Shelton premiered the song on NYE

Blake Shelton is being called “tone deaf” on social media after debuting a love song called “Minimum Wage” to fiancee Gwen Stefani on NBC’s New Years Eve. In the song, Shelton sings, “Girl, your love can make a man feel rich on minimum wage,” for which the country singer is being criticized for the insensitive lyrics in the midst of a pandemic that has cost thousands of jobs.

One Twitter user posted, “Does anyone else find Blake Shelton’s ‘Minimum Wage’ song to be incredibly tone deaf to our country’s current state?”

Another shared, “blake shelton singing ‘your love could make a man feel rich on minimum wage’ just cements the fact that rich people have absolutely no fucking clue. the audacity to sing that on national tv to people who are suffering….i can’t.”

Another shared Shelton’s net worth with a not-so-nice message.

“The irony of listening to a millionaire Blake Shelton singing about ‘love on minimum wage’ at the end of 2020 might be lost on its target audience #NewYearsRockinEve.”

Shelton has had supporters stand up for him with one claiming, “Country music is typically written from the point of view of the common man. So give @blakeshelton a break. Singing about minimum wage is no different than singing about dirt roads and cheap beer in solo cups. And stop looking for shit to bitch about.”

Fellow country singer Ronnie Dunn is also defending Shelton. Dunn took to social media on Monday (Jan 4th) to call out those trying to further divide the country.

“The ‘beef’ is yet another of those misguided social issue (cultural scams) that are concocted to further divide this country. I’m putting my money on the common sense of the common man to call bullshit on the forces at work to keep this country divided. Now, they want to attack country singers for being successful,” Dunn shares.

“I slept on a mattress on the floor in a musician friend’s spare bedroom and played BEER JOINTS / DIVE BARS for years before I ever made a $100. Most country singers pay dues and go through things to become successful that no sane human being would.

“I grew up poor. My father was a truck driver, avid country music fan and oilfield worker all his life. My mother worked a ‘minimum wage’ job as a small town bank teller to help support a family with four kids.

“The entire world wants to hitch a free ride on the American Dream. Those that don’t want to diminish or destroy it.

“Read the full lyrics to Blake’s song. Hell, I wish I’d written it.

“Signed,
“American Made, Country Music singin’, song writin’ millionaire sumbitch !”

Neither Shelton nor his reps have released any statement as of this writing. Also, no word when or if the single will be released digitally or to country radio following his back to back No. 1 hits “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere” with Stefani.