Virginia factory worker Oliver Anthony has a certified hit on his hands with ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ as the song has soared to No. 1 on Apple Music’s global charts.
The song, released in early August, is sitting at the top alongside notable names like Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Travis Scott, and fellow country singer Morgan Wallen.
‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ has gained mass notoriety for its ‘bone-chilling’ portrayal of life for the ‘average man’ in the United States.
Lyrics include: ‘Lord, it’s a damn shame / What the world’s gotten to / For people like me and people like you / Wish I could just wake up and it not be true.’
The music video for the song, which includes Anthony strumming a guitar and singing soulfully to camera, has amassed more than 18 million views in a week.
Anthony, who lives in Farmville – an hour outside of Richmond – has said the song is meant to share the struggles of the blue-collar worker.
‘The universal thing I see is no matter how much effort they put into whatever it is they’re doing, they can’t quite get ahead because the dollar’s not worth enough, they are being over-taxed,’ Anthony said.
‘I want to be a voice for those people. And not just them, but humans in general,’ the singer-songwriter explained of ‘Rich Men North of Richmond.’
‘As long as you’re above the dirt, you’ve got a fightin’ chance,’ he continued.
On Spotify, the song has captured nearly 6 million listens in just five days.
It is also currently being predicted as a contender to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart come late August.
The tune has been adopted as the ‘working class anthem’ by many conservatives while some progressives have remained skeptical due to its lyrics.
The song touches on human trafficking of children, even alluding to late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and his illicit activities involving minors.
‘I wish politicians looked out for minors and not just minors on an island,’ Anthony sings in the song, which is just over three minutes long.
The singer also touches on out-of-touch politicians, high taxes, and those who take advantage of the system by ‘milking welfare.’
‘Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothing to eat and the obese milking welfare,’ he sings. ‘Well God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds, taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.’
Its message has been amplified by major voices including Fox News’ Laura Ingraham and popular podcast host Joe Rogan.
God Bless this man! ✝️
This song is accurate as stated. Remember this next year when it is time to vote!
Wow. He is the voice of Americans. We watch while democrats send our money overseas and can’t stop it even tho we are told if we do this and do that, we can. A democrat will get up and lie to get a vote and stab us in the back when we do. Oh there are some republicans the same way. But not as many. Finally there are a few men of the people in Congress but not enough to over throw the “Rich man north”