POP SONG REVIEW: "Rich Men North of Richmond" by Oliver Anthony Music

It's the viral sensation that's tearing apart the nation.
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[@mat5473]

The fact that this song can transition immediately from "We got poor people on the street with nothing to eat" to "We give poor people so much free food, they're all fat now" in THE SAME FUCKING LINE is insane to me.

[@sushiroll3795]

This is always the case with American conservatives and "centrists." They'll identify a real, important issue, but instead of blaming it on the corporations and politicians who're actually causing the problem, they'll point the finger at fat people, poor people, queer people, POC, immigrants, Jews, et cetera. And because they're too distracted hurling slurs at whichever culture war boogeyman the Conservative talking heads decide to target each week, the issues they claim to care about stay the same or, more often, get worse.

[@kochiyama]

I think you might have missed the point of that line...

[@satouhikou1103]

Woosh

[@ursidae97]

​@@kochiyamasure seems the point is that the writer is deeply confused

[@mat5473]

@@kochiyama What was the point then? Surely you can explain it me if he has a point, besides being an ignorant, reactionary conservative whose ideas clash because they aren't well thought through.

[@sigmascrub]

Fox News talking about "out-of-touch elites" will never stop being peak irony. Very "how do you do, fellow working man?"

[@anastasiae.5338]

EVERYONE I know has gold toilets.

[@johnindigo5477]

They definitely don't know how much tractor tires cost

[@Aleph3575]

Even better was when the GOP Debate used this song lol. Anthony came out and said "Bro this song is about yall wtf you doing?"

[@jplayzow]

​@@johnindigo5477I don't know the cost but I'm willing to bet the answer is the range of "way too fucking much"

[@shaft9000]

Fox has been a Disney asset since 2019. It's all propaganda on "both sides" , and it's *specifically designed* to prevent you me and anyone from seeing eye to eye.

[@user-sf4fy8bq1h]

“we're not more depressed we're just better at suicide, we have efficient stats” I felt that deep in my tailbone

[@MrPiccoloku]

(Posted before complete because of misclick) The suicide thing MIGHT be (THANK YOU to Some More News for pointing this out) because patriarchal masculine norms don't leave room for the emotional vulnerability and help from other people that halfway-decent mental health requires, but then again, addressing that was never the point of the MRA talking point. The 75% of "Man problems" (Lots of them also affect other people because transphobia) that actually exist in their alleged form are pretty obviously caused by patriarchy and are best addressed from an intersectional feminist perspective to the point of making me want to throw things, but instead I'll just settle for posting an essay-length reply to a normal, unrelated comment like anyone else who has spent way too long on a highly-successful for-profit social media platform. Dismissal of male sexual assault is because patriarchy is and has always been built on sexual violence. Perisex cis men generally have broader shoulders and chonkier bodies with higher lung capacity than perisex cis women (Though it's fairly easy at any time to find perisex cis women with broader shoulders than their man counterparts and there's always been perisex cis women built like any number of armored fighting vehicles), which made them generally better at doing lots of violence with no actual training beyond "The stabby thing works like this" when everybody discovered specific bits of land that could grow plants a lot, and some of them started fighting over it. They then organized their societies around doing that, which calcified, and also meant that the role of men was to do exactly that, including sexually, and the role of the woman was to be damseled or fridged, with any deviation from this being a violation of that social order, "The rule of daddies". This is more heavily enforced on men and those forced to pretend to be men because the primacy of masculinity means that it must be enforced more strictly. The thing with custody, alimony and child support is because patriarchal society under capitalism requires pigeon-holing women into crucial and thankless caregiving and reproductive labor that feudalism usually let witches do, which meant that Wifey was supposed to look after the kids and Hubby was supposed to get the big money-giving job. Men are 90% of combat fatalities because patriarchal norms require men to do all the big important violence-doing for capitalism (HI SMEDLEY BUTLER! Did you know they named a fucking marine corps base after you?) and this is also why the US military won't let women do regime change. I feel compelled to continue, but I have a finite amount of time and energy, and so do you.

