Oliver Anthony Music’s ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Goes Second Week At No.1

According to Billboard, “Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony continues to be the most popular song in the nation and is at the top of the Hot 100 chart for the second week in a row.

Similar to the previous week, the song saw very strong digital download sales that supported its chart position. For the week ending August 24th, data service Luminate, which powers the Billboard chart, reported 117,000 sales. The song has been at the top of the iTunes sales chart for weeks, and as of Monday, four more of his tracks had entered the top 25.

In the second place, once again, is Luke Combs’ song “Fast Car,” followed by Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” in third place. Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” and Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” complete the top 5.

How to Boost Song’s Chart Performance

This week’s chart performance of the song was still mostly influenced by its conventional sales, but streaming has also greatly increased its popularity. On Apple Music’s U.S. Songs list, “Rich Men North of Richmond” has been at the top for more than two weeks, while on Spotify’s rankings, it has alternated between the top three positions.

The second and fourth spots on those lists had been reached by Monday. Despite a decrease in digital sales of about 30,000 for the song, its streaming figures grew by 30%, reaching over 22 million streams. On the Billboard list, it has more streams than any other song thanks to this.

The Song’s Political Twist

About two weeks ago, the song became well-known as conservative influencers and figures shared it on social media. Even the first Republican presidential primary debate had a reference to it when Martha MacCallum, the debate moderator, questioned why the song was connecting with the people.

Anthony disagreed with the song’s appropriation by politicians, despite the song’s original popularity among conservatives. He clarified in a Friday-released YouTube video that he was critical of both Republicans and Democrats since they were the people he was singling out in the song.

Anthony, who identifies as politically agnostic, made it clear that “Rich Men North of Richmond” was not intended to support any one political party. Instead, it was a reaction to his dissatisfaction with an American system that, in his opinion, isn’t doing enough to assist its residents. He expressed his frustration by saying:

“The one thing that has bothered me is seeing people wrap politics up in this. It’s aggravating seeing people on conservative news try to identify with me like I’m one of them. It’s aggravating seeing certain musicians and politicians act like we’re buddies and act like we’re fighting the same struggle here, like we’re trying to present the same message.”

The issue of how long Anthony can hold onto the top spot on the charts comes after spending a second week there. The song’s sales have been steadily diminishing; from almost 27,000 on August 18 to just under 10,000 on the dates used to calculate this week’s chart rankings, which ended last Thursday, the song’s sales have decreased. Daily streaming, which exceeded 3 million throughout the same time frame, remained more consistent.

Next Week’s Billboard Chart

Looking ahead, next week’s chart will likely be highly competitive, featuring established hits like “Cruel Summer,” “Last Night,” and “Fast Car,” which have consistently performed well on the Billboard chart for months. Additionally, “Paint the Town Red” is experiencing a significant surge, with streams increasing by over 63 percent last week.

Furthermore, the new collaboration between Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves, titled “I Remember Everything,” could potentially secure another country track at the top of the Billboard charts. Currently, the song holds the number one position on both Apple Music and Spotify’s U.S. charts.

You can stream Oliver Anthony’s song below.