Working class anthem blowing up the Internets. (Oliver Anthony, not Jason Aldean)

[Eric H]

3 million views in three days, he seems to have touched a nerve.

 

[55Redneck]

That guy's pretty damn good, kinda sounds like Tyler Childers to me (if anyone knows who he is?).

 

[loopstick]

You never heard Kenny Rogers use this kind of language. This guy needs to pull himself up by his bootstraps.

 

[transmaster]

There has been a long history of such music. Joan Baez's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" to someone knowledgeable about "The Great War of The Rebellion" is a poignant anthem about the South during and after the war.

 

[transmaster]

Oliver Anthony Music on Apple Music

Listen to music by Oliver Anthony Music on Apple Music. Find top songs and albums by Oliver Anthony Music including Rich Men North of Richmond, Aint Gotta Dollar and more.

music.apple.com

 

[transmaster]

I just love the way Apple Music works. I pulled up Oliver Anthony and it showed me Tyler Childers.
I love this album cover as I have a special thing about Mules, having been around them back in the 1960's.
There is nothing like a saddle trained riding mule.

 

[KeninDC]

Welcome to Appalachia (I was driving through Oliver Anthony's area on Friday). Carter family flat-picking style and some good hooks. Most non-Appalachians cannot master it 'cuz it's in the bones. Billy Strings' bluegrass for burnouts does not come close to this cat.

 

[Pio1980]

Never heard of it or him until this thread, then this;

How an obscure country artist’s viral song became a conservative anthem

Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” shot to the top of the U.S. Apple Music and iTunes Country charts and racked up more than 9 million views in five days.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Sgt.Pepsi]

Awesome song! Very soulful with lots of feeling.

 

[Mystic]

3 million views in three days, he seems to have touched a nerve.

I like the Gretsch model he's playing.

 

[DesertRatt]

As a protest, it's not exactly on a par with Dylan's " Masters of War" then, is it?

 

[DeadRock]

Great song...and...it's already being co-opted and otherwise claimed as (another) anthem by The White Grievance crowd...

 

[55Redneck]

You never heard Kenny Rogers use this kind of language. This guy needs to pull himself up by his bootstraps.

That's because Kenny Rogers wrote Pop Country and not anything biting on the state of the world/country.

 

[loopstick]

That's because Kenny Rogers wrote Pop Country and not anything biting on the state of the world/country.

Kenny had great parents. This guy was never spanked and never heard the word "no".

 

[Pio1980]

Some folks seem upset with his style vs his "inauthentic" speaking voice, a pretty common country music artistic disparity as he explained his intentions.

Why have conservatives turned on ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ singer Oliver Anthony

The right-wing darling praised America’s diversity in an interview, infuriating his supporters

www.independent.co.uk

 

[swamppirate]

Great song and great truths. I can see why it makes certain groups nervous and uneasy.

 

[62caddy]

This guy was never spanked and never heard the word "no".

You know this for a fact?

 

[Erik Tracy]

I think it strikes a sentiment and makes an indictment of being ruled over and not represented.

 

[grillebilly]

As a protest, it's not exactly on a par with Dylan's " Masters of War" then, is it?

Dylan was the greatest songwriter of his generation and his impact might never be equaled. It’s ok to not like him but to deny his influence is impossible.
As far as the song goes, I like it for what it is, and think too many people are reading too much into it. So it has explicit lyrics, it wasn’t intended for American Idol audiences. So it’s a white guy bitching about his station in life, that’s never been a problem for anyone else. It’s anti-government, so what? He doesn’t think the ruling class represents him. I will bet that sentiment alone is the reason for the song’s popularity.
Maybe not a Dylan song but it’s a modern day Woody Guthrie song.
Not picking on anyone here, mostly bewilderment on why all the fuss.

 

[DeadRock]

Dylan was the greatest songwriter of his generation and his impact might never be equaled. It’s ok to not like him but to deny his influence is impossible.
As far as the song goes, I like it for what it is, and think too many people are reading too much into it. So it has explicit lyrics, it wasn’t intended for American Idol audiences. So it’s a white guy bitching about his station in life, that’s never been a problem for anyone else. It’s anti-government, so what? He doesn’t think the ruling class represents him. I will bet that sentiment alone is the reason for the song’s popularity.
Maybe not a Dylan song but it’s a modern day Woody Guthrie song.
Not picking on anyone here, mostly bewilderment on why all the fuss.

...agreed...not that that's either important or of value...