Music

Despite never having appeared on a single Billboard chart before, Oliver Anthony Music flies in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week with his mega-viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” — sending shock waves through the entire music industry in the process.

Just a couple years ago, the idea of a song like “Richmond” — a solo banjo country ballad from a relatively unknown artist, more notable for its state-of-the-world lyrics and impassioned delivery than any major hooks — zooming in atop the Hot 100 would have been nearly unimaginable. But in an a time on the charts where country is more impactful than it’s been in decades, and where political divisiveness has the ability to act as a nitrous oxide-like accelerant to a song’s commercial fortunes, the song’s 2023 success is hardly inexplicable.

What’s the biggest reason behind the success of “Richmond”? And will Oliver Anthony Music be able to use it as a springboard to lasting stardom? Billboard staffers discuss below.

1. Two weeks ago, none of us were likely that familiar with Oliver Anthony — but basically overnight, he’s become the biggest breakout artist of 2023. We’ve already seen some very unusual musical success stories this year, but is this one the most surprising of them all to you?  

Kyle Denis: I think this one surprises me the most because his trajectory is moving at breakneck speed. With other 2023 breakout stars like Ice Spice, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, etc., it was easy to track their rise in popularity across radio, streaming, and social media month by month. With Oliver Anthony, that timeline has shrunk into literal days, and he’s garnered more Hot 100 success than most of the year’s breakout stars in a fraction of the time. Nonetheless, given the sound and themes of “Rich Men,” my shock is less palpable. Both sonically and lyrically, “Rich Men North of Richmond” pulls on trends — the angst of America’s working class and guitar-centric country and rock-tinged songs — that have anchored a significant number of the year’s biggest cultural and commercial hits thus far.

Jason Lipshutz: Yup. The combination of the song, artist and chart debut places Oliver Anthony’s rapid ascent above the other startling mainstream wins of 2023. We’ve had little-known artists across genres become stars in a matter a months – Ice Spice, Jelly Roll and Peso Pluma all come to mind – and a different aggrieved country single top the Hot 100 a few weeks before Anthony’s did. “Rich Men North of Richmond” and Anthony truly came out of nowhere, though, and the No. 1 debut on the Hot 100 is nothing short of shocking. 

Melinda Newman: Yes. What is surprising is the speed and the ubiquity of the song and how quickly it became part of a national conversation. This is someone who went from 0 to 100 mph in a week and it shows that a song that hits people in the feels (or, cynically, can be glommed on to by politicians and pundits for their purposes) travels far and fast.

Jessica Nicholson: Given that “Rich Men” didn’t simply debut somewhere on the Hot 100, but at the pinnacle of the chart — and add to this that Oliver Anthony Music is an independent artist with no previous history on the Billboard charts, and this song’s acoustic style and somewhat politically-driven sentiments are far from the typical summer pop hits — I would consider this one of the biggest surprises of the year. 

Andrew Unterberger: I might actually consider the Hot 100-topping success of Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” a little more surprising than this — if only because it came first, and felt just as out of nowhere, given that the song had already been around for a month when it caught fire post-video controversy. Aldean was an already-established star, sure, but his commercial success had long since plateaued; him shooting to the top of the chart felt only slightly less improbable than it does with Anthony.

2. Obviously a lot of factors go into a runaway hit like “Rich Men” — but if you had to pick one as the biggest thing, which would it be? 

Kyle Denis: The lyrics. “Rich Men North of Richmond” smartly presents itself as anthem for the frustrations of America’s working class — a group of people that rarely get to reap the full range of benefits from the seeds they sow into the country’s often barren soil. The trick the song pulls off, however, is a subliminal endorsement of some of the most damaging and problematic sociopolitical messaging of the past few decades. In a single line — “Well, God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds,” Anthony is able to fold a healthy dose of fatphobia via “welfare queen” imagery into his ode to America’s working class. Even the song’s title plays on the North-South divide that has permeated American politics for decades upon decades. 

“Rich Men North of Richmond” accomplishes what Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” failed to do; the song is specific enough that people can see their own anxieties and emotions in it, but it’s also smart enough to bury its dog whistles so they don’t immediately become the song’s focal point, or turn off listeners from further exploring the track and the rest of Anthony’s catalog. For better and for worse, “Rich Men” funnels the very real worries and feelings of a large segment of America’s population into a song that responds to their interpretation of the country’s state of affairs. It also helps that, sonically, the song fits into that guitar-heavy Zach Bryan-esque lane of raw country-rock songs. 

