According to Caryn James, Oliver Anthony’s song Rich Men North of Richmond is the most recent in a string of cultural exigencies that represent a sharply divided America. Whether Oliver Anthony likes it or not, the right side might have discovered its newest hero in the cultural battle that still polarizes US politics. Anthony, an unknown singer-songwriter, became a viral success last week when his musical piece Rich Men North of Richmond, which decries big government and Washington, was released on the YouTube channel of a WV radio station. The song has had above 20M views overall.
But not just the “you” he had been talking to in the proletariat was paying heed. Within a few days, politicians from the right wing were endorsing the piece, which fits in well with certain conservative narratives and criticizes welfare recipients and overtaxed governments.
Anthony Refuses To Take Sides in Rich Men North of Richmond
It was “the anthem” for the Americans and their forgotten history, according to Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake, who was sponsored by Donald Trump. The story was picked up by NBC News, which referred to it as a “conservative hymn” on its website. Senator Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, wrote on the left that “progressives must listen to the song” and that Anthony’s troubles were “The left wing has superior solutions to all issues compared to the right.” The song received a flood of media coverage.
Regardless of Anthony’s song’s true musical appeal, its powerful political message played a part in its cultural and media success. Anthony, though, stated that he did not wish to comment on the battle and had a neutral perspective, in a clip that was published a couple of hours before Rich Men North of Richmond was released. He hasn’t given interviews since his song went viral, and he didn’t reply to our request for comment.
