Former factory worker Oliver Anthony is taking the world by storm with his song, “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
The singer has become an overnight success thanks to the song about the struggles of the working class in the face of wealthy individuals driven by greed. The song resonated with millions after his performance of “Rich Men North of Richmond” was posted to radiowv’s YouTube. The video raked in 9.2 million views in just five days.
“I’ve been selling my soul, working all day, overtime hours, bulls–t pay, so I can sit out here, And waste my life away. Drive back home and drink my troubles away. It’s a damn shame what the world’s gotten to, for people like me, people like you. Wish I could just wake up and it not be true, but it is,” Oliver Anthony sings on the opening verse. The song goes on to call out the wealthy who seek “total control,” politicians, and “obese” Americans who are taking advantage of government assistance.
“Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothing to eat and the obese milking welfare/ Well God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds/ Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds,” he sings.In a video shared to YouTube ahead of the release of the viral radiowv video, Anthony explained that this is the “first song to get out there that has been recorded on a real microphone and a real camera, and not just on my cell phone.”
He went on to share his hopes for “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
“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. … I want to be a voice for those people,” he explained. “And not just them, but humans in general.”The Song Is Resonating With Millions
The performance clip now has over 45,000 comments. Many users are sharing their support and thanking Oliver Anthony for speaking out on an issue so many are facing.
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