The song has caused controversy among liberals, who accuse Aldean of promoting violence. Sheryl Crow joined the critics, responding to the country singer on Twitter: "@Jason_Aldean I'm from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence. There's nothing small-town or American about promoting violence." She added, "You should know that better than anyone, having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small-town-like. It's just lame."
Crow, a vocal advocate for stricter gun control measures, quickly faced backlash from online users who mocked her political views.
From OK! Magazine:
"Hi @SherylCrow! I looked up where you are from. They voted for [Donald] Trump by 80 [percent]," one Twitter user wrote, adding a photo of the statistic to prove their point.
Another joked: "The last time Sheryl Crow was relieved, Bill Clinton was showing Monica Lewinsky his cigar collection," followed by a third who quipped: "Cry more lib."
"Hey Sheryl, when you’re done virtue signaling, move on to rap music. Enlighten us with the peacefulness of some of those lyrics," scoffed another critic, with someone else telling her to "give it a rest and make more McDonald's videos. I'm sorry this is happening to you."
Amid the relentless backlash — including accusations that Aldean is pro-gun and racist — following the release of his song on July 14, the "You Make It Easy" vocalist released a statement setting the record straight.
"In the past 24 hours, I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests," Aldean's statement read. "These references are not only meritless but dangerous."
"There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it — and there isn’t a single video 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," he insisted, acknowledging that he was present during the 2017 mass shooting.
"NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart," he continued before concluding that the new song is about "the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief."
It's interesting to see how Aldean's song is being misinterpreted, highlighting the deep divisions in our country.
While some view it as promoting violence, many others see it as raising awareness about how the political divide contributes to violence and devastates communities across the nation.
Hats off to Aldean for creating a song that represents those of us who are fed up with the destruction caused by groups like BLM and Antifa in various cities throughout the United States.
