The rise of Oliver Anthony and ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’

Oliver Anthony performs at the Oliver Anthony concert at the Eagle Creek Golf Club on August 19, 2023 in Moyock, North Carolina.

Mike Caudill/Billboard via Getty Images

The song “Rich Men North of Richmond” — written and performed by an artist nearly no one had heard of just a few weeks ago — was perched at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was even before its creator, who goes by Oliver Anthony, was placed front and center at Wednesday night’s GOP debate. It was featured before the candidates even spoke.

Anthony has already achieved a first for any musician working in any genre: he made the top of the charts out of nowhere. He’s never had a song on any chart, and “Rich Men North of Richmond” was released just over two weeks ago.

“Rich Men North of Richmond” seems to fit into a deep vein of protest music, decrying the fat cats who would take advantage of the working man. At its surface, Anthony’s song echoes generations of singer-songwriterly tradition. Lyrics celebrating the working man and woman have a long history in American music, from artists including Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Bill Withers and Bruce Springsteen.

Scratch the surface, however, and you also find extremist and conspiratorial narratives.

One line, in particular, stands out for its association with a known conspiracy theory: “I wish politicians would look out for miners / And not just minors on an island somewhere.” It’s a reference to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal: Epstein died in jail four years ago this month, but within far-right…