When a Virginia farmer named Oliver Anthony came out of nowhere and gave America a song that spoke to their frustrations about this country, the people celebrated in a big way. Social media sites couldn’t stop talking about him and he shot to the number one spot on iTunes.
As RedState previously reported, the song’s popularity stems from it voicing the frustrations of Americans all over the country. From fat people on welfare to Epstein’s island, from young men’s rising suicide rates to our failing economy, Anthony’s song resonates with the people to the point where it caused more than a few tears from those who heard it.
It’s truly a song for the people. One that only comes along once in a blue moon, and even then, few hit as hard as “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
Naturally, this was going to upset the people who are either elites or are, at least, huge fans of the elites. It was only a matter of time before they began trying to minimize the song’s reach and effect. All they had to do was wait a moment before they got the ammo they needed.
The moment right-leaning influencers like Matt Walsh and Dan Bongino stepped up to use their platforms to spread the song around was the moment the left had what they needed to attack the song that spoke to the common American.
Left-leaning rags like the Seattle Times and Rolling Stone began painting the song as a “right-wing” thing.
“Newly released country song ‘Rich Men North of Richmond,’ from unknown artist, instantly becomes right-wing ‘anthem’,” wrote the Seattle Times for their header.
“Right-Wing Influencers Just Found Their Favorite New Country Song,” reads the Rolling Stone’s headline.
Within both, the song’s lyrics are highlighted alongside the news that right-leaning people are gobbling it up, including all the people the left hates like Joe Rogan, Walsh, and Bongino.
From the Rolling Stone:
A look at the lyrics, however, may suggest another reason why “Rich Men North of Richmond” is appealing to right-wing influencers. Anthony rails against high taxes and the value of the dollar, but also wades into some Reagan-era talking points about welfare.
“Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothing to eat/And the obese milking welfare,” he sings. “Well God, if you’re 5 foot 3 and you’re 300 pounds/Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.”
From Seattle Times:
The song — released by Oliver Anthony, a little-known artist from Farmville, Virginia — has garnered nearly 5 million views on YouTube in just three days, as well as praise from Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“This is the anthem of the forgotten Americans who truly support this nation and unfortunately the world with their hard-earned tax dollars and incredibly hard work,” Greene wrote in a tweet Friday.
While neither outlet wholly condemns the song or accuses it of any social sins, it’s pretty easy to understand what the intent of these articles is. The mere relation to “right-wing” ideas is enough to make it seem like associating with this song in any way is just giving that evil right-wing what it wants. Readers who might have appreciated the song on some level would be horrified to know that they like something that Walsh or Greene promotes.
Right-wing association immediately makes the thing untouchable, and Anthony, a simple farmer who expressed his frustration with the state of our country, becomes a polarizing figure who belongs to the “others” in our society.
The hope is that people walk away and tune Anthony out, and any song that speaks out against the obvious corruption in our society gets a little quieter.
The thing is, this isn’t even a right-wing song. In fact, while it discusses politics, it’s hardly politically divisive. Many of the things that Anthony speaks of in his song are issues that Americans are speaking about in general. Even people who might not consider themselves right-leaning in the least are still frustrated with the state of the economy and would love to get a peak at Epstein’s client list. A family member who watched a young man they know commit suicide isn’t going to suddenly not feel the song because Matt Walsh does.
These aren’t Republican issues, these are American issues. Calling our economic problems a right-wing thing doesn’t make the problem go away, and it won’t make Anthony’s song stop resonating with people.
The question that needs to be asked now is why the left feels so threatened by a song like “Rich Men North of Richmond” and why they feel the need to associate the concerns of Americans with “right-wing” influencers in order to make the song seem untouchable.
