Art and Culture # 111: Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond”…the song we all need to hear
For many country, blues, or folk enthusiasts, a new song by Oliver Anthony “Rich Men North of Richmond” is a song that somehow presents a new paradigm shift in the country/blues/folk song oeuvre. Oliver Anthony, his real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford, born in Farmville Virginia, in his own way, isn’t the typical singer. In his own right, “Rich Men North of Richmond” performed in Barco North Carolina, holds an entire song and chorus with a banjo, where the lyrics are:
"I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day Overtime hours for bullshit pay So I can sit out here and waste my life away Drag back home and drown my troubles away"[1]
The way Oliver Anthony, in his own right, gives a personal yell to each syllable, as such singers twangs usually overshadow a song, Anthony’s voice is clear and his lyrics don’t shy away from 2023’s greatest problems. Taxes, protecting children “I wish politicians would look after minors and not minors on an island” referring to Jeffery Epstein’s pedophile island. And that’s just one or two bars of lyrics. What makes Oliver Anthony perceptive is that not that he wears Crocs, as explained on his Joe Rogan Podcast interview. The song itself presents a clear voice with an honest perspective.
Folk singers, in their own right, were honest in their songs, but dishonest in their personal life. Oliver Anthony never presents his own political opinions in the songs, too. Oliver Anthony doesn’t pretend or hold no swill for any politician or party. He even puts down algorithm based song influence in today’s modern music standards. And even downing the Republican National Convention using his song without his permission claiming, “I wrote that song about them.” There’s no calculation put into a song that requires feelings to create a strong stage/singer presence.
The confidence in Oliver Anthony’s voice is what sells his song, and in grocery stores, people relate to a song about hardship. It’s like an old negro slave song that is meant to uplift slaves, and for some reason, the uplifting feeling that Oliver Anthony gives is what has made the song so popular. Some songs require strong melody from guitars or drums but an honest voice creates a movement. Which is what led to “Rich Men North of Richmond’s” popularity, “streamed 22.9 million times and sold 117,000 downloads, topping Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart for a second week and the Streaming Songs chart for the first time” according to Forbes August 28th, 2023 article1.
But the world itself needs honesty. So honest that Oliver Anthony told his fans not to buy venue tickets that were “jacked up”, but some, like Tim Pool, claim “I can’t blame Oliver Anthony for being inexperienced but this whole fiasco seems to be based off his and his team’s lack of understanding of how shows like this work. We charged $125 per ticket for our event in Austin and we LOST money doing this event. People don’t understand how expensive it is to run a venue and 1500 people is gunna be nuts.” To me it’s a little old school. Oliver Anthony downing his own venue and bottom line is so old school folk music thinking, and it almost sounds akin to Bob Dylan before he sold his soul and began playing electric guitars.
What makes Oliver Anthony a breath of fresh air in the music world is how old country music used to sound. No large scale percussion instruments or even drums or back up guitars. One man and a song to sing.
And “Rich Men North of Richmond” is as pure, didactic, and honest as any song you will find in 2023.
(Extra note: I later added in the streaming reference through the substack footnote adder, but it didn’t recognize the first reference. So, there are officially two references)
-Louis Bruno is the author of more than 21 books, including, The Michael Project, The Michael Project: Book 2: The Lost Children of Eve, Thy Kingdom Come, The Disintegrating Bloodline Part 2: Chaos, The Data Chase, The Disintegrating Bloodline part 3: Solvè, The Disintegrating Bloodline (and the original text re-released in 2019), Apocalypse Soldier, The Data Chase, Selection: The First Book of the Life and Death Saga, and Blinking Eyes: The Second Book of the Life and Death Saga, Hierarchy of Dwindling Sheep, The City of Sand, The God of Curiosity, To the Moon and Back, The Villain Lives and The Villain Lives: The Divided Pinpoint, Come Home, Young One, City of Sand: Book 1: The Holy Terror, and The Voices Are Alive, and The City of Sand: Book 2: Jerusalem Ignited. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of Phoenix. His books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Lulu. He can be found on Gab, https://gab.com/thereallouistbruno, Minds https://www.minds.com/lbruno8063/. Instagram @lbrruno8063 and @louisbrunoofficialbook. Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouisBr88881650. He has written for the Intellectual Conservative and Ephemere. His two newest books, The City of Sand: Book 2: Jerusalem Ignited, and The Savior, the Flood, and the Beast: Three Plays are out now: https://www.amazon.com/City-Sand-Book-Jerusalem-Ignited/dp/1365979660/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1G8HAWZP73ZFO&keywords=Louis+Bruno+City+of+Sand+book+2&qid=1675772880&sprefix=louis+bruno+city+of+sand+book+2%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1. https://www.amazon.com/Savior-Flood-Beast-Three-Plays/dp/1088120997/ref=pd_ybh_a_sccl_4/140-0249150-4265358?pd_rd_w=W5fsa&content-id=amzn1.sym.67f8cf21-ade4-4299-b433-69e404eeecf1&pf_rd_p=67f8cf21-ade4-4299-b433-69e404eeecf1&pf_rd_r=2E73RTDRBVPZEY5D77V2&pd_rd_wg=69KGI&pd_rd_r=59d8721c-bf89-4fa7-bd88-7a072004a89f&pd_rd_i=1088120997&psc=1. Also, if you can’t subscribe so that you can get members only content, please be sure to share the articles, as well. If you do Subscribe, you have long term access to the paid articles that some readers won’t get to see or access after the articles/books go private.
[1] https://www.billboard.com/music/lyrics/oliver-anthony-music-rich-men-north-of-richmond-lyrics-1235402906/.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/08/28/rich-men-north-of-richmond-tops-billboard-hot-100-for-second-week-as-country-dominates-charts/?sh=370b1ef5677