Jason Aldean Connects With ‘They Don’t Know’ Because He’s Lived It
Jason Aldean honors blue collar America in the title track of his 2016 album, They Don't Know, and he connects deeply with the song. Growing up in the Southern town of Macon, Ga., the singer saw firsthand the hard-working people he sings about.
"To me, that's where I'm from, that's kind of how I grew up," Aldean says of the song's humble subject matter. "I think that song talks about how people sort of tend to look down on things they don't really know much about."
Aldean has experienced that judgment, too — he recalls the early days of his career when he announced he had signed with indie label Broken Bow Records in 2005. The disapproval he got from others about the direction of his career made him relate to "They Don't Know" on a personal level.
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"It almost kind of just gives you some fuel to prove them wrong and to me, that's what the song is about," he explains, adding that he believes the song, co-written by Jaron Boyer, Josh Mirenda and his guitarist Kurt Allison, was written specifically with him in mind. "It's things like that, whether you live in a small town and somebody looking down on you for that."
Though he's one of country music's biggest stars, the "Lights Come On" singer always ensures that he stays true to himself and his values in the music he records, wanting to be authentic with each song he releases. "I think one thing I've always tried to do is record songs that are things I can relate to. I think with any artist, that's the best advice you can give anybody," he admits. "It's just more believable if you can sing songs that represent where you're from, I think it makes people believe it more."
Aldean is expecting his first child with wife Brittany — his first son after two girls — in December. They'll name him Memphis, honoring the superstar's love of Elvis Presley.
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