Updated Aug 28, 2023, 03:56pm EDT
Topline
Country singer-songwriter Oliver Anthony’s breakout hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” snagged the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week, propped up by right-wing media personalities and politicians, despite Anthony’s rebuke of both sides of the political spectrum.
Key Facts
Anthony’s hit once again leads a trio of country songs at the summit of the Hot 100—only the third time in history that has happened, all of which were this month.
Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” ranked second and third on the Hot 100, ahead of Taylor Swift’s 2019 song “Cruel Summer” at No. 4 and Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” at No. 5.
Anthony became the first artist to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 without having any prior chart history last week, when “Rich Men North of Richmond” first topped the chart.
Right-wing pundits and politicians, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, have championed the song because of its anti-Washington elite message, while some on the left have criticized its lyrics that accuse “obese” people of “milking welfare.”
Anthony has previously said he is politically “dead center” and has disagreements with both liberals and conservatives.
This week, “Rich Men North of Richmond” was streamed 22.9 million times and sold 117,000 downloads, topping Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart for a second week and the Streaming Songs chart for the first time.
Surprising Fact
“Rich Men North of Richmond” played at the Republican presidential debate last week, which Anthony criticized in a YouTube video response. At the debate, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) said the United States is in “decline” because “those rich men north of Richmond have put us in this situation.”
Crucial Quote
“It was funny seeing it at the presidential debate, because it’s, like, I wrote that song about those people, so for them to have to sit there and listen to that, that cracks me up,” Anthony said in his YouTube video.
Big Number
46 million. That’s how many views “Rich Men North of Richmond” has on YouTube.
Key Background
Anthony is a farmer hailing from Farmville, Virginia, who has been writing his own music since 2021. He has called music an outlet for difficult times he experienced, including spending “a lot of nights getting high and getting drunk” and working 12-hour shifts at a North Carolina factory. Anthony first posted a performance of “Rich Men North of Richmond” on his YouTube channel on August 1, where he has been posting covers and original songs since 2020. The success of his breakout hit has also impacted his other songs: Last week, Anthony charted 19 songs in the top 70 of the U.S. iTunes chart.
Further Reading
Controversial ‘Rich Men North Of Richmond’—Oliver Anthony’s Hit Song Championed By The Right—Explained (Forbes)
Oliver Anthony Condemns Conservative Figures Adopting ‘Rich Men North Of Richmond’: ‘I Wrote That Song About Those People’ (Forbes)
Oliver Anthony Dominates iTunes Chart As ‘Rich Men North Of Richmond’ Hype Boosts His Other Songs (Forbes)
Oliver Anthony Music’s ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Notches Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 (Billboard)
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