Oliver Anthony's "Rich Men North of Richmond" makes a triumphant debut on the Billboard Hot 100 Top 1 without any prior chart history.
However, not many people know what the song is about.
Oliver Anthony 'Rich Men North of Richmond' Billboard Hot 100
Released on Aug. 11, 2023, "Rich Men North of Richmond" became the 1,153rd song to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts and the 69th song to debut.
On its debut week, it logged 17.5 million streams and 147,000 downloads online. Although it has not been promoted to radio airplay, it still tallied 553,000 radio airplay audience impressions, with the majority being played on country music radio stations.
The song debuted at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart and No. 4 on the Streaming Songs chart.
Speaking to Billboard, Oliver Anthony said that the "hopelessness and frustration of our times" resonates with the song.
"The song itself is not anything special, but the people who have supported it are incredible and deserve to be heard," he added.
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'Rich Men North of Richmond' Lyrics Explained
According to TODAY, the Oliver Anthony song "Rich Men North of Richmond" talks about a working-class narrator who is frustrated with the current legislation that results in low wages and is engulfed in exorbitant taxes.
Like the recent country #1 hit "Try That In A Small Town," "Rich Men North of Richmond" has gotten the attention of Republican congresspeople. Controversial Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green called the song "the anthem of the forgotten Americans who truly support this nation ... with their hard-earned tax dollars."
"I've been sellin' my soul, workin' all day / Overtime hours for bull---- pay," Anthony sang, which mirrors the daily woes of American citizens. The song even talked about how politicians want to "take control" of people.
"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," he continued to sing.
The song was an instant hit on social media. On Aug. 8, 2023, RadioWV shared footage of outdoor performances by Appalachian musicians. In passing, they posted a video of Anthony singing the said song which eventually received more than 20 million views.
It has since been posted on TikTok, and Anthony shared it on Twitter/X, which then further catapulted it to a larger audience.
Listen to the song below.
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