Oliver Anthony says debate around ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ is “really funny to watch”

nme.com:

Oliver Anthony, the country artist behind the viral release ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’, has said that it’s been “really funny to watch” the debate and controversy surrounding his song.Anthony has experienced a month of viral fame after a video of him performing his song ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ went live on August 8.

It has since reached Number One on the iTunes Country Charts and is currently on 50million YouTube views and counting.It also made chart history by debuting at Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making Anthony the first artist to do so without any prior chart history.But the song’s viral success hasn’t been without controversy.

While some have interpreted it as a working class anthem, it’s been criticised by others for being “fatphobic”, while others labelled it a “right-wing anthem”.Anthony – a former factory worker and farmer – recently came out to say that left-wingers “misunderstood my words”, while at the same time criticised Republicans for “weaponising” the meaning behind the lyrics.The singer has now appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast to discuss the discourse around the suspected political leanings of the song.“I’m the subject matter the last couple of weeks,” he said. “People are just trying to find out who’s this Oliver Anthony guy, and where does he work, and who did he vote for, and what’s his family like and yada yada.