Lee Greenwood is publicly defending Jason Aldean amid a firestorm of controversy over his “Try That in a Small Town” song and video. In an interview on Jesse Watters Primetime, the “God Bless the USA” singer says Aldean has been unjustly accused of racism.
“I am a Jason Aldean fan. He is the biggest patriot, like a lot of us,” Greenwood says. “It has nothing to do with racism. This is about people trying to take away the freedom of expression. It is a great song. I wish I had it.”
Aldean has been under fire for the song, which relies on tropes about small-town America for its lyrical theme. Many critics and online users have decried the song as promoting vigilante gun violence.
“Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that sh-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,” Aldean sings.
CMT pulled the video out of rotation after just days on the air after extensive criticism, much of which centers around its location. The clip features footage of crowds protesting police brutality during the pandemic, including burning American flags. It intersperses that news footage with shots of Aldean in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tenn., a rural town where a mob hung the body of an 18-year-old Black man named Henry Choate after lynching and murdering him in 1927. Critics have accused Aldean of promoting racism and violence in the clip, which he has denied.
“It’s about a small-town flavor,” Greenwood says of the video. “I am from a small town in California, and you know what? People cannot take our freedom away because people know everybody in a small town. That’s what the heart of America is, is rural America. You can’t take freedom away.”
Related: Jason Aldean Says ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Accusations Are Meritless, Dangerous
In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, the production company behind the clip, Tacklebox, says the location is a “popular filming location outside of Nashville,” citing several other projects that filmed in the area.
“Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false,” the company states, adding that Aldean did not choose the location for the video.
Aldean responded to the controversy over the song and video in a statement via social media:
Other stars have also weighed in on Aldean’s song and video, with Travis Tritt and others defending him, while Sheryl Crow accused him of “promoting violence“:
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See Inside Jason Aldean’s Spectacular Florida Beach House
Aldean paid $4.1 million for the new 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom, 4,452-square-foot beach house. The spectacular property affords the singer and his family the opportunity to walk out their back door and down a bridge to their own private beach, and the exterior of the villa features a courtyard with iron gates that includes gas lanterns, a swimming pool and a fountain.
The home’s interior includes a downstairs with an open floorplan and oversized windows, chiseled stone floors, a gourmet kitchen, a bedroom and study and a fireplace, with coffered ceilings throughout. The upstairs of the home includes two separate master bedrooms that both overlook the Gulf, as well as two more bedrooms that each have their own attached bathrooms.
The stunning home is also set for whatever weather might blow in from the Gulf. Built in 2005, the house features all-impact windows and doors, as well as Geo-Thermal heating and cooling, cellulose insulation, foam ceiling and floor insulation and more.