Is "Rich Men North of Richmond" a MAGA Anthem or Nah?
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In early August, Christopher Anthony Lunsford, who goes by Oliver Anthony, quietly released a song called "Rich Men North of Richmond." A week later, the folk song had rocketed to the top of the Billboard charts \\u2014 a historic feat for someone with no chart history to speak of. But the ascent wasn\'t without controversy. The song, to some,\\xa0sounded like\\xa0a right-wing anthem. And it\\xa0was heralded as such online by right wing pundits, and included as\\xa0a part of the first question of the opening\\xa0Republican presidential primary debate. But Oliver Anthony\'s politics, and the song\'s appeal, have turned out to be a little more complicated. This week, OTM correspondent Micah Loewinger sits down with Chris Molanphy, Slate\\u2019s pop-chart columnist, and author of the forthcoming book "Old Town Road," to talk about how such an unlikely\\xa0song rose to the top. Micah speaks to Molanphy about\\xa0how\\xa0the\\xa0Billboard charts have gotten weirder, and more anarchic, and what\\xa0"Rich Men North of Richmond" has in common with\\xa0"Ballad of the Green Berets," a song released almost 60 years prior.
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