Jason Lipshutz: The curiosity factor. We can talk about the rustic hook, Anthony’s burly voice and the resonant (and troublesome) politics of the song all we want — but once “Rich Men” blew up on iTunes on Friday, Aug. 11, became a cause of conservative influencers and spent multiple days garnering headlines and social media chatter, scores of people who wouldn’t listen to acoustic country had no choice but to see what all the fuss was about. “Rich Men” was a story before it was a smash, and to me, the discourse is the biggest reason that it’s sitting at No. 1.

Melinda Newman: The biggest factor is whether you agree with the song’s message or not, it speaks to a lot of people who feel disenfranchised and are tired of working so hard seemingly for very little reward. The lyrics are ambiguous enough that listeners can interpret them in ways that suit them. I’ve seen people interpret the song as anti-semitic because of the title, and others who interpreted the title to refer to politicians in D.C. Though Anthony has said he’s “dead center down the aisle on politics” and told Fox in one of his few interviews that he considers himself neither a Republican or a Democrat, the message of speaking out against high taxes and “the obese milkin’ welfare” resonates with right-wing talking points, and the elevation of the song by the right has been the leading factor in propelling it straight to No. 1.

Jessica Nicholson: The song’s lyrics about politicians and welfare have earned both praise and intense criticism over the past couple of weeks, but it has connected with a primarily conservative-leaning audience who are buying into the message, regardless of the song’s overall musical quality. 

Andrew Unterberger: The endorsements. The song had already begun earning attention on its own, but getting the co-signs it received from Fox News, Joe Rogan, Matt Walsh, John Rich et al. was what made it go supernova overnight, and started the discourse back-and-forth that has sustained rabid interest in it for a week and a half now.

3. Country has seen a lot of viral triumphs in the past year, including the rootsier, TikTok-boosted country of Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers and the explosive social controversy of Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town.” There’s echoes of both those strains of virality in “Rich Men,” but which would you say the success of this song has more in common with?  

Kyle Denis: It appears that the immediate success of “Rich Men” has been around what the song is saying and who it is speaking to, as opposed to how it sounds. With that in mind I would say that, at this time, the success of “Rich Men” is closer to that of “Small Town,” but there is absolutely time for it to reach a realm of success that also mirrors the Bryan/Childers lane of hits.

Jason Lipshutz: “Try That in a Small Town,” for sure. Although the political slants of the songs are wildly different, both exhibit a stance of representing for the underrepresented – Aldean for small-town Americans who take pride their policemen and Second Amendment rights, Anthony for hard workers who feel like their suffering is going unnoticed. Both songs posit themselves as fighting for ignored communities, which can then support their songs on iTunes and streaming services. Part of the respective successes of “Try That in a Small Town” and “Rich Men North of Richmond” is that, while both contain problematic statements and perspectives, a lot of listeners can feel like something is at stake by supporting them.

Melinda Newman: It depends upon how you’re listening to it the set of assumptions you bring to it. The right has quickly embraced the song as anti-big government and anti-welfare, but as I stated above, there are also people who simply see it as an everyman anthem. It goes a step further than Zach Bryan to me, and doesn’t go nearly as far as “Try That in a Small Town.” In his statements on Facebook and to Fox, Anthony has embraced immigrants and ending divisiveness — so in some ways, he’s speaking a much more even, measured tone than what people are reading into his song.

Jessica Nicholson: Though sonically, the song’s acoustic vibe resides closer to rootsier artists, the song’s path to success hews closer to the path “Small Town” took, with the video first gaining traction on YouTube, while the song began rising via iTunes and then on streaming. Both “Small Town” and “Rich Men” also gained popularity strongly among a conservative-leaning audience. 

Andrew Unterberger: The Bryan/Childers similarities are probably what primed the audience for “Rich Men,” but the Aldean similarities are what resulted in it being the year’s biggest runaway debut. Just ask Bryan and Childers, who have both enjoyed impressive chart successes in the past year, but nothing nearly as explosive (or as widely discussed) as “Rich Men.”

4. The stunning debut for “Rich Men” has already inspired a label race to sign Anthony, with the artist opting to take his time exploring his options. Do you think whoever signs him will be getting a true future star, or more of a viral sensation who could struggle to replicate his “Rich Men” success”?  

