How Controversy Gave Jason Aldean His Biggest Hit Ever
It’s strange how the quickest way to make something go viral is often to try and make it disappear. That’s exactly what happened with Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town.” One moment, it was simply another release praised by longtime fans. The next, it was pulled from rotation on CMT and suddenly everyone was talking about it.
The song found itself at the center of a heated debate. Some critics questioned the tone of the lyrics, while others took issue with the music video’s filming location at a courthouse with a difficult and sensitive history. What started as a discussion quickly became a nationwide uproar.
But removing the video didn’t quiet the noise — it amplified it. Overnight, the situation turned into a rallying point. Supporters streamed the song even more strongly, while people who had never heard of it pressed play just to understand what the conversation was about. Instead of fading away, the track became impossible to ignore.
The reaction created a momentum no one expected. Rather than slowing down, “Try That in a Small Town” surged to the top of the charts. It didn’t just rise steadily — it shot straight to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first chart-topping single of Aldean’s career.
In the end, the song became something larger than the music itself. It turned into a symbol of how quickly a moment can grow in the digital age — how backlash can turn into attention, and how attention can turn into the biggest hit of an artist’s life. Sometimes, trying to turn the volume down only makes people want to listen more.