🗨 Don't Rock The Comments Section: Songs about small towns that are actually good

And, you know, aren't sung to the tune of white supremacy

Look, we’re not Jason Aldean fans on this Substack, in full disclosure (Natalie once coined the term Jason QAldean, all hail). I’ve actually never been a fan, even before his recent political…coming of age. The music is base and boring, the themes trite and his singing voice passable at absolute best. And it’s that lack of true, timeless talent or even basic songwriting skills that push folks to do what has always worked well in county music - appeal to a radical conservative base to make bucks.

As Adeem The Artist pointed out yesterday, “a lot of folks have repugnant political views but also are masters of the songwriting craft. Aldean isn’t even good or interesting. That’s why he does this shit. It’s the only asset he’s been able to monetize. Being a shit head.” Adeem is dead on. QAldean was never going to be able to make the moves of an Eric Church or Willie Nelson as he gets older because the talent was just never there. He needed something else. Something powerful.

And that something else is racist dogwhistles, usually with the aid of his wife (it makes them a lot of money which they love to show off on Instagram - let them eat liberal tears cake amirite!!!). The latest being his song “Try That In A Small Town” and the accompanying video, which was filmed in front of a courthouse where a lynching took place and features lyrics about using granddads gun on the wokies or something in a sundown town (I am paraphrasing, I cannot endure reading those lyrics again). Apparently this is what happens in a small town, according to QAldean, who grew up in Macon, Georgia, population 150K+.

There are many things terrifying and frustrating about this whole situation (looking at the label and team of folks who helped bring this vision to life). One of them is the fact that country music is actually really great at songs about small town life. Not just great. Probably the best.