Billy Bragg releases ‘Rich Men Earning North of a Million’ in response to Oliver Anthony
English singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg has released a new song, ‘Rich Men Earning North of a Million, which was inspired by Oliver Anthony’s viral single ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’.
Introducing his latest single, Bragg explained: “Since I saw that clip of Oliver Anthony singing his song ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’, the ghost of Woody Guthrie has been whispering in my ear. ‘Help that guy out’ Woody keeps telling me ‘Let him know there’s a way to deal with those problems he’s singing about.’ So today I sat down and wrote this response to Mr Anthony’s song, for people like him and people like you”.
‘Rich Men Earning North of a Million’ is a pro-union anthem that appeals to “working folk” of all backgrounds and creeds. “If you’re selling your soul, working all day. Overtime hours for bullshit pay. Nothing is gonna change if all you do is wish you could wake up and it not be true,” Bragg sings in the first verse. “Join a union. Fight for better pay. You better join a union, brother. Organise today”.
“Where the problem really lies is when union comes around. Rich men earning north of a million want to keep the working folk down,” Bragg continues. “If you form a union you’ll soon find that working people are all one kind. So, we ain’t gonna punch down on those who need a bit of understanding and some solidarity. That ain’t right, friends.”
Despite Oliver Anthony’s ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ earning nearly 30 million views on YouTube since it was released on August 9th, critics have slammed what appears to be its right-leaning spirit.
The American gained plaudits for highlighting topics such as the country’s growing homelessness emergency – “folks in the street ain’t got nothin’ to eat” – and national suicide crisis – “Young men are putting themselves six feet in the ground / ’Cause all this damn country does is keep on kicking them down”, but some took issue with other aspects.
These include when Anthony laments “the obese milking welfare”, claiming that “if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds”. Due to lines such as these, right-wing figures have praised the song, with controversial Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene calling it “the anthem of the forgotten Americans who truly support this nation and unfortunately the world”. In the face of this debate, though, Anthony claims that his politics “sit pretty dead centre”.
As for Bragg, his track strikes a more universal tone. It concludes: “No matter if you live in the city or some little country town, rich man earning north of a million want to keep the working folk down.”
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