Zach just trying to write his own “Born In the USA?” By now I’m sure you heard about the controversy that erupted after Zach Bryan teased an unexpectedly political new song called “Bad News,” a few days ago, which criticized the ongoing immigration raids by ICE and bemoaned the “fading of the red white and blue.” The song starts out pretty typical for a Zach Bryan song: “Didn’t wake up dead or in jail Some out of town boys been giving us hell I got some bad news I woke up missing you My friends are all degenerates but they’re all I got The generational story of dropping the plot I heard the cops came Cocky mother******* ain’t they?” However, once the song gets to its second verse, it dives into the political side of things. Right off the bat, Bryan took aim at the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). And towards the end of the verse, the country star reveals that the “Bad News” he’s singing about is the “fading of the red, white and blue.” He also seems to lament the fact that Bruce Springsteen, who famously rants about Donald Trump at every concert, has lost some fans recently: “And ICE is gonna come, bust down your door Try to build a house no one builds no more But I got a telephone Kids are all scared and all alone The Boss stopped bumping, the rock stopped rolling The middle fingers rising and it won’t stop showing I got some bad news The fading of the red, white and blue” As you can imagine, the song has drawn strong reactions from both sides of the political aisle. Many on the left are praising Bryan (although I’m guessing a lot of them don’t know much about him and won’t be such big fans once they dig into his background…), while many on the right have criticized the song as anti-law enforcement and called for boycotts of Zach’s music. The controversy surrounding the song has continued to get louder and louder, which finally led the country star to take to his Instagram story last week to share an explanation: “Please f***ing read this.” Zach tries to explain himself and his song “Bad News” a bit further, saying that the track actually celebrates how much he loves the United States of America, and that when fans hear the rest of the song, they’ll understand: “I wrote this song months ago. I posted this song three months ago as a snippet. This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media. This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back.” The “Pink Skies” singer went on to mention that he served in the U.S. Navy for eight years, and clarified that he wasn’t trying to set himself up on a pedestal with this teaser. Instead, he’s hoping that when the full version of “Bad News is released (he makes it seem as though he’ll still put the song out), it’ll be a unifying song rather than one that divides… like people are painting it out to be: “I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space. I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou a******. Just a 29-year-old man who is just as confused as everyone else. To see how much s*** is stirred up make me not only embarrassed, but kind of scared. Left wing or right wing, we’re all one bird and American. To be clear, I’m on neither of these radical sides. To all these disappointed in me on either side of whatever you believe in, just know I’m trying my best too, and we can all say things that are misconstrued sometimes. Everyone have a great day and I love each and every one of ya!” He continued: “The last few months of my life, I’ve been scrutinized by more people than I ever thought possible. I feel like I’ve tried  my hardest in so many ways and it’s so hard to see where my bearings even are anymore. Been falling off a cliff while trying to grow wings at the same time. I am SO proud to have served in a country where we can all speak freely and converse amongst each other without getting doxxed, or accosted on the internet, or worse; the violence and heartbreak we’ve faced in the last few months. God speed ol’ sons I’m out.” But the statement did little to quiet the discussion sparked by the song. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees ICE, blasted Zach in a statement last week, calling the new song “disrespectful” and mentioning that she would be listening to artists like Jason Aldean instead. And this week, the songwriters for one of Aldean’s biggest hits in recent years had some harsh words for Zach and his new song too. Neil Thrasher, Kelley Lovelace, Tully Kennedy and Kurt Allison, the songwriters behind “Try That In A Small Town,” discussed Zach’s song on the most recent episode of their Try That In A Small Town podcast, with Thrasher criticizing Zach for his weak attempt at trying to be Bruce Springsteen: “Who the hell is telling these artists that’s a good idea? You cannot, when you say, ‘the fading red, white and blue’ as a line in a song, and you’re gonna try to walk that s–t back? Sorry, it’s too late… He’s trying to be like Springsteen. ‘I’m gonna be cool.’ He thinks it’s gonna be cool because he doesn’t have anybody mentoring him and telling him what he should and shouldn’t do, and he’s a dumb— for doing it. He’s listening to the wrong people.” Allison pointed out that Zach recently sold his catalog for $350 million, so he probably doesn’t care what others think: “At some point you think you can say anything and you won’t have any backlash to it.” But Thrasher thinks that the “Something In The Orange” songwriter made a strategic error in releasing the pointed song: “If you truly love your country, you’re not going to put something out there just for numbers and a dollar bill. You’re not going to do that. If you truly are a patriot and you love your country, you’re not going to do that… He’s trying to take the Bruce Springsteen route. I hope he trips and falls on stage. I don’t want him to get hurt, but I hope he trips and falls on stage.” There’s no doubt that Bryan looks up to Springsteen as a songwriter, and the two have apparently formed a close friendship. Is that what’s behind the uncharacteristically political song from Zach, or did he just decide that he wanted to chime in on the hot-button issue of the day? Who knows, and I guess we’ll have to wait to hear the whole song to see what Zach really has to say. But it’s safe to say that the “Try That In A Small Town” guys aren’t a fan of it. The post “Try That In A Small Town” Songwriter Blasts Zach Bryan For Anti-ICE Song: “He’s Trying To Be Like Springsteen” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.