Kyle Denis: I think it’s safe to say that they’ll be getting a true future star. It bodes well that the uptick in Anthony’s consumption numbers is not solely focused on “Rich Men.” Given that listeners seem to have a genuine interest in the rest of his discography, Anthony should be able to spin some level of stability out of all his momentum. 

Jason Lipshutz: I’d guess he lands somewhere in the middle when the dust settles: it’s hard to imagine a follow-up as impactful to the mainstream as “Rich Men” in the near future, but that song will help develop a sturdy fan base as a foundation. At the very least, he’ll have strong touring interest, either as a headliner or as a support act with a surefire set-closer, and Anthony’s voice will likely produce steady work in the country world for the next few years.

Melinda Newman: That’s the big question, isn’t it? But unlike someone who goes viral on TikTok and the labels then chase and try to replicate that success, Anthony has been making music for two years, and there are clearly plenty of other songs of his that are already hitting the streaming charts, so labels can get a better picture of what Anthony has to offer. “Rich Men” is lightning in a bottle and he’s likely to never replicate the speed of this success, but he already has developed an audience who wants to hear what he has to say — whether it’s in this song or “Ain’t Gotta Dollar” or several others — so he’s coming out of the block with a lot more knowns than unknowns.

Jessica Nicholson: He will likely struggle to replicate the chart-topping success of “Rich Men,” but there is an audience that relates to the kinds of sentiments he sings about in his songs — which do run broader than the political themes of “Rich Men.” His brief catalog of songs released either on streaming or on his social media accounts include love songs (“’90 Some Chevy”), songs about struggles with drugs and alcohol (“Ive Got to Get Sober”) and sentimental odes to his homestate (“Virginia”), so it is likely that he will build his own following, though how large of a following that ultimately becomes remains to be seen.

Andrew Unterberger: Yeah, he’ll be around for a while. “Rich Men” may prove a one-time phenomenon, but with the interest in Oliver Anthony Music not only spreading from sales to streaming (and even a little bit to radio), but also spreading from “Rich Men” to the rest of his catalog, it’s clear this guy is resonating with audiences beyond whatever message many of its supporters hope to send by endorsing it. Whatever Anthony does next, you can bet a lot of people will be watching and listening.

5. Speaking of those labels: In addition to pursuing Anthony, they’re sure to already be in the hunt for the next artist who could potentially follow in his footsteps. What kind of artist would you recommend they look for — or is this kind of moment impossible to predict for anyone?  

Kyle Denis: Look for artists that are genuinely reflecting the times in their work but make it a point to prioritize and platform artists across genres and walks of life in this pursuit. We’re headed down a very sinister rabbit hole if the major takeaway from all of this is to sign people whose music intentionally plays on themes of white angst, anti-Blackness and vigilantism for the sake of a chart hit. 

Jason Lipshutz: I’m sure every major label is on the hunt to find an artist who can capture the zeitgeist like Anthony has just done, but even as the music industry evolves to account for out-of-nowhere success stories like “Rich Men,” there’s still no formula for engineering something like it. The closest lesson that the industry can learn, first from “Try That in a Small Town” and now Anthony, is that conservative-leaning anthems can still do big business. It will be interesting to see how many more we get, and how well they perform, in the near future.  

Melinda Newman: We know there’s nothing that labels love than finding the “next fill in the blank here,” so I’m sure they are combing the radiowv youtube page (which originally posted “Rich Men,” and whose co-founder Draven Riffe now co-manages Anthony) to see who is the next Anthony. What remains unclear is how much radio is going to embrace Anthony. Country stations are now starting to play him, but, as we’ve seen with artists like Zach Bryan, mainstream county radio isn’t necessary in 2023 to build an amazing following.

Jessica Nicholson: We just saw “Try That in a Small Town,” which has a typical radio-friendly, country-rock sheen to it, top the Hot 100 after much controversy and support from right-leaning music listeners and right-wing media outlets. This feels like yet another song that a segment of right-leaning music listeners have gravitated toward, following in the path of songs like Aaron Lewis’ “Am I The Only One?” (which hit the top 15 on the Hot 100) and two “Let’s Go Brandon” songs that hit the Hot 100 in 2021 (both of those from artists who, like Oliver Anthony Music, had little-to-no history on the chart). At the same time, his angsty, semi-shouting vocal also seems to convey some of the emotional pain and frustration a segment of working-class people seems to be feeling. 

Andrew Unterberger: I dunno. Maybe they should just ask Laura Ingraham for recommendations.