Music college professors criticize ‘Try That In A Small Town’.
A Controversial Country Song Sparks Debate Among College Professors
A couple of college music professors have recently voiced their criticism of Jason Aldean’s viral country song, “Try That In A Small Town,” which caused a stir after being censored by CMT.
Don Cusic, a renowned country music historian and professor of music business at Belmont University, believes that Aldean’s song captures the sentiments of many Americans, particularly the “in your face anger” that is prevalent in today’s society. The removal of the song from CMT’s rotation on television sparked discussions among conservatives on social media, ultimately propelling the song to become a massive hit on major music streaming platforms.
Understanding the Controversy
“I felt that Jason Aldean was expressing the feelings that a lot of people in the country audience felt, particularly in the Trump America country audience,” Cusic shared with the Hollywood Reporter. “The video was just in your face — it was in your face anger, and that just reinforced that anger that is in so much of America today, that big division.”
Cusic further explained that what upset people about the song’s music video were the ”coded language and coded pictures.” The video features an individual in a hoodie engaged in a violent act, and while the race of the person is not explicitly mentioned, Cusic believes that the implications extend far beyond what is shown.
“And if you’re Black, you’re looking at that video a whole lot differently than if you’re white,” Cusic emphasized.
Philip Ewell, a professor of music theory at Hunter College, echoed similar criticisms, arguing that the song is rife with “anti-blackness” rhetoric.
“I’ve listened to some of Jason Aldean’s music — I think he’s a pretty good artist,” Ewell acknowledged. ”But it’s just something that kind of comes out in culture, anti-Blackness. Because it’s part of the founding of our country. We shouldn’t run away from that simple fact.”
Click here to read more from The Washington Examiner.
A Chart-Topping Controversy
“Try That In A Small Town,” which was removed from CMT’s television rotation in mid-July, has recently made history by claiming the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is accompanied by Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” in second place and Luke Combs’s cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 hit “Fast Car” in third. This marks the first time in the chart’s history that three country music songs have dominated the list.
Last week, the music video for the song underwent editing to remove footage of the Black Lives Matter riots from 2020. Fox had requested the removal of 6 seconds of footage to avoid potential legal action, as reported by TMZ.
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