“Rich Men North Of Richmond” Creates New Record As It Debuts On The No. 1 Spot On The Billboard Hot 100

Aug 24, 2023 by apost team

The music industry is one of the toughest and most complicated industries. Its competitive nature means that artists require far more than talent to get their desired break. It goes without saying that an artist needs passion, persistence, and, arguably, luck. 

Perhaps luck played a big role in Oliver Anthony becoming a nationwide star without him planning for it, as he had no idea his song would go viral and make the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His song, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” was posted on YouTube on Aug. 8, 2023, on RadioWv, and in just four days, it had racked over 3 million views on the platform. The song also made it to #1 on iTunes. However, by Aug. 23, 2023, Anthony’s song, which he recorded on his farm, had amassed over 34 million views on YouTube. 

It wasn’t just the lyrics that captivated the hearts of Americans. The songwriter’s soulful voice and his evident passion were obvious to anyone who listened to his song. The lyrics also perfectly explain Anthony’s disillusion with the system that seems to make the American Dream unattainable. 

“I’ve been selling my soul, working all day // Overtime hours, bullsh** pay // So I can sit out here and waste my life away // Drag back home and drown my troubles away,” a part of his lyrics read. 

Meanwhile, left-leaning critics have criticized the song for its conservative stance. However, the singer believes it captures many people’s “frustration” and “hopelessness,” and they deserve to be heard.

America certainly made the song heard as it debuted on the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the Aug. 26, 2023, week, just two weeks after it was released and created a new record. Keep reading for details. 

On Aug. 17, 2023, Anthony posted on Facebook and disclosed that many people mailed him about their situations, which spoke of pain and “hopelessness.”

“Im sitting in such a weird place in my life right now. I never wanted to be a full time musician, much less sit at the top of the iTunes charts,” Anthony shared. “Draven from RadioWv and I filmed these tunes on my land with the hope that it may hit 300k views. I still don’t quite believe what has went on since we uploaded that,” he revealed.”

The songwriter continued: 

“People in the music industry give me blank stares when I brush off 8 million dollar offers. I don’t want 6 tour buses, 15 tractor trailers and a jet. I don’t want to play stadium shows, I don’t want to be in the spotlight. I wrote the music I wrote because I was suffering with mental health and depression.” 

“These songs have connected with millions of people on such a deep level because they’re being sung by someone feeling the words in the very moment they were being sung,” Anthony opined. “No editing, no agent, no bullshit. Just some idiot and his guitar. The style of music that we should have never gotten away from in the first place.”

Days later, the previously unknown singer made history as the first artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart without prior history of making the chart. “Rich Men North of Richmond” ranked first place ahead of Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, and Taylor Swift’s songs for the Aug. 26, 2023 week. Anthony is also the sixth artist in Billboard chart history whose debut solo would take the No. 1 position upon entry onto the Hot 100 chart.

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Have you listened to “Rich Men North of Richmond?” What do you think of it? Let us know — and pass this on to others you think might need to listen to this song.