As far as one-hit wonders go, Oliver Anthony has a good case for being one of the most compelling. Before August of last year, the Virginia native had spent most of his working life in a paper mill rather than a recording studio, showing no genuine interest in the glitz and glam of stardom. All his music, which was more of a hobby then, was produced solo before a group known as Radiowv contacted him about recording a song for their channel. The song in question? “Rich Men North of Richmond.” Suddenly, that simple lifestyle Anthony prided himself on began to become more and more convoluted.
The song wasn’t just a hit; it became a cultural phenomenon seemingly overnight. Shooting up the Billboard charts, it sat at the number one spot for two weeks while Anthony was left to dig through the wreckage he’d left from effectively blowing up the internet. He appeared on Joe Rogan, began selling out (and overcharging) venues, and even had his prose debated on political stages like the Republican National Convention. Apart from the music, Anthony presented himself as a character for working-class Americans to latch onto. A revival of the natural and real tired that had seemingly evaded popular culture for so long was finally here.
As instantaneously as Anthony’s fanbase appeared, so did criticism surrounding him. While some interpreted Anthony’s writings as harping on political controversies like classism and elitist politics, others saw the song as a means of denigrating those less fortunate yet deemed unworthy of assistance by white America. Lyrics were dissected and meticulously combed over, and Anthony himself took to social media to rectify the self-prescribed non-partisan politics surrounding the song.
“It’s aggravating seeing people on conservative news try to identify with me like I’m one of them,” Anthony said via the New York Times. “I see the right, trying to characterize me as one of their own. And I see the left trying to discredit me.”
A year removed from the release of “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Anthony ultimately became a spectacle so riddled by its controversy that the story surrounding it became far more interesting than the track itself. As pure of heart as Anthony claims he and his intentions were, any hope to capitalize on the moment made here effectively was seemingly bungled at every turn.
Even if he didn’t become the spokesperson of the working man like so many prophesied him to be, Anthony still produced one of the more gripping fifteen minutes in popular music’s recent history. He became the first artist to debut at the number-one spot on Billboard with no prior appearances. He seemingly backpedaled much of his press once it was observed that he and his words were spun in half a dozen different directions. It could be interpreted that Anthony sabotaged his success through poor publicity and mismanagement. Conversely, that success initially was maybe too much for any star to live up to, much less a factory worker with only a guitar and an RV.
Anthony is currently on tour and has shows scheduled through October. He’s still releasing music, with his first LP, Hymnal Of A Troubled Man’s Mind, hitting streaming on Easter Sunday earlier this year. However, his numbers on both ends are far from where he started. If anything, Anthony’s meteoric arrival onto the country scene paints a picture of agendas used and discarded once their carrier is deemed unfit to carry the burdens of the masses
