Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’ tops charts despite controversy

Perhaps no press is bad press when it comes to Jason Aldean’s controversial song “Try That in a Small Town.”

Aldean’s headline-making hit occupies the No. 1 spot on iTunes’ Top Songs and Music Videos charts as of Wednesday evening — despite accusations it’s racist and “pro-lynching.”

The song, which was released May 19, has over 3.8 million Spotify streams.

Over on YouTube, the music video, which dropped Friday, has over 1.8 million views. It also holds the No. 4 spot on the site’s trending music videos.

Meanwhile, an insider told The Post that Aldean’s performance of the song will remain in ABC’s broadcast of the CMA Music Festival, set to air Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST.

The fest was filmed June 8-11 at various venues in Nashville.

Viewers won’t see glimpses of the music video during the broadcast, an insider assured The Post.

The song’s popularity continues to grow even after CMT pulled the video — which features footage from protests, including Black Lives Matter protests, as well as Aldean, 46, performing in front of a Tennessee courthouse known for historic lynchings — from its rotation.

Aldean, an outspoken conservative, defended himself from the backlash Tuesday in an Instagram Story, calling the accusations that he “released a pro-lynching song … not only meritless, but dangerous.”

“‘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,” he explained.

“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 a day without a headline that keeps us up at night, but the desire for it to — that’s what the song is about,” Aldean concluded.

TackleBox Films, which produced Aldean’s music video, told Fox News Digital that the Tennessee courthouse in the video is a “popular filming location outside of Nashville” that Aldean did not personally select as a backdrop.

The company claimed that several other music videos and movies have been filmed at the location.

“Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false,” the company told the outlet in a statement.

The Post has contacted reps for Aldean, TackleBox and ABC for comment.

In the first verse of “Small Town,” the Macon, Georgia, native sings: “Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk / Carjack an old lady at a red light / Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store / Ya think it’s cool, well, act a fool if ya like.”

He continues: “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you’re tough.”

In the second verse, Aldean claims he’s equipped with a gun from his grandfather. Elsewhere, he warns: “Full of good ol’ boys, raised up right / If you’re looking for a fight / Try that in a small town.”

A small-town girl and chart-topping musician herself, Missouri native Sheryl Crow, 61, tweeted at Aldean on Tuesday, calling him out for “promoting violence.”

“@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. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting,” she wrote, referencing Aldean performing on stage as the 2017 Las Vegas music festival mass shooting began.

“This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame,” Crow added.