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Singer of viral ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ criticizes use of song as a political anthem
Singer Oliver Anthony came out with a critical response to the way his viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” was used on Wednesday when the song was played at the beginning of the GOP presidential debate in Milwaukee and prompted the first question by Fox News moderator Martha MacCallum.
“The one thing that has bothered me is seeing people wrap politics up into this,” Anthony says in a 10-minute video released on YouTube.
The song — which describes a deep divide between wealthy and poor Americans — shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week, making him the first artist to do so without having any prior chart history. The 31-year-old country singer is based in Farmville, Virginia, but it wasn’t until a video of his performance posted to WV Radio’s YouTube, which features country, bluegrass and folk musicians in Appalachia, went viral and his musical career took off.
Mike Caudill for Billboard via Getty Images
“It was funny seeing my song at the presidential debate,” Anthony says in the video, “because I wrote that song about those people.”
During the debate, MacCallum begins her first question by describing the No.1 hit and saying Anthony’s lyrics “speak of alienation, of deep frustration with the state of government and of this country,” adding, “Washington, D.C. is about 100 miles north of Richmond,” before rolling a clip of the top-charting chorus. Afterward, MacCallum asks Florida Governor Ron Desantis: “Why is this song striking such a nerve in this country right now?”
DeSantis replied saying, “Our country is in decline, this decline is not inevitable it’s a choice,” adding that America needs to “reverse” this decline and that starts with reversing “Bidenomics.”
But Anthony refuted that message in his video saying the song “has nothing to do with Joe Biden,” and that he “hates” the way his lyrics are being “weaponized.”
In the recorded video titled, “It’s a pleasure to meet you – part 2,” Anthony sits in the bed of his truck and directly speaks to the camera to address the frustration he feels following the debate and the uptick in the use of his song in conservative media.
“It’s aggravating to see people on conservative news try to identify with me like I’m one of them,” he says. “It’s aggravating seeing certain musicians and politicians act like we’re buddies and act like we’re fighting the same struggle.”
One such example is by Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the song is an “anthem of the forgotten Americans” and that it represents her district.
“I see the right trying to characterize me as one of their own and I see the left trying to discredit me… that s—- gotta stop.”
YouTube/ Oliver Anthony Music
About halfway through the video, which was posted Friday and was ranked as #8 in trending videos on Saturday, he starts to address the “left” who he says has characterized his song as “an attack against the poor.” He refutes that by saying his songs written about class such as “Doggonit” actually “defend the poor.”
Despite the exasperation he shows in the video, Anthony says he’s “not too concerned about the future” and that he’s “living in the present” where he’ll continue to keep writing because he’s “got a lot of words to put down on paper.”
Also on Friday, Anthony wrote on his X account that he doesn’t support “either side politically” and is just about supporting people and local communities, adding “Now, go breathe some fresh air and relax. Please? 🙂 I’m not worth obsessing over, I promise. Go spend time with your loved ones.”
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.
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