[@pokexchespin012302]

elite ts% (true suicide percentage)

[@nidhishshivashankar4885]

It’s also an over simplification of the statistics. You could just as easily read them as “women use suicide attempts for attention by men actually want to die”

[@Dread_Not]

Yeah, men just do it more for reasons other than depression.... I don't know of any, but they're definitely not more depressed and like Todd I refuse to think about anymore than that.

[@FMAkers-jq2kh]

George Carlin: "Men are four times more likely than women to commit suicide. Even though women attempt it more. So men are better at it!"

[@Skallanni]

We didn’t get another hot girl summer, instead we go humid boy growing season.

[@Sophie_Cleverly]

As a British person who mostly only listens to metal, Todd could just be completely making up these hugely popular new songs and I would have no idea

[@mohawkcub]

Let me join you as a German metalhead.

[@somehistorynerd]

Let me join you as a Puerto Rican Alt Rock enjoyer

[@andrewstewart01]

And I will join you as an Aussie metalhead

[@kanemccarthy1979]

I will join you as an Irish metalhead

[@livbarnhart1605]

I know!! I live in Virginia and I’ve literally never heard this song anywhere. I’m like….okay bud. I’ll believe you.

[@WhaleManMan]

Wild that Oliver's last name is "Music". Dude was born for this

[@pjlusk7774]

Fun fact: the guy who voiced Garfield actually was named Lorenzo Music

[@trixxart777]

Wait is that his actual name I thought it was just a stage name

[@dominikhaba695]

I'm waiting for Oscar-winning movie about a member of the Music family who wanted to be a baker

[@pjlusk7774]

@@trixxart777 It is! He's also related (by marriage) to Carla Lalli Music who used to be at Bon Appetit.

[@cartmann94]

DJ Khaled: We the best Music!

[@flannelgay420]

What kills me about the fudge rounds lyric is that I have never seen fudge rounds sold in a bag and I don't know why it would make any sense to package them that way

[@xX_MC_OvU_PvP_YT_Xx]

They come in a box but the individual rounds inside the box are in bags.

[@flannelgay420]

@holdonasecond okay sure but why refer to them that way when they're individually packaged? I wouldn't call a bag of chips a "bag" of chips if each bag only had one chip in it

[@tommycash4000]

Maybe a bag of boxes? The mention of fudge rounds is so specific already it seems like he must’ve seen it happen in real life, so maybe he got stuck behind someone buying 5 boxes of fudge rounds, while he was in line to buy beef jerky.

[@existential_horror5045]

@@tommycash4000i find it funny to imagine that he was just behind a mom using food stamps to buy fudge rounds for her kid's birthday party or something and concluded that they must be all for her because she's fat lol probably not what happened but it's funny

[@tommycash4000]

@@existential_horror5045 I think it’s exactly what happened! I think you nailed it.

[@Ditchdigger2005]

Ah, chart rigging. Takes me back to 2009 when in the UK we got Killing In the Name by Rage Against the Machine to Christmas number 1 because people were sick of the X-Factor winner getting it! 😂

[@Outwhere]

Yeah, I participated in that, haha!

[@thefuturist8864]

Chart-rigging has always been the norm. The charts have never been about telling us which songs are the most popular; they’re a way to help market artists that aren’t likely to have more then a handful of hits. Younger listeners cared more about them and so record companies used this as a way to publicise pop acts.

[@altusshow7574]

As an American, that was truly amazing you guys. Mad respect for that one.

[@CivilianSatellite]

I remember when someone recommended Killing in the Name to Todd for One Hit Wonderland because the chart rigging was all they knew about the band. Todd straight up said "hard no" to the recommendation.

[@Ditchdigger2005]

@@CivilianSatellite Yeah, he always goes off US Charts. Looking at Wikipedia they never had a Billboard Top 100 hit, but did have a few hits on the Alternative chart, but not Killing in the Name. I also noted that apparently it had already charted in the UK (no. 25) on its original release back in the early 90s, which I don't recollect despite that being the period when I actually listened to the charts. The first time I remember hearing it was on a GTA: San Andreas radio station!

[@homebrewcity]

The older Todd gets the less angry and more disappointed he becomes

[@mondoseguendo6113]

That’s what happens to all of us.

