Singer Oliver Anthony, whose song “Rich Men North of Richmond” soared to the top of the Billboard singles chart, released a YouTube video Friday accusing Republicans and conservative media outlets of plagiarizing his song. did.
“It was interesting to watch that presidential debate,” Anthony said. “I wrote that song about those people.”
On Wednesday night, footage of Anthony's performance was shown on Fox News after a series of videos of Americans lamenting conditions under President Biden, including inflation and homelessness, were played at the beginning of the Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee. carried away by the moderator.
The clip features Anthony with guitar in hand and two dogs at his feet as he sings, “There's some rich people north of Richmond/Lord knows they all just want total control.'' '' was shown singing.
The song, which Anthony uploaded to YouTube earlier this month, sparked a firestorm among conservative figures like Matt Walsh and Laura Ingraham, who said the song gave an authentic look at working-class life in America. It was expressed as something that was expressed. Although widely regarded as a conservative anthem, it has also drawn criticism from some on the left who say the lyrics are racist.
During the debate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was the first to answer the question of why the song resonated with so many Americans.
“Our country is in decline,” DeSantis said. “This decline is not inevitable. It's a choice.” He added, “We're in this situation because of the rich people north of Richmond.”
Anthony said Friday that he was “upset” that the candidates were forced to listen to his songs on stage. Because he was singing about people in power like themselves.
A new video showed him behind the wheel of his truck as heavy rain pounded the windows. “That song has nothing to do with Joe Biden,” he said. “You know, it's much bigger than Joe Biden.”
Anthony, a native of Farmville, Virginia, also said he is tired of what he feels is his music being weaponized by both the right and the left.
“It's infuriating to see people in conservative news trying to identify with me as if I'm one of them,” he said. “I think I'm right and they're trying to characterize me as one of them. And I see the left trying to discredit me.”
He added that the left misinterpreted his lyrics as an attack on the poor, when he was trying to defend them. “I must make it clear that my message, like all of my songs, refers to government inefficiency.”
The libertarian magazine Reason praised what it saw as Anthony's anti-tax message. However, liberal critics were troubled by lyrics about “obese milking welfare.” Folk singer Billy Bragg wrote his own version of the song and warned Anthony about the punchdown.
At first, Anthony seemed to welcome the attention from conservatives. Politico reported that he gave Fox News the rights to use it during the debate. In an interview with the network, he said that he was motivated to write the song because of his own struggles, which he believed were the same for others.
“It resonates with the suffering in our world right now, even in our country as well,” he said at the time. “For years now, people have felt depressed and hopeless, and every time they watch TV or look on the Internet, everything is negative,” he said in a statement from Corporate Media and Education. He added that sowing the seeds of division.
Anthony returned to that theme in Friday's video, saying his music has actually brought people together, no matter what it looks like.
“People are obsessed with seeing the unity that comes out of every walk,” Anthony said. “This is not a Republican-Democrat issue. This is not a US issue either. Similarly, this was a global response.”
Anthony, who could not immediately be reached for an interview Friday night, described himself as a “nobody” tasked with sending a message that things need to change through divine intervention. He was an unknown songwriter until his meteoric rise to fame. He stars as Oliver Anthony, but his full name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford.
“If things don't change, we don't know what this country will look like in 10 or 20 years,” he said. “We don't know what this world is going to be like. And we just have to do something about it. You know what?”
