This actually could a be a brilliant marketing campaign for future releases. Do a song that is conservative with some vague hints at problematic stuff, go all over social media about how angry libs are about it, and BAM, you have a built in audience to go to town defending it and making sure it gets a lot of hits.

Probably would work both ways.

Streams all count now with regards to the charts, so I am sure the curiosity factor is what pushed it up the charts, as many people like me who never would have listened to this otherwise checked out the song and/or video to see what the fuss was all about.

[Jamesman42]

I can't remember, do they count partial streams? I may be thinking back to a decade or more ago when last.fm (I think) wouldn't count listening to less than half the song. I listened to it as well but only until the first chorus.

[Stadler]

So, after being out for months and not doing worth a damn, all the outrage or whatever we want to call it resulted in this song landing at number 2 on the Hot 100 this week. See, this is why it is better to ignore a song you do not like or are bothered by.  The "outrage" gave it new life.  And now this bland song is the number 2 song in the nation.  Blech.

I can only speak from my personal experience. I only listened to this song because I heard about it in this thread. The only people I've seen mention it, outside of this thread, are my conservative friends on social media. I am not sure how many "angry libs" are making this song number 2 or how many people angry at the "angry libs" or people like me, who were just curious what the hoopla was about, are giving it the audience it has.

This actually could a be a brilliant marketing campaign for future releases. Do a song that is conservative with some vague hints at problematic stuff, go all over social media about how angry libs are about it, and BAM, you have a built in audience to go to town defending it and making sure it gets a lot of hits.

Probably would work both ways.

I love you like a brother, and I know you're recounting YOUR experience, which I can't void even if I wanted to (and I don't), but can we show a little respect that this IS NOT A CONSERVATIVE ISSUE.   I would never have heard of this issue if not for my LIBERAL friends here, and if not for SHERYL CROWE who is absolutely NOT coming at this from the conservative side.   And I listen to a lot of country radio (both my wife and oldest son listen to country radio in their cars; we have a rule in our cars: driver picks the music and passengers shut their pie hole) and still haven't heard the song all the way through.   Maybe you haven't experienced that, as I said, but can we acknowledge that this is a PEOPLE issue, such that it is, not a CONSERVATIVE issue.  Country radio has been playing these types of songs for a DECADE and <crickets>.  Fire up "woke America", where everything, except, ironically actually dog whistles, are "dog whistles" and this is what you get (Check out "My Town" by Montgomery Gentry, a more passive and much much better variation on this song). 

To Kevin's point:  I mentioned Barbara Streisand above, and this is exactly that.   The more publicity, the more this is in the news (and, if you buy into the liberal idea that "bad ideas promulgate", the more racists and bigots we're generating). 

[Adami]

I didn’t say it was a conservative issue.

I challenged the idea that most or all of the bump in popularity was due to angry liberals.

[El Barto]

So, after being out for months and not doing worth a damn, all the outrage or whatever we want to call it resulted in this song landing at number 2 on the Hot 100 this week. See, this is why it is better to ignore a song you do not like or are bothered by.  The "outrage" gave it new life.  And now this bland song is the number 2 song in the nation.  Blech.

Faux outrage has been used for marketing for a while now. This is nothing new. And the amazing thing about it is that one talk radio ass-hat can completely manufacture it. Make up the story about how one side is outraged, and his listeners will talk about how stupid they are. Then other radio ass-hats, then the smaller outlets, until finally FOX jumps all over it. Outrage propagates wildly in a society that feeds on it like America.

[Stadler]

I didn’t say it was a conservative issue.

I challenged the idea that most or all of the bump in popularity was due to angry liberals.

I missed that nuance; I just saw a lot more blame - seemingly "all or most" was on conservatives.  I think it's kind of pointless to try to suss out whether it's 51 49 one way, or 52 48 the other; the point is, people of both stripes wearing their political affiliations on their sleeves and sticking their political noses in where they may not best belong are keeping this in the news. 

