Singer Oliver Anthony emerged out of nowhere this week to score a major social media hit with his folk song “Rich Men North of Richmond” — a rust-belt ode aimed squarely at uniparty D.C. elites. Now the singer has solidified his newfound celebrity status by reaching the No. 1 spot on iTunes.
In fact, another Oliver Anthony single “Ain’t Gotta Dollar” — which he released last year — has climbed to the No. 2 spot, giving the previously little-known Virginia singer the top two selling songs on the platform.
At one point, a third song — “I’ve Got to Get Sober” — also simultaneously entered the Top 10 on iTunes.
🚨BREAKING: “Rich Men North Of Richmond” is the NUMBER ONE song in America
But wait, there’s more!
Oliver Anthony — a rural Farmer unknown just 48 hours ago — has THREE SONGS (!!!) in the Top 10.
The most famous musicians on earth often never achieve this.
Culture is Power: pic.twitter.com/7mifUMwqys
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 12, 2023
“Rich Men North of Richmond” has reached the No. 1 spot on iTunes’ all-genre music chart, beating out a number of pop stars including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Morgen Wallen.
Rich Men North of Richmond has been uploaded to all major streaming platforms and will show up there in a few days.
Im still in a state of shock at the outpouring of love I’ve seen in the comments, messages and emails. I’m working to respond to everyone as quickly as possible. pic.twitter.com/iScaYp9AWQ
— Oliver Anthony (@AintGottaDollar) August 11, 2023
Anthony released the song earlier this week on social media where it quickly went viral thanks to its anti-establishment sentiment that has resonated with millions of Americans.
Even before the audio of the song was available on music streaming platforms like Spotify, a live performance of “Rich Men North of Richmond” for an Appalachian YouTube channel took the Internet by storm and culminated in an offer from country music star John Rich to produce a full album with Anthony.
By some accounts, the singer’s battle with alcoholism nearly destroyed him before he sought to turn his life around with the help of God. “Rich Men North of Richmond” was part of his personal comeback as he sought to follow his music dreams.
The song joins a growing list of country and folk music hits in recent years that have given voice to millions of Americans who feel abandoned and ignored by the political and media establishment.
Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” is still going strong, occupying the No. 3 spot on the iTunes chart.
John Rich’s ironically titled “Progress,” reached the No. 1 spot on iTunes’ country music chart last year after the singer promoted the single on former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform.
In a Truth Social post, Rich described the new song as “my message to the tyrants running our country into the ground.”
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