If you've had the misfortune to hear about, or actually hear, the second aggrieved ditty of the year, "Rich Men North of Richmond" by newbie Oliver Anthony, our sympathies.* That cliche- ridden, poorly- thought- through composition was critiqued by British singer/ songwriter Billy Bragg, who said after hearing the song that "the ghost of Woodie Guthrie has been whispering in my ear." He went on to say in an article in The Guardian:
Anthony really does punch down on the poor. The lives of ordinary working people are being torn apart by the rich, he laments, but we can fix it if we cut welfare – and taxes too. Listening to the lyrics in that context, I came to understand why the song had gone viral among rightwing figures in the US. It’s a classic example of the divisive narrative that bosses have used to pit worker against worker since the days of Joe Hill. If the poor are fighting one another over racial hierarchy or cultural grievance, their anger will be directed away from the people responsible for their plight – the rich who exploit those in work and abandon those in need.So Bragg decided to write a response, "Rich Men Earning North of a Million," pinning the problems Anthony complains about on the proper target. Hope you enjoy.
UPDATE: Nuances emerge from Anthony.
* The other right- wing, violence- threatening anthem being Jason Aldean's "Try That in A Small Town."
