Rich Men North of Richmond: New Era in Republican Politics?

By Finn Lorenz

In Aug. 2023, singer-songwriter Oliver Anthony released a new song on YouTube, “Rich Men North of Richmond.” Within days, the song shot to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list, an unprecedented occurrence for a relatively unknown artist. What about this song spurred such a jolt in popularity? 

Anthony’s song has been labeled a right-wing anthem, and it does echo many common Republican ideals. In one line, Anthony sings about an issue often mentioned by Republicans: “'Cause your dollar ain't s**t and it's taxed to no end,”. In another line, Anthony denounces “the obese milkin’ welfare.” 46% of Republicans surveyed by the Pew Research Center in 2019 believed that the government should provide less assistance to people in need, while just 10% of Democrats believed this. 

Anthony identified himself as “dead center down the aisle” in a YouTube video. When the song was used in the Republican debate, he told the New York Times that he had been singing about powerful people like the Republicans on stage. Could the song represent a larger cultural trend among Americans of people feeling unrepresented?

In 2023, the Pew Research Center documented one of the lowest rates of trust in government in history. There are also strong divides between the parties. Republicans were significantly less likely to trust the government than Democrats (8% vs. 25% respectively).  

In a Facebook post from August, Anthony himself said that his songs appeal to so many people because he was “suffering with mental health and depression… they’re being sung by someone feeling the words in the very moment they were being sung. No editing, no agent, no bullsh*t. Just some idiot and his guitar.” 

Could this be a clear sign of a nationwide shift?