The Geetar Revolution
Oliver Anthony Music
You’ve probably heard about this fellow Oliver Anthony Music and his recording of “Rich Men North of Richmond.” It shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart when it was released last week.
It’s the second such working-class anthem that has taken off this summer. In July, Jason Aldean had a huge hit with “Try That in a Small Town,” which was denounced by the left as racist and praised by the right as the new hymn of the silent minority.
Both songs share political and social sentiments – including anger at leftist ideas and a pro-American bias. But the lyrics of “Rich Men North of Richmond” are less vague and more specific. They read like a Libertarian critique against big government and woke culture.
And, as Bill Bonner points out in a recent essay, the song has a nuance that “Try That in a Small Town” lacks:
“The ‘rich men north of Richmond’ idea is clean and simple. It avoids all the political claptrap and distracting culture wars. Democrats vs. Republicans… LGBTQ rights… racism… inequality… blah, blah, blah.
“In the things that really matter – money and war – the elites of both parties are unified, as tight as a head gasket. Presidents change… but the laws, regulations, bureaucracy, the Deep State, the wars and deficits don’t.
“Why? Because they suit the rich men north of Richmond…”
Read the entire essay here.