Oliver Anthony, the singer of viral hit ‘Rich Men North Of Richmond’, has hit out at both those on the left and right for “weaponising” his song.Released on August 8, the song has since hit Number One on the iTunes Country Charts, soared to the top spot on Apple Music’s Global Music Charts, and racked up over 32million views on YouTube.It then made chart history by debuting at Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making Anthony – a former factory worker and farmer – the first artist to do so without any prior chart history.Upon its release, ‘Rich Men…’ was praised by various right-wing media figures including Dan Bongino and Matt Walsh. Republication representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, meanwhile, described it as “the anthem of the forgotten Americans who truly support this nation and unfortunately the world”.But other people have criticised the single for being “fatphobic” and labelled it a “right-wing anthem”.Now, Anthony has released a video statement in which he hits out at those on both sides of the political divide for their opinions on the song and its meaning.The statement came after Republican Party members mentioned it at a presidential debate this week (August 23).“It was funny seeing it at the presidential debate, because it’s like I wrote that song about those people,” he said.
