On Monday, I noted that the attacks on the breakout hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony had begun from left-wing outlets like Rolling Stone. While you can find plenty of actual hate thrown at it on X from left-leaning people, the mainstream rags that spoke about it only needed to do one thing…associate it with the right.
Simply mentioning that people like Dan Bongino, Matt Walsh, or even Joe Rogan liked the song and worked to promote it is enough to trigger a feeling in both the loyal left and the politically ignorant of either revulsion or unease. The fear of being associated with a song that is actually liked by people like that “transphobe” Matt Walsh would be enough to get people to distance themselves from, or even denounce the song.
(READ: The Leftist Attacks On ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Begin)
This leaves the question of why the left would want people to distance themselves from the song and stop giving it their ear and bringing it up in conversation. The fact that someone like Bongingo promotes the song isn’t enough to make them hate it, he’s just a talking point used to get people to stay away from it.
There are two reasons why.
Firstly, the song is anti-elitist. It’s definitely a song for the average American to relate to. Working class people slave away at their jobs for money that’s “taxed to no end,” all so they can watch it be given away by the billions to Ukraine and welfare for the unhealthy. Meanwhile, we still haven’t seen Epstein’s client list and too many sons are being lost to suicide in a country that’s turned its back on them.
The subjects in this song are things regular Americans are talking about on a constant basis and they’re conversations the elite would rather you not have. They want you to believe the economy is doing great and that the billions the government is giving away are for the betterment of all. There’s clearly a connection between Epstein and the D.C. elite, and they don’t like the fact that you want answers, and feminism is too good at creating narratives, victims, and voters.
So it is that the mainstream press denounces it as being a right-leaning thing. If it’s right-wing to discuss that kind of stuff, then those who do discuss it could be written off as such and God forbid you be associated with the likes of them!
In truth, it’s scary to watch as the people rally around a song that gives voice to their concerns, frustrations, and anger with you at the center of it all. That kind of anger could be a threat to your money, influence, and power. The people might slowly turn against you until it’s impossible to talk or bribe your way out of it.
Do you think the elite haven’t been watching as Bud Light and Target took such huge hits that even BlackRock is having to rebrand because they pushed too far? They’re watching, and you scare them. They don’t want you inspired to any more action than you’ve already taken.
The second is closely related to the first.
Anthony proved that the power of the people is still the main power in the country. They wouldn’t be trying to influence people away from the song if they weren’t.
“Rich Men North of Richmond” took a no-name farmer from Virginia and turned him into a mouthpiece of the people overnight. He went from being unheard of to number one on iTunes in the span of a few hours.
Record labels spend billions and billions of dollars creating and maintaining a well-oiled machine that pumps out cookie-cutter “hits” in hopes that one of them will become the song that defines a generation or, at the very least, makes them a pile of money in return. They want that number-one spot on iTunes and they pay writers and artists a lot of money to make that happen. Their marketing teams set up interviews and push it on radio stations without ceasing.
And here comes Anthony with none of that, and he achieves the kind of success that these multi-billion dollar studios can only dream of.
That’s not supposed to happen. Some no-name yokel from the sticks isn’t supposed to achieve superstardom with that velocity, at least not without the help of a mainstream studio that reaps the benefits. It makes them look bad. Moreover, it’s further proof that these major studios and labels aren’t necessarily needed.
Think back to various successes over just the past year. Nefarious and Sound of Freedom are two movies that fall outside of the mainstream bubble and yet they were the talk of the town. “Rich Men North of Richmond” is more than just a song, it’s further evidence that a tide is turning. Mainstream outlets are losing power and being replaced by smaller studios and independent artists.
They’re horrified that people are learning to look elsewhere for their entertainment.
(READ: The ‘Sound of Freedom’ Shows the Culture Is Slipping Through the Media’s Fingers)
If you’re a major studio with billions of dollars at your disposal, you’d probably start sweating right about now. You’d probably be tempted to begin fighting the tide. You’d probably begin some campaigns both front-facing…and not-so-front-facing.
If you can’t beat them, buy them, but if they can’t be bought, then a little destruction is in order.
No one should be surprised that Anthony’s song is coming under attack, and I expect that things are going to get worse for the poor man.
After seeing the success of Jason Aldean’s “Try That In a Small Town” and Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond,” you can bet that you’re going to see people come out of the woodwork to share their own songs that resonate with Americans. A studio or label dominated by leftists is probably going to either buy up and corrupt or fight back and diminish.
Either way, brace yourself. This could get ugly.