Zach Bryan had to know his latest single, titled "Bad News," was going to cause a stir.
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The second verse of the Bruce Springsteen-inspired ballad makes a very pointed political statement. Its second verse references the recent raids conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, also known as ICE. Take a look below:
"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"
Besides mentioning Springsteen, whom President Donald Trump has made very clear he does not like, the line about the "fading of the red, white and blue" was probably going to draw the ire of some of Bryan's conservative peers.
John Rich, one-half of the duo Big and Rich, appears to be the first to fire back.
What Did John Rich Have To Say About Zach Bryan?
Rich took to social media to share his thoughts on "Bad News." He captioned a quote tweet about the song's political nature with, "Nashville is full of guys like this."
Rich went on to equate Bryan with The Chicks, who were formerly known as The Dixie Chicks after changing their name in 2020 in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Rich has long been outspoken about his political beliefs. He even co-wrote a song with Fox News host Greg Gutfield in 2019 titled "Shut Up About Politics."
Rich Also Has Strong Opinions About Nashville
Back in May, someone asked Rich on X why Nashville has become "so liberal?" He replied by comparing the town's transplants to insects.
"Nashville has been overrun for the past 15 years by liberals from other states," he wrote. "They come here because we have no state income tax, the city is fun, the people are nice...then they elect people just like the one's from whence they came and destroy it. Like locusts."
Despite the controversy, Bryan's audience remains strong. The singer recently broke the record for the largest ticketed concert in the United States, showing he must be doing something right.
Photo by Mindy Small/Getty Images
