A guitar, a microphone, a red beard, and lyrics tinged with a very political color. In a few days, Rich Men North of Richmond, and its hitherto totally unknown interpreter, Oliver Anthony, have outclassed Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen or Olivia Rodrigo to take first place in the “Billboard Hot 100” chart dated the week of August 26 and published on Tuesday August 22.
Country at the top of the charts in the United States, it is not uncommon. But according to the weekly Billboardwhose “Hot 100” reflects sales and broadcasts in streaming and radio – all genres combined, in the United States -, it is the first time that a singer-songwriter who was still completely anonymous a few days earlier has made a such feat.
Published on August 9 on YouTube, then on Spotify and Apple Music on August 11, the song immediately rose to the top of the country ranking of Apple’s music platform. On Tuesday, the title accumulated nearly 16 million plays on Spotify and 32 million views on YouTube.
On a guitar with bluegrass accents, a subgenre originating in Appalachia, the lyrics denounce the harshness of the life of the working class and the most deprived in the face of the privileges of the wealthy. The chorus and the title refer to the elites of Washington, the federal capital, located 175 kilometers “north of Richmond”, the capital of Virginia and former capital of the Confederates and supporters of slavery during the American Civil War. ” Lord, you know that/They just wanna have total control,” chants Oliver Anthony, who, for his part, ” has sold [son] soul/To toil all day/To work overtime/For a shitty salary ».
The populist accents of the song “undeniably lean to the right”analyze the New York Times, in an article published on August 21. For its part, the tabloid of conservative magnate Rupert Murdoch, The New York Post, qualified her on August 11 “a blue-collar political anthem”, taking up a couplet which opposes “people on the street who have nothing to eat”, of which the “dollar is worth nothing / And who is taxed to the bone”, to those who weigh “more than 150 kg”, denouncing in passing “this obese dairy cow” what is ” the welfare state “.
“Digital Guerrilla Tactics”
For the tabloidthe quest for a singer, who would live “in a trailer in Farmville, Virginia”is not limited to the ” class struggle “but draws its inspiration from “the libertarianism that gave birth to the American Revolution”.
For his part, the New York Times underlines references to certain conspiracy myths, which in particular attribute to the American political class generalized pedophile practices: “I would like politicians/Take care of minors/And not only those who are on an island somewhere”.
For the benchmark New York daily, the success “staggering” of Oliver Anthony is explained first of all by the fact that it is addressed “to a public that considers itself disadvantaged”. But, still according to the newspaper, this success is also explained by theand “know-how” And “digital guerrilla tactics” which can be demonstrated by many personalities from “conservative circles”and who consider themselves “marginalized” by the “cultural industries”.
As soon as it was published, the song was taken up by several influential figures in the American ultra-conservative sphere. THE New York Times quotes in particular Jack Posobiec, former soldier turned television presenter, pro-Trump activist and follower of many conspiracy theories. On August 11, two days after the title was published on YouTube, Jack Posobiec shared again the song on his X account (formerly Twitter), usually customary for posts relating to the “great replacement” theory, or to pro-Kremlin positions.
Also on August 11, Conservative columnist Matt Walsh explain on X that the success of this song did not depend on its tone ” policy “but to his character “raw and authentic”. Two days later, Joe Rogan, host of the famous podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” – which claims several million listeners – released a sample of the song on his account. instagramwith the only comment: “You cannot falsify what is authentic. »
“Progressives should also listen”
In the political sphere, the song also had a rapid impact. Georgia Republican elected to Congress Marjorie Taylor Greene, supporter of Donald Trump and follower of conspiracy theories, had greeted on X August 11 “a hymn to Americans forgotten by our government”.
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On the left, Democratic Senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy, estimated on X that “Progressives should also listen” this song against “shitty wages and the power of the elites”.
For his part, the singer ” do not see [son] country last a generation longer if [les Américains] continue on this path”. “We have to go back to the roots of what made [notre] greatness”, he claimed Saturday during a free concert in North Carolina.
Oliver Anthony (real name Christopher Anthony Lunsford) does not consider himself “as a good musician, nor as a good person”, but just like “an idiot with his guitar”. In a post published on Facebook on August 17, he presents himself as having “dropped out of high school at 17” before working as a laborer in various factories in Virginia. Gnawed a time par “alcohol” and the ” depression “he explains that he then “found faith”. Its purpose is to denounce “atrocities” such as the “human trafficking” or the “pedophilia”which, according to him, is becoming the ” standard “. Despite the dazzling success of his song, the artist assures “hate the way the internet has divided us”. “The Internet is a parasite” who, according to him, “infected the human mind”. The post has been liked 134,000 times.