To Fight the “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Organize a Union
Reactions to Oliver Anthony’s viral hit, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” have played out along drearily predictable culture-war lines. But Billy Bragg’s response, “Rich Men Earning North of a Million,” instructing Anthony to “join a union, brother,” perfectly cuts through the noise.
Oliver Anthony (L) and Billy Bragg. (radio wv) (Garry Knight / Wikimedia Commons)
The first Republican debate started with a question about previously unknown country singer Oliver Anthony’s breakout hit “Rich Men North of Richmond.” Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked the candidates, “Why is this song striking such a nerve in this country right now? What do you think it means?”
Introducing the question, MacCallum said that Anthony’s “lyrics speak of alienation, of deep frustration with the state of government and of this country.” She helpfully added that “Washington, DC is about a hundred miles north of Richmond.”
In their predictably vapid responses to MacCallum’s question last Wednesday, the GOP candidates followed her lead in focusing on “the state of government.” Neither she nor the candidates so much as mentioned the primary subject of the song’s opening verses:
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