From “Born in the U.S.A.” to “Barracuda”:
“Try That in a Small Town” Isn’t the First Song to Stir Campaign Controversy
By Jaden Satenstein, July 28, 2023
If you go attend a rally for a Republican presidential hopeful, you may hear a familiar tune: Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town.” Although the song came out back in May, controversy that erupted after the July 14 release of its music video catapulted the song to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Critics have pointed out that the video was filmed in front of Maury County Courthouse in Tennessee, the site of the lynching of a Black teenage boy in 1927. While Aldean claims the song has nothing to do with race or the Black Lives Matter movement, it features a variety of clips showing acts of protest, opposition to police and violence to illustrate the kind of “city” behavior that doesn’t “fly” in small towns.
“Cuss out a cop, spit in his face/ Stomp on the flag and light it up,” Aldean sings. “Yeah, ya think you’re tough/ Well, try that in a small town/ See how far ya make it down the road.”
While figures like president of the Tennessee chapter of the NAACP Gloria Sweet-Love and country music star Sheryl Crow have condemned Aldean for misrepresenting the BLM movement and promoting racial violence, Republican presidential hopefuls are riling up their bases by showing support for the song.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy have both played the song at their recent rallies, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that he might do the same soon.
It isn’t the first time Republicans have stirred the pot with their campaign song choices. Unlike with “Try That in a Small Town,” however, major opposition to a song’s use often comes from the artists themselves. A few memorable musical moments that have gotten right-wing candidates in hot water:
Reagan, Dole, Buchanan & “Born in the U.S.A.”
If you only paid attention to the famous refrain of Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 hit, “Born in the U.S.A.,” you’d probably think it’s a pretty patriotic song. That’s the mood former President Ronald Reagan was going for when his team requested to use it as part of his reelection campaign.
While the song’s seemingly upbeat chorus may indicate otherwise, “Born in the U.S.A.” is actually a damning critique of the country Reagan had hoped to celebrate. The lyrics tell the story of a Vietnam War veteran who feels abandoned and abused by his home country upon returning from the war.
Springsteen denied Reagan’s request, but that didn’t stop future politicians from playing the song at their rallies. Republicans Bob Dole and Pat Buchanan both used it in their 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns, respectively, until Springsteen publicly denounced the unauthorized usages.
Trump and … a Lot of Songs
Trump stirred up a good number of controversies at his many rallies for the 2016 and 2020 elections, and the even songs he played were part of that. A long list of artists have objected to Trump’s use of their music, including Queen, Aerosmith, Pharell Williams and Rihanna.
The Rolling Stones spoke out after Trump made “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” a staple tune of his 2016 campaign. The band later threatened legal action against Trump when he continued to use the song without permission during his 2020 campaign. Neil Young went so far as to sue the campaign for unauthorized use of “Rockin’ in the Free World” in August 2020, but he later dropped the suit.
McCain/Palin and “Barracuda”
From her high school basketball court to the campaign trail, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin always went by a specific nickname: “The Barracuda.” But when she played Heart’s 1997 song “Barracuda” during her speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention, the band sent the McCain campaign a cease-and-desist letter. That didn’t stop the RNC from playing the song once again as Palin joined former Senator John McCain on stage after his speech to close the convention.
“Sarah Palin’s views and values in NO WAY represent us as American wome,” the band said in a statement. “We ask that our song ‘Barracuda’ no longer be used to promote her image.”
The RNC: “Here Comes the Sun”
That wasn’t the last musical controversy to hit the RNC. The Beatles guitarist George Harrison’s estate was not too pleased to hear the band’s iconic “Here Comes the Sun” played at the convention in 2016.
“The unauthorized use of ‘Here Comes the Sun’ at the RNC is offensive & against the wishes of the George Harrison estate,” the estate tweeted in response, following up with another post joking that, “If it had been Beware of Darkness, then we MAY have approved it! #TrumpYourself.”
What’s the Right Playing in 2023?
While it may be making headlines, “Try That in a Small Town” isn’t the only song Republicans have included in their campaigns so far. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis won’t run into any artist opposition with his campaign song, “Sweet Florida.” It was written especially for him by Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant and his brother, Donnie Van Zant.
Senator Tim Scott walked out to The Gap Band’s 1980 song “Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)” at his campaign announcement, while fellow South Carolinian Haley played Survivor’s 1982 song “Eye of the Tiger” at her first rally.
In an interview with Billboard, Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan had a simple message for Haley: “Stop using my f—ing song!”
Jaden Satenstein (@jadensat) is a writer, producer and social media consultant. She has worked for WNYC, FRONTLINE PBS, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Straus News Manhattan.
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While figures like singer Sheryl Crow have condemned Jason Aldean (above) for misrepresenting the BLM movement and promoting racial violence, Republican presidential hopefuls are riling up their bases by showing support for the song. And it isn’t the first time Republicans have stirred the pot with their campaign song choices. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
