Never one to shy away from national controversy, neighboring Gov. Kristi Noem from South Dakota is speaking out on a now-radioactive song performed by country singer Jason Aldean.
Aldean, who immediately sold-out a concert at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 2022, is getting heat over his song “Try That In A Small Town” because of its pro-law enforcement and pro-traditional values message.
He says it’s a tribute to the community he grew up in, and Noem sides with him.
“I am shocked by what I'm seeing in this country, with people attempting to cancel the song and cancel Jason and his beliefs,” Noem said in a video she released Wednesday morning on social media.
Cancel Culture
Noem was referring to news that CMT, the country music cable network, decided to pull the music video from its rotation because of pressure from the far left.
The lyrics in question?
"Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you're tough / Well, try that in a small town / See how far ya make it down the road / Around here, we take care of our own / 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.
'Pro-Lynching'
Leftist "music" magazine Rolling Stone has further deemed the song to be “pro-lynching” because it was filmed in front of a Tennessee courthouse where a lynching happened in 1933.
Of course, Aldean dismissed the criticism as having no merit.
“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it — and there isn’t a single clip that isn’t real news footage — and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music, this one goes too far,” Aldean said in a statement.
Noem interprets the song to be about Aldean’s “love for law and order and for [his] love for this country.”
Come Play South Dakota!
To that end, she invited Aldean to play the song whenever he wants in South Dakota.
“If you want to come to South Dakota, you can play anywhere,” she said. “We’ll facilitate it.”
She even took it a step further offering to host his performance of the song on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion.
Jimmy Orr can be reached at jimmy@cowboystatedaily.com.
