Oliver Anthony's viral hit "Rich Men North of Richmond" debuts at No. 1 on the next Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the first time that an artist with no prior chart history has achieved that feat since the Hot 100 began in 1958.
The politically charged track, from a rural Virginia farmer and former factory worker, gained attention on social media with its lyrics including, “Your dollar taxed to no end / ’cause of rich men north of Richmond.” Anthony’s video of his song went viral over the past week, clocking up more than 20 million views on YouTube, rising to the top of the streaming charts and becoming an anthem for conservatives from nutjob Marjorie Taylor Green and right wing political commentator Matt Walsh, all viewing Anthony as a righteous figure, whose “rawness” and “authenticity” speak to real Americans.
On a superficial level, "Rich Men North of Richmond" seems to echo the themes of working-class troubadors such as Woody Guthrie and Paul Robeson-- giving voice to a sense of a world divided into rich and poor, and of ordinary people as menaced by those in power. Whereas early folk pioneers were committed to social justice and collective action, Oliver Anthony's lament about the precariousness of working-class life is fleeting at best. "Rich Men North of Richmond" more strongly expresses individualized resentment-- a resentment not towards bosses or the capitalist class (as in the old songs) but (as has become fashionable today) towards a nebulous political elite.
Anthony even gives a nod towards conspiracy theories about pedophiles (“I wish politicians would look out for miners / And not just minors on an island somewhere”). And his resentment is directed not just towards the elite-- but also toward the undeserving poor, benefit recipients, and welfare recipients: “Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothin’ to eat / And the obese milkin’ welfare”. For Mr. Anthony, “if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds”. It seems that only for some people is the precariousness of life to be condemned!
All this has turned the song into a conservative hymn and in Greene’s words, “the anthem of the forgotten Americans." Most of these same folks that are campaigning for Anthony's song have also long campaigned to deny those forgotten Americans their dues. They oppose unionization, Medicare and abortion rights. They view tax cuts for the rich as more important than support for the poor and vilify welfare any chance they get.
It is a common theme among the GOP that when people take collective action to defend their interests, they are the wrong kind of workers. It is only when workers lament without resisting that their voice is deemed “authentic”. Unfortunately, the neutering of the labor movement and the abandonment of working-class issues by many on the left has allowed the most grotesque of right wing reactionaries to shamelessly pose as friends of the downtrodden.
“I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day / Overtime hours for bullshit pay.” Anthony’s complaint hearkens back to working class champions like Springsteen, Mellencamp, Cash, and Seeger. But as long as such discontent is directed more against the undeserving poor instead of against employers and politicians who seek to crush unions and impose austerity, rich men (whether they are north or south of Richmond) will remain in power.
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