A homespun hit from a previously unknown Virginia man that touches on class struggle in America has become a viral sensation, as politicians across the spectrum seize on its message.
The country song Rich Men North of Richmond by Oliver Anthony, who has identified himself as a farmer in rural Virginia, hit the streaming services Friday and took off, soaring to the top of Apple’s country chart and hitting a nerve on social media as a clip garnered millions of views.
In his lyrics Anthony leans into issues of long hours for little pay with high taxes, while also picking up talking points that have persisted since the business-friendly, pro-austerity Ronald Reagan years, namely against the welfare state.
“Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothing to eat / And the obese milking welfare,” sings Anthony.
“Well God, if you’re 5 foot 3 and you’re 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.”
In a clip, Anthony belts out the twangy tune sitting in front of a wooded area complete with a camo-deer blind, which is used for hunting.
The song’s title invokes a common argument that Americans in the south, and more broadly rural areas outside the country’s coastal cities, have been left behind by those in power; Richmond is the capital of the state of Virginia and is a couple hours’ drive south of Washington.
Political stumping
In a video posted to his YouTube channel Anthony insists his political views are “pretty dead center”.
Many of his concerns are also those voiced by American figures on the far-left, who urge taxing the rich and universal health care as examples of solutions for a more equitable society.
But Anthony also points to concerns about “human trafficking” and taking “advantage of a child”, a message that seems in alignment with the fixation of the QAnon conspiracy theory that for years has taken hold of some Americans with far-right, pro-Donald Trump views.
One line in Rich Men North of Richmond hears Anthony appear to allude to the late Jeffrey Epstein’s island in the Caribbean, where the convicted sex offender allegedly connected minors to high-profile, powerful people.
Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a US representative from Georgia with a history of aligning herself with far-right conspiracy theories, said on X, the platform formally known as Twitter, that Anthony’s track is one “that Washington DC needs to hear”.
“It is the anthem of forgotten Americans that our government no longer cares about. These are my people, the hardworking good men and women holding up America. I will fight for them every damn day,” she said.
Conversely, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a Democrat, said on the same social media platform that “progressives should listen to this”.
“In part, bc it’s just a good tune. b. But also bc it shows the path of realignment. Anthony sings about the soullessness of work, shit wages and the power of the elites.”
“All problems the left has better solutions to than the right.”