[@thomaslippiatt7107]

That’s what time dose

[@manboy4720]

i'm getting angry of being disappointed.

[@PHSDM104]

Time does that to us

[@lilrex2015]

Imagine being so sensitive and soy you get offended from a song lyric. This is why left wing people get made fun of.

[@Apfeljunge666]

Someone said that Oliver Anthony is truely an average american guy. That includes having totally ideologically inconsistent politics.

[@donovanlocust1106]

Because everyone else has such great consistent politics.

[@PlatinumAltaria]

​@@donovanlocust1106 Most political groupings don't get angry at grammatical features.

[@starbell9962]

​@@donovanlocust1106that's what the guy said no one's consistent

[@DOOMSHITTER]

Or are you so up your own ass in academic jibber jabber that you are no longer able to see what’s right infront of you?

[@donovanlocust1106]

@@PlatinumAltaria goddamit , not you again. Wtf are you talking about btw?

[@insertcleverjoke8383]

There's nothing more awkward for me than watching a video or listening to a conversation and hearing someine say"I'm sure you're tired of hearing about" followed by something I've never heard of in my life

[@NaturesShadow]

He seems to forget he has non-american viewers who have never heard of any of this. He did the same thing in his Aaron Lewis review when talking about the statues coming down, saying "there is no way you don't know this". Just a bit annoying of him to assume we are all in the know.

[@insertcleverjoke8383]

@@NaturesShadow Ok here's the thing though: I _am_ American and I still don't know what he's talking about

[@riley2243]

the hot 100 is a really irrelevant thing now anyway so tbh most americans don't really know it anyway@@NaturesShadow

[@chuckbatmangaming]

Yeah these videos are fine but I'm ready for Todd to just not talk about random astroturfed country hit anymore. Like I don't care about whatever sound the right pushed to #1 this week, just review something on the pop charts that's actually somewhat interesting

[@Nothingseen]

Oh my god I know. I had never heard of this song. I had never HEARD this song. I just clicked on it after the nickelback one. I work in a store that has the radio on all day.

[@juliannafranchini7975]

Oh boy, this song really sounds like it was never really meant to play to an audience bigger than 300 viewers on youtube, it sounds like the kind of song you'd make when you're just starting out and are still learning and messing up. I can absolutely believe that this guy is TERRIFIED of the attention, I would be if one of my sloppy bad songs went viral too, especially if a hate group had picked out a message that I didn't want them to take away from it, but wound up in there because I had leaned on cliches a little too much.

[@cirrustate8674]

That... actually makes some sense.

[@DizzyRobin]

Yeah, as much as I dislike this song- I know plenty of "independent" people who think like this (I put independent in quotes because I am a liberal who is like 'DUDE YOU THINK BIGOTRY IS BAD BUT NOT A HUGE ELEMENT IN VOTING???'). And if someone is just starting to release music... Like he said what he said. And I actually have family in farmville (they run a small horse farm) who are Virginia Old School Liberal (aka a very light shade of blue). Like Todd said- I think the dude sees himself as a centrist when he is where he is.

[@aaronhurst4379]

Yep, you can tell Oliver wasn't looking to become famous on the back of this

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

The fact that his name on streaming platforms is "Oliver Anthony Music" really tells me he wasn't ready

[@egg2520]

​@cirrustate8674 "Uh he's scared" "Hey wow (scratches head) I uh think maybe you're right?" The comment was just a lot of projecting their own bias onto the guy. They hate him and every aspect of him is shit to them

[@alisonpurgatory85]

The whole ‘poor people eating so much junk food’ thing isn’t just food deserts, energy levels, affordability although those are important factors- being poor makes you so damn tired and miserable that sometimes a quick cheap energy boost from a snack that’s bad for you but tastes nice might be the best you feel in a day

[@bulbinking]

Yeah I get the feeling todd has never really been “poor”

[@shaft9000]

People tend to blame others for misery instead of looking inward. _Vicious cycle - there they go there they go..._ I'm poor as fuck, in a part of L.A that's basically a ghetto-quilt. Fruit and vegetables are often plentiful, and *always* the cheapest food. Bananas and spinach for a week costs about 3 dollars vs 2 dollars for a pair of twinkies that are eaten up in under a day but hangs around to clog your arteries. If you're too thick to realize this, then good luck surviving _anywhere_ for long without your trust fund.

