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Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town" banned by CMT

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When I first heard this story, I was surprised that CMT still played videos. I looked into it, and they play videos from 2 AM to 7AM. The rest of their schedule is filled with off-network reruns. movies, and reality shows.

So why does anyone care?

There's a lot of small town romance and mythology in country music. This is more of that.
 
Jason Isbell:

"Dare Aldean to write his next single himself. That's what we try in my small town,"
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Ouch. Also, accurate. For kicks and grins I checked Isbell's homework, and Aldean hasn't written a single one of his singles.

Granted, that's not a cardinal sin in country music, but it is a fair criticism. As far as the song itself? IMO (and I admit this is subjective) it's a pandering, formulaic piece of crap. Reminds me of Darryl Worley's "Have You Forgotten?"
 
Deus Ex Machiato said:
Granted, that's not a cardinal sin in country music, but it is a fair criticism. As far as the song itself? IMO (and I admit this is subjective) it's a pandering, formulaic piece of crap.
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I heard the song before the video. I've never lived in a small town, and consider anything under about a half-million "too small". So the song to me seemed to be a paean for those little communities at the expense of the opportunities and advantages also to be found in bigger metro areas.

The song does not mention how smaller towns are losing any kind of hospital services, meaning emergency care may be an hour or more away. In the case of a stroke, there is often too much time between the incidents and medications for them to "reverse" the effects of the incident.

Not everything in small towns is that rosy and ideal.
 
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DavidEduardo said:
I heard the song before the video. I've never lived in a small town, and consider anything under about a half-million "too small". So the song to me seemed to be a paean for those little communities at the expense of the opportunities and advantages also to be found in bigger metro areas.

The song does not mention how smaller towns are losing any kind of hospital services, meaning emergency care may be an hour or more away. In the case of a stroke, there is often too much time between the incidents and medications for them to "reverse" the effects of the incident.

Not everything in small towns is that rosy and idea.
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I grew up in a small town (which is the "as a parent" in this discussion), and I understand the stuff about opportunities and advantages very well. I had to leave to pursue my dreams. And the thing about hospital services hits home right now, because the hospital where my mom worked at (not in town, but in the nearest "big town") and my dad died in is in danger of shutting down because there simply isn't enough profit in it for the big company that owns the place.

At the same time, I also understand the criticism. There was a time when "try that in a small town" meant "move here while being black" where I grew up. This song is huge there.
 
DavidEduardo said:
And he'd likely prefer re-writing history, too.
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Here's what he said:

Mayor Molder said he hadn’t heard Aldean’s song or seen the video until Wednesday. "I respect the artist’s freedom of his own lyrics and the fans who support him, but I’m hopeful that the next music video that uses our historic downtown as a backdrop will seek a more positive message,” Molder said. “Maybe Eric or Luke or Carrie or Dolly will be next to record a video in our small town; and they can highlight peace, love and all the things that are great about Columbia, Tennessee.”
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Sadly, this will just turn into another case of overdramatization, finger pointing, politicization and ultimately I'm sure MTG, Chuck Grassley and Kevin McCarthy will issue an invitation for Aldean to sing this song on the steps of the US Capital and propose legislation to make it a national song.

Meanwhile, the same people who are angry at this "cancellation" of Aldean's song about "America's Heartland" by CMT are the same ones who themselves no longer shop at Target, haven't drank a Bud Light in the past 2 months and think Disney and drag queens are the spawn of satan himself and think it's just fine for those brands to suffer for their support of the gays.
 
Mikey Radio said:
Sadly, this will just turn into another case of overdramatization, finger pointing, politicization and ultimately I'm sure MTG, Chuck Grassley and Kevin McCarthy will issue an invitation for Aldean to sing this song on the steps of the US Capital and propose legislation to make it a national song.
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I would not be the least bit surprised to find out that this was gamed out at the label office before the song was released.

At the risk of taking this beyond country music, has anyone noticed what's happening with that movie starring the guy who once played Jesus that tackles the topic of child sex trafficking?

In a way, it's a smart (but absurdly cynical) marketing move. I'm sure the folks behind that film saw that if you make a movie about a topic that inflames a certain segment of the starboard side of the political divide (and have it star someone who agrees with that viewpoint but has been "cast aside" by Hollywood) you can make a buck by playing to a dedicated but small fan base. Kevin Sorbo, anyone?

What happened with the "Sound of Freedom" film was not by accident, but it has exceeded far beyond the wishes of the producers who targeted it at the demo in question. I'm certain that "The Sound of Freedom II, Electric Boogaloo" has been green-lit by now.

As we approach the impending Olympics of Banality next November, a whole lot of people will be looking to make a whole lot of money by pandering to one side of the aisle. And again, this is not new for country music. Songs like "What if Jesus Just Came Back Like That?," or "I Can Only Imagine" or (dare I say it) "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue" may not have been originally intended by the songwriters to be pandering, but selling records by targeting a "base" or jumping on a hot trend is often a good marketing strategy.


Lee Greenwood is still cashing checks for that one song we all know.
 
DavidEduardo said:
I heard the song before the video. I've never lived in a small town, and consider anything under about a half-million "too small". So the song to me seemed to be a paean for those little communities at the expense of the opportunities and advantages also to be found in bigger metro areas.

The song does not mention how smaller towns are losing any kind of hospital services, meaning emergency care may be an hour or more away. In the case of a stroke, there is often too much time between the incidents and medications for them to "reverse" the effects of the incident.

Not everything in small towns is that rosy and ideal.
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The political movement (MAGA) that Mr. Aldean supports is responsible for no medical or maternity care in the rural areas of my state.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Not everything in small towns is that rosy and ideal.
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I have lived in small towns, almost inevitable since one parent was a vocational agriculture teacher, and would not repeat the experience. The sense of grievance, similar to Aldean's song and already present 50 years ago, has only deepened with time, playing on a fear of "those others". Aldean is traveling down a well-worn track. I could go on and on about this, but I think I'll skip the magnum opus this time. I'll just say that Aldean is clearly seeking to provoke, and he's succeeding.
 
TheBigA said:
When I first heard this story, I was surprised that CMT still played videos. I looked into it, and they play videos from 2 AM to 7AM.
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The weekday music block actually runs to 9 a.m. Eastern. On Saturdays and Sundays, it runs until noon, ending with a "Hot 20 Countdown." So there is music on CMT at times when people might actually be watching.
 
Miss Tuned said:
Aldean was born in Macon, Georgia, a metro area with a population of just over 230,000. He now lives in Nashville. So where exactly is this small town of his youth, where everyone knew their place and stayed in their lane?
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In his head, especially when meeting with his business managers and accountants.
 
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