Oliver Anthony Sings "Rich Men North of Richmond" - Photo by Billboard
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – Rich Men North of Richmond, a popular song by Oliver Anthony, has officially debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart.
Anthony is the 69th artist overall to have a song debut at number one, according to Billboard, and the first to debut at the top of the list with no prior chart history.
According to Billboard, during the week ending August 17, the song, which had its official release on August 11, received 17.5 million streams and sold 147,000 downloads.
The hit song also made its chart debut at number one on the Digital Song Sales chart and topped Apple Music’s Global 100 list.
Anthony exclusively told Billboard, “The hopelessness and frustration of our times resonate in the response to this song. The song itself is not anything special, but the people who have supported it are incredible and deserve to be heard.”
He wrote on his Facebook account about becoming a star overnight saying, “It’s been difficult as I browse through the 50,000+ messages and emails I’ve received in the last week. The stories that have been shared paint a brutally honest picture. Suicide, addiction, unemployment, anxiety and depression, hopelessness, and the list goes on.”
“From 2014 until just a few days ago, I’ve worked outside sales in the industrial manufacturing world. My job has taken me all over Virginia and into the Carolinas, getting to know tens of thousands of other blue-collar workers on job sites and in factories. I’ve spent all day, every day, for the last 10 years hearing the same story,” the singer said. “People are SO damn tired of being neglected, divided, and manipulated,” Anthony continued.
Anthony is joined by country superstars Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen, who have both been stable on the charts for some time. Only twice in history have country music performers occupied all three of the top slots on the all-genre chart.
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