It'd be a refreshing change to hear someone on either side say "wow, my fellow [ideology] really blew this out of proportion" instead of the inevitable and continual pointing of fingers.

[Adami]

I didn’t say it was a conservative issue.

I challenged the idea that most or all of the bump in popularity was due to angry liberals.

I missed that nuance; I just saw a lot more blame - seemingly "all or most" was on conservatives.  I think it's kind of pointless to try to suss out whether it's 51 49 one way, or 52 48 the other; the point is, people of both stripes wearing their political affiliations on their sleeves and sticking their political noses in where they may not best belong are keeping this in the news. 

It'd be a refreshing change to hear someone on either side say "wow, my fellow [ideology] really blew this out of proportion" instead of the inevitable and continual pointing of fingers.

Eh.

I'm always happy to throw whomever under the bus, especially my own people. But I haven't....TRULY HAVE NOT....seen tons of libs throwing outrage over this. If I did, then I'd be happy to call them out. But I can't do the thing that any time a conservative gets criticized for anything, I have to jump and make sure liberals get criticized too, especially when you and others have no problem with it not being the same the other way.

I call out liberals all the damn time, and gladly. I also call out conservatives all the damn time, and gladly. Turns out both sides are idiots and when one side acts like idiots, I will point that out without needing to point out something else the other side did as a way of balancing it for no reason.

[Stadler]

I didn’t say it was a conservative issue.

I challenged the idea that most or all of the bump in popularity was due to angry liberals.

I missed that nuance; I just saw a lot more blame - seemingly "all or most" was on conservatives.  I think it's kind of pointless to try to suss out whether it's 51 49 one way, or 52 48 the other; the point is, people of both stripes wearing their political affiliations on their sleeves and sticking their political noses in where they may not best belong are keeping this in the news. 

It'd be a refreshing change to hear someone on either side say "wow, my fellow [ideology] really blew this out of proportion" instead of the inevitable and continual pointing of fingers.

Eh.

I'm always happy to throw whomever under the bus, especially my own people. But I haven't....TRULY HAVE NOT....seen tons of libs throwing outrage over this. If I did, then I'd be happy to call them out. But I can't do the thing that any time a conservative gets criticized for anything, I have to jump and make sure liberals get criticized too, especially when you and others have no problem with it not being the same the other way.

I call out liberals all the damn time, and gladly. I also call out conservatives all the damn time, and gladly. Turns out both sides are idiots and when one side acts like idiots, I will point that out without needing to point out something else the other side did as a way of balancing it for no reason.

I'm not asking you to falsely manufacture equal time. It's not always equal, and I understand that.  I'm pretty far from that.  I just think here, both sides ARE idiots and there's ample evidence of that; I'm not implying anything about you just making a point here, but it seems almost like it takes effort to just limit it to one side on this one.   You haven't heard or heard of Sheryl Crowe's criticisms?  She's wearing (or at least wore; her 15 minutes on this one is fading fast) her position on this like a goddamn badge of honor.   Maren Morris' (though to be fair, I don't know if that was about the song or just about the statements from Aldean's wife).  ANY read of ANY article on this, even by the liberal mass media (and I say that to be a bit tongue in cheek) is pretty clear about the culpability on both sides.   CMT didn't take the video down as part of some faux conservative boomerang outrage.  They took it down because people complained about the content.

[Adami]

I honestly, truly, have not read or seen anything about Sheryl Crowe regarding this, outside of your posts here. I am not familiar with who Maren Morris is. And I haven't read any articles about this on any media, be it conservative or liberal or good.

I was not lying when I said that, to the best of my recollection (my lawyer advised me to say that), I have only read about this on this forum and on a few conservative friend's social media.

That probably says more about me and my exposure. I also didn't think this was worth any kind of research, so I didn't go seek anything out.


Edit: I'm incorrect! I also saw on Blabbermouth that Ted Nugent called critics of the song "idiots."

That is about it, though.

[KevShmev]

The less time I spend thinking about Sheryl Crow and Ted Nugent, the better.