Oliver Anthony’s viral ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ tops US Billboard chart in history-making debut
- Farmer from rural Virginia takes number spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with song about US working class
- A video of him performing the song was posted on YouTube on August 11, and has since amassed millions of views
A country song from a previously unknown singer that touches on class struggle in America and has been seized on by politicians has debuted at the top of the US charts, Billboard said on Monday.
Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” has overtaken megastars Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Olivia Rodrigo to the number spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Billboard said Anthony, who has identified himself as a farmer in rural Virginia, becomes the first artist ever to launch atop the list “with no prior chart history in any form”.
The song has been streamed 17.5 million times and downloaded 147,000 times in less than a week, Billboard added.
The song was released on YouTube on August 11 and quickly soared to the top of Apple’s country chart as it hit a nerve on social media and garnered millions of views.
In his lyrics Anthony leans into issues of long hours for little pay with high taxes.