Blue collar ballad confronting tyranny and corruption tops the charts

Oliver Anthony's country anthem “Rich Men North of Richmond,” a heart wrenchingly honest look at American social-political issues, has exploded onto the music scene and topped the charts. 

The song first debuted on YouTube on August 8, and rapidly went viral (as of this writing, the video has 27 million views after 12 days on YouTube). It skyrocketed to the top of the iTunes Country chart, earning the Virginia native his first ever number one song.

“Rich Men North of Richmond,” referring to Washington D.C. politicians, touches on many themes of injustice and hardship in today's American society — the working man's plight of long hours and little pay, government control and corrupt politicians, homelessness and hunger, and a broken welfare system. The chorus cries out mournfully about the depressed state of society: 

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 / But it is, oh, it is.

Livin' in the new world / With an old soul / These rich men north of Richmond / Lord knows they all just wanna have total control / Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do / And they don't think you know, but I know that you do / 'Cause your dollar ain't s*** and it's taxed to no end / 'Cause of rich men north of Richmond.

The heartfelt ballad has struck a deep chord with working class Americans across the country. Conservative commentator Matt Walsh explains the song's far-reaching appeal. "The main reason this song resonates with so many people isn’t political. It’s because the song is raw and authentic. We are suffocated by artificiality. Everything around us is fake. A guy in the woods pouring his heart over his guitar is real.”

Anthony, a farmer, former factory worker, and musician, reflects in a Facebook post on his motivations behind writing this and his other songs:

I wrote the music I wrote because I was suffering with mental health and depression. These songs have connected with millions of people on such a deep level because they're being sung by someone feeling the words in the very moment they were being sung. No editing, no agent, no bullshit. Just some idiot and his guitar. The style of music that we should have never gotten away from in the first place…

From 2014 until just a few days ago, I've worked outside sales in the industrial manufacturing world. My job has taken me all over Virginia and into the Carolinas, getting to know tens of thousands of other blue collar workers on job sites and in factories. I've spent all day, everyday, for the last 10 years hearing the same story. People are SO damn tired of being neglected, divided and manipulated…

When is enough, enough? When are we going to fight for what is right again? MILLIONS have died protecting the liberties we have. Freedom of speech is such a precious gift. Never in world history has the world had the freedom it currently does. Don't let them take it away from you.