Singer Oliver Anthony just went from being virtually unknown as a musician to a spot at the very top of the iTunes music charts. That’s because he came out with a powerful folk song, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” that isn’t trashy rap and bashes the Uniparty Swamp in DC.
Playing on the feeling among many on the MAGA right that the Swamp is full of lecherous and corrupt oligarchs who use their political power not to help the average American but rather to enrich themselves, Anthony released the song over the past week to much applause and then quickly rocketed to the top of the iTunes charts.
Watch the song here, in Anthony’s tweet, which he posted with the caption, “Rich Men North of Richmond has been uploaded to all major streaming platforms and will show up there in a few days. Im still in a state of shock at the outpouring of love I’ve seen in the comments, messages and emails. I’m working to respond to everyone as quickly as possible.”
Rich Men North of Richmond has been uploaded to all major streaming platforms and will show up there in a few days.
Im still in a state of shock at the outpouring of love I've seen in the comments, messages and emails. I'm working to respond to everyone as quickly as possible. pic.twitter.com/iScaYp9AWQ
— Oliver Anthony (@AintGottaDollar) August 11, 2023
Conservative Twitter quickly got involved in cheering the song and highlighting Anthony’s work. For example, conservative Twitter personality Benny tweeted a screenshot of the song’s ratings with the comment, “🚨BREAKING: “Rich Men North Of Richmond” is the NUMBER ONE song in America But wait, there’s more! Oliver Anthony — a rural Farmer unknown just 48 hours ago — has THREE SONGS (!!!) in the Top 10. The most famous musicians on earth often never achieve this. Culture is Power”
🚨BREAKING: “Rich Men North Of Richmond” is the NUMBER ONE song in America
But wait, there’s more!
Oliver Anthony — a rural Farmer unknown just 48 hours ago — has THREE SONGS (!!!) in the Top 10.
The most famous musicians on earth often never achieve this.
Culture is Power: pic.twitter.com/7mifUMwqys
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 12, 2023
Commenting on Benny’s tweet, people agreed with the sentiment expressed in the song and wished Anthony luck. One, for example, said, “In the land of the free and the home of the brave…’These rich men north of Richmond just want to have total control.’ -Oliver Anthony When the gap between ideal and real becomes too wide, the system breaks down. Powerful song.”
Another noted that the song is indicative of how many feel towards DC, saying, “There’s a storm coming for the western politicians!! Look at the reaction videos on YouTube of the Oliver Anthony song Rich Men North of Richmond. I see tears, anger, frustration. Just look into the eyes of the guys reacting. If I was politician.. I would be afraid.”
Similarly to Benny, Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene commented on the song, saying, “This is the anthem of the forgotten Americans who truly support this nation and unfortunately the world with their hard earned tax dollars and incredibly hard work. This song represents my district and the people of America I know and love. I will fight for the forgotten American every damn day.”
Why the song speaks to so many on the right, namely the MAGA right, is obvious: it calls out the corrupt Swamp. Instead of being blindly partisan and defend corrupt “conservatives” like Mitch McConnell, it goes all in on expressing the common person’s view that the DC regime is utterly useless and indeed harmful to the average American because of its greed for money and power.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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