‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Needed a Rewrite

Last month, a seemingly random <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqSA-SY5Hro" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Youtube video</a> of an unknown musician went viral. It didn’t take long for Anthony Oliver, or Chris Lunsford as The Free Press <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/oliver-anthony-interview-rich-men-north-richmond" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">reports</a> his actual name is, to become the toast of social media. His song, titled ‘Rich Men North of Richmond,’ quickly became a top billboard hit as the American right wing <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/ny-oliver-anthony-rich-men-north-of-richmond-blue-collar-anthem-20230812-khbtyb4e25hijlyqqhw6hnqwlu-story.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">made it a viral hit</a>, seizing on its populist message. Trump loyalist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1689987536511258624?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">described the song</a> as “ the anthem of the forgotten Americans who truly support this nation” and claimed it represents the people of her district. In the recent Republican debate, Florida governor Ron DeSantis used it to lead into a clearly planned shot at Hunter Biden. In the now infamous video, Anthony stands alone in an outdoor setting and performs the song while playing his acoustic guitar. His bushy red beard and regular guy attire evoke an image of country music that is much more authentic than Luke Bryan or Jason Aldean wearing $300 cowboy boots and leaning against a $60,000 truck that they don’t own. It’s not hard to see why Anthony has been so quick to garner a loyal fan base among Americans from rural communities. <a href="https://medium.com/my-side-of-the-aisle/rich-men-north-of-richmond-needed-a-rewrite-2ddfe289973a">Read More</a>