‘Staind’ Legend Aaron Lewis’ Label Stands Up to Backlash Over Anti-Liberal Song ‘Am I the Only One’ as it Tops ‘Hot Country Songs’ Chart

As we reported in early April, before the song got extremely popular, Aaron Lewis and his record label are standing up and doubling down. Originally, the song was just being randomly played live and was speculated to be named “Am I the Only One”, which it did end up being called. In the song, now going viral over and over again all over the internet, Lewis takes a swipe at liberal Bruce Springsteen.

He asks if he’s the only one who cares about historical statues being ripped down in the United States. He also quips that he feels he’s “turning into my old man” and wonders if he’s the only one screaming at his TV about how much America is changing.

Many in the U.S. don’t have a sense of patriotism anymore sadly, and he is disgusted by this in the song. His record label defended the song from many critics who were likely unpatriotic liberals disgusted with Lewis’ new song. Kentucky.com reported:

Debuting earlier this month, the song topped the Hot Country Songs chart on Billboard last week. As of Tuesday, it is the No. 4 country song on iTunes.

Popular music blogger Bob Lefsetz called the song heinous, referring to Lewis as a “middle class, right-wing wanker.” He asked why Scott Borchetta, founder of Big Machine Label Group, marketed the song, and the head of the label later responded.

Borchetta said he and Lewis have political disagreements, but he believes in the First Amendment when it comes to song lyrics.

“It doesn’t work if we’re so divided that we can’t reach across the aisle, have a conversation or an argument, and ultimately, shake hands,” Borchetta wrote in a post that Lefsetz featured on his blog. “If we can’t do that, and this moment is so divisive, we may never get our country back.”

He added that to “cancel” Lewis would be ridiculous, and that not all listeners have to agree with the message Lewis is sending through the song.

Below is a live version that we linked-to in our original story, and below is the newer, professional live acoustic version as well.

The song also included:

“Am I the only one here tonight, shaking my head and thinking something ain’t right” he kicks it off. “Am I the only one, tell me I’m not, who thinks they’re taking all the good we got and turning it back. Hell, I’ll be damned, I’m turning into my old man. Am I the only one willing to bleed, or take a bullet for being free, screaming what the f— at my TV for telling me, yeah are you telling me, am I the only one, willing to fight for my love of the red and white and the blue burning on the ground as the statues coming down in a town near you, watching old glory come undone, am I the only one?”

Lewis may re-ignite his career with this song if he can continue to fend off cancellation by the angry left.

Billboard.com also wrote in part:

Aaron Lewis, founding member and lead vocalist of hard rock band Staind, blasts in atop Billboard’s airplay-, sales- and streaming-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated July 17) with “Am I the Only One” (Valory).

Lewis’ first Hot Country Songs leader is the ninth song to debut atop the tally (which began as a multi-metric genre ranking in 1958 and segued to its current methodology in 2012). It’s the third of 2021, following Morgan Wallen’s “Wasted on You” in January and Taylor Swift’s “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” in February.

Released July 2, “One,” which Lewis wrote with Ira Dean and Jeffrey Steele, arrives with 59,300 sold in its first week, ending July 8, according to MRC Data. It opens atop Country Digital Song Sales and at No. 2 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales ranking. On the former, it marks the biggest week since the chart dated Feb. 10, 2018, when Jason Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” soared in with 76,900 sold.

“One” also drew 4 million U.S. streams in the tracking week.