“Rich Men North of Richmond”
Previously unknown singer Oliver Anthony climbs to the top of the charts – and divides US politics
Oliver Anthony’s country song (pictured) has been streamed 17.5 million times in less than a week
© Kendall Warner/ / Picture Alliance
It’s not Taylor Swift or Olivio Rodrigo who are currently leading the US charts, but Oliver Anthony. The hitherto unknown musician hit a nerve with his country song “Rich Men North Of Richmond” – especially in Washington.
A country song by a previously unknown musician, which addresses the class struggle in the USA and has already been commented on by several politicians, has surprisingly made it to the top of the US charts. Oliver Anthony’s play “Rich Men North of Richmond” overtook megastars Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Olivia Rodrigo on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. No one has ever made it like this, Billboard said.
According to the industry service, the song has been streamed 17.5 million times and downloaded 147,000 times in less than a week.
In his play, Anthony denounces hard work, low wages and high taxes and sings about a worker who “sells his soul”.
Country song tops US charts
He seems to have struck a chord with this: “Rich Men North of Richmond”, which was first published on YouTube on August 11, was viewed millions of times in online services and quickly climbed to the top of the Apple Country Charts.
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Richmond is the capital of the US state of Virginia and is a few hours’ drive south of Washington. The song’s title alludes to the fact that people in the south and in rural regions often feel left behind by the political elite.
Political conflict over Oliver Anthony
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told X, formerly Twitter, that Anthony’s song was “what Washington DC needs to hear.” Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut urges “progressives” to listen to the song.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Anthony emphasizes that his political views are “rather right in the middle”. Speaking at a concert in North Carolina on Saturday, he told Fox News, “As things are going, I don’t see our country surviving another generation. We need to get back to the roots of what made this country great has.”