Rich Men North of Richmond singer condemns GOP for using his song
4 Min Read
The singer of Rich Men North of Richmond responds to the Republican Party's usage of his song in the primaries debate.
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Singer Oliver Anthony performing his hit song Rich Men North of Richmond (YouTube screengrab)
Country and folk singer Oliver Anthony, the voice behind Rich Men North of Richmond, a number-one single that has recently topped the charts and is proclaimed as the song of the working class, talked indignantly about the Republican party's usage of his song at the first primaries debate.
The Republicans running for president used Anthony's song, which drew his ire and pushed him to say: "It was funny seeing my song at that presidential debate. Because I wrote that song about those people, you know, so for them to have to sit there and listen to that, that cracks me up. It was funny kind of seeing the response to it."
The Republican candidates, all of whom are millionaires, played the song and discussed it in a bid to appear closer to the working class whose issues the song talks about. Anthony's song has amassed great popularity, shooting up to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 list and reigning supreme at number 1, the first song by an artist with no chart history to make such a feat.
The stage in Milwaukee for the GOP debate had seven Republicans on it - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
Former US President Donald Trump did not attend and instead opted for a pre-recorded interview with former Fox News host and conservative media personality Tucker Carlson.
An excerpt of the song was played at the beginning of the debate, with Fox News host Martha MacCallum asking DeSantis: "Why is this song striking such a nerve in the country right now?"
"Our country is in decline. This decline is not inevitable. It's a choice," the Presidential candidate responded, blaming President Joe Biden for the issues facing the United States rather than acknowledging the systemic crises within it that have driven this "decline".
Anthony's song, which condemns the rich and promotes proletarian ideals to a certain extent, was met with championing from the right wing, who viewed it as populistic and anti-big government. Meanwhile, the left wing saw it as another attempt by the right to seem pro-people and anti-government while also condemning its attacks on welfare recipients.
The singer on Friday released a 10-minute video in which he rejected DeSantis' answer and denied he was conservative.
"The one thing that has bothered me is seeing people wrap politics up in this. I'm disappointed to see it. Like, it's aggravating seeing people on conservative news try to identify with me, like I'm one of them," he underlined.
Furthermore, he explained that the song had "nothing to do with Joe Biden. You know, it's a lot bigger than Joe Biden. That song's written about the people on that stage and a lot more, not just them."
"I [...] hate to see that song being weaponized, like I see. I see the right trying to characterize me as one of their own. And I see the left trying to discredit me, I guess in retaliation. That's got to stop," he stressed.
Talking to the left wing, he said, "They're sending a message out that … Rich Men North of Richmond is an attack against the poor," however, he clarified that "my message… references the inefficiencies of the government because of the politicians within it that are engulfed in bribes and extortion."
He also clarified that he was not taking a jab at those who benefit from welfare, but rather stating the fact that "adolescent kids in Richmond [Virginia] are missing meals because their parents cannot afford to feed them, and they're not in school."
Meanwhile, "like 30% or 40% of the food bought with welfare EBT money is [...] snack food and soda."
He stressed that his intention was not to blame the people spending welfare money on junk food and soda either. "Welfare only makes up a small percentage of our budget," he said. "We can fuel a proxy war in a foreign land but we can’t take care of our own. That's all the song is trying to say."
