“Try That in a Small Town,” the most recent single from Jason Aldean, tops the Billboard Hot 100 list amidst a storm of disagreement and controversy.
The song “Try That in a Small Town” debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 list with a powerful entry. It didn’t take long for it to take over first place. When the song’s video was taken off CMT’s rotation, its popularity increased significantly. As a result, streaming increased by an astounding 165% and there were 175,000 purchases. Billboard supplied these observations.
Jason Aldean achieves a significant career milestone with his first Hot 100 No. 1 single. After 40 chart appearances over the course of 15 years, “Hicktown” marks the pinnacle of Aldean’s career. Aldean had only before made it into the top 10 once with “Dirt Road Anthem.” His standing among the elite of music is cemented by this ground-breaking accomplishment.
Aldean has waited 17 years, 11 months, and three weeks for his first No. 1 single. Since Billy Ray Cyrus, who had to wait 26 years and 11 months between the release of “Achy Breaky Heart” in 1992 and the success of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Cyrus, in 2019, this is the longest period without a No. 1. According to Billboard, Santana now holds the record for the longest gap between albums, having released “Jingo” in 1969 and “Smooth,” with Rob Thomas, in 1999, by just two days.
The success of the song represents a significant turning point for country music. Since the Hot 100’s inception in August 1958, country hits have never dominated the top three positions. Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” are currently occupying the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively, behind Aldean’s song.
By topping both the Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs charts, two songs, “Try That in a Small Town” and “Last Night,” have accomplished a significant achievement. This is a big deal since it’s the first time in 40 years that many songs have achieved this in the same calendar year. In reality, just 21 songs—12 of them recorded between 1973 and 1983—have earned this distinction.
Due to how it portrays racial issues and demonstrations, the music video “Try That in a Small Town” has generated controversy. The film, according to critics, glorifies white nationalism and portrays racial demonstrations as disorderly and violent.
The removal of the video by CMT provoked outrage among the song’s ardent supporters. The effect of this assistance was a spike in streams and purchases. After the incident, the video was finally released again on YouTube, however some of the Black Lives Matter protest footage had been removed.
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Aldean has defended his song as an homage to the cohesion and tenacity of small-town America ever since the dispute broke out. He stated in a statement, “The references people have made are not only meritless but dangerous… there is not a single video clip that isn’t real news footage.”
Although he accepts that different people have their own interpretations of music, he thinks the criticism of “Try That In A Small Town” is over the top. Surprisingly, a sizable portion of the country still finds great meaning in his songs.
