Oliver Anthony’s soulful country voice seems to be resonating well past the hills where he is from. His song “Rich Men North Of Richmond” is being played all over the country since its debut on YouTube.
The country ballad, which criticizes Washington politicians, surpassed 5 million YouTube views and 300,000+ likes in its first four days.
In the song, Anthony puts to music what he feels are the concerns of America’s working class. The song’s gritty, down to earth lyrics compare real Main Street life and the world inside Washington DC’s Beltway. He sings he wishes “politicians would look out for minors, and not just minors on an island somewhere.”
The song’s lyrics are raw and not curse-free, continuing with “I’ve been selling my soul/ Working all day/ Overtime hours/ For bulls— pay,” and “Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothing to eat/ And the obese milking welfare..”
Listen to the song
Striking a chord with viewers
Comments on YouTube have been pouring in since the song’s debut, expressing support for the ballad’s message.
“This is honestly one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard!” said one commenter. “Your voice is amazing, powerful, but I can also hear the sadness and pain you have dealt with..”
“39 year old Marine vet over here wiping tears away,” another commenter added. “I felt connected to your soul on this one brother.”
Social media shares
As the song gained traction online, it also began to be shared across large social media accounts by people like Joe Rogan, Matt Walsh, and others.
On Friday, “Rich Men North of Richmond” was trending on Twitter with more than 46,000 posts.
Oliver Anthony shared a post on Twitter thanking everyone for such a big response: “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 willing to respond to everyone as quickly as possible.”
Topping the charts
On the same Friday, August 11th “Rich Men North of Richmond” was at the top of Apple Music’s New Country list. On Saturday it was still in the number two spot.
You can find and follow Anthony on Twitter/X HERE.
According to the song’s description, Oliver Anthony “wants to give hope to the working class and your average hard working young man who may have lost hope in the grind of trying to get by.”
In addition, it says Anthony resides in Farmville, VA with his 3 dogs and a plot of land he plans on turning into a small farm to raise livestock.
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