Sheryl Crow is speaking out against Jason Aldean’s controversial new single, “Try That in a Small Town.” In a post on Twitter, Crow wrote: “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. 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 quoted a viral post from ‘Moms Demand Action’ founder Shannon Watts, which points out how ironic Aldean’s song is, since he was in a mass shooting.

Initially released in May, “Try That in a Small Town” stayed under the radar until last week when Aldean and director Shaun Silva dropped a video for the song featuring the country star performing in front of a courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, the site of a 1933 lynching, with footage interspersed depicting protests as violent and lawless. The backlash against the song (and Aldean) culminated with CMT pulling the music video for “Try That in a Small Town” from its rotation.

Aldean responded to the criticism with a lengthy post on social media:“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. 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 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. ‘Try That In A Small Town,’ for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences. My political views have never been something I’ve hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this country don’t agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least one day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to – that’s what this song is about.”

Aldean’s wife Brittany also defended her husband, posting a photo alongside the singer with the caption, “Never apologize for speaking the truth Media.. it’s the same song and dance. Twist everything you can to fit your repulsive narrative … How about instead of creating stories, we focus on the real ones such as child trafficking? Food for thought.”

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