Oliver Anthony’s song blames urban elites for the woes of working-class Americans
red beard fit for a Viking, prays before he performs and strums his guitar with his three hounds slumped by his boots. Oliver Anthony is an unlikely star. And yet his song, “Rich Men North of Richmond”, released on August 11th, is crowning the charts, having racked up more than 34m streams on YouTube. He is the first musician to debut in the number-one slot on theHot 100 without having had another song in the charts before.
The song’s substance helps explain its success. With the nostalgic twang of Appalachian folk, the bearded bard is singing of Americans’ struggles.
For years America’s political divisions have played out on cable news. Now they are shifting to the music charts. In May Jason Aldean, a country singer, released “Try That in a Small Town”, a warning to urban protesters. Critics deemed the music video racist;, a Republican presidential hopeful, added it to her campaign playlist; and the row drove the song to number one in early August.
Mr Anthony maintains that he is centrist. He claims to have rejected a proposed $8m record deal, saying that he does not want to buy a private jet and tour buses, play shows at stadiums or be in the spotlight. But that will not stop conservative voters and right-wing politicians using his music as their theme song.
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