[@karenwang313]

@@shaft9000 From what I understand, thats more of a California/big city thing. In the more rural parts of the country, the nearest grocery store that has fresh produce is often at least a 40 minute drive away.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

@@shaft9000 So if it's the peoples' fault they're poor, which you believe since you state people blame others instead of "looking inward"...by that logic, why the f*ck are you poor? Your judgy crap just applies to other people, yeah? If you get hungry feel free to eat my entire guano-covered cloaca dude. Empathy isn't "what I would do if I were them"; it's thinking about all the limitations + barriers you deliberately won't see so you can still make poverty an individual "choice". Except when it's you bc you eat so virtuously. Be a tedious neolib somewhere else.

[@mostmelon8243]

Ok no. This is what I don’t get about this business. Poor people are using welfare money on affordable food. So where is the problem exactly? How does anyone take issue with this specifically? Welfare exists to keep people from starving to death. This is literally the opposite of wasting it.

[@ouijacorn]

Finding out that Todd is/was a teacher knocked my head all the way around but it does make sense.

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

I’ve always wondered and he just so casually dropped it, it rocked me, but does make so much sense!

[@LorneGrimmer]

He has talked about it in his past videos

[@ars731]

It makes complete sense to me, Todd's reviews always feel like "Now what did you do right or do wrong?" Like all good teachers do

[@PrincessAshley972]

Question is, does he still hide his face from his students?

[@Danmarinja]

I think he said he used to be a substitute teacher when he was first getting his channel off the ground

[@aaronbecker5617]

A lot of people on food assistance buy "junk food" due to poor housing. It hard to cook healthy food when healthier food is expensive and your stove also doesnt work right.

[@MillionaireRobot]

are you guys freakin kidding me?

[@simonwell804]

Also not really being familiar with cooking at home as well

[@gremloid]

​@@MillionaireRobotNo, I've known people who work 2+ jobs but still have to choose between paying certain bills, and thus are sometimes left without water or electricity just because they're trying to keep their family alive. When you don't have access to utilities that you can cook with its pretty fuckin difficult to make healthy meals. Btw, I've seen a lot of your comments under replies and just wanna say you are a total asshole. I hope you grow and change as a person.

[@jaydorton9376]

He's making fun of the ineptitude of government because they Can't find money to feed people that are starving but they can find money to give Obese people fudge rounds

[@CharlotteSWeb-oh7ou]

@@MillionaireRobot Are the basic facts of being poor are too much for your fragile coddled suburban mind? You really cannot comprehend anyone who isn't bourgeois, huh.

[@kristixmichelle]

I grew up near SW VA, right across the border into TN. The "poor hating the poorer because they are angry" is such a common way of thinking around here. I will say, I was shocked to see him upset that Republicans were using his song, but it makes sense if he sees himself as a centrist. He doesnt seem like a terrible person but man, his fanbase sure does. Also, I too hear it blarring out of cars..last one was at Wal-Mart.

[@vodkarocket1]

You dont sound elitist at all here. I am sure you would never be so ignorant as to judge people who shop at Walmart just because they shop at Walmart. Ffs

[@OneEyeShadow]

@@vodkarocket1She judges them for listening to this song. What even is your reading comprehension?

[@Ian-ky5hf]

You sure are Judgmental.

[@CantusTropus]

It's because Republican politicians don't represent Republican voters at all.

[@CharlotteSWeb-oh7ou]

@@Ian-ky5hf "judgemental" is when you make accurate negative observations about poor widdle conservatives.

[@Westlander857]

The way my blood boils whenever I see "fat guy's fudge rounds: -10 dollars" in my bank account. Every day man. Every day!

[@TotallyNotCalledEvan]

Eventually, both of Todd's top 10 lists will be just country songs

[@TSL73]

Oof

[@ohthesefeelingz3457]

terrible news for us non-US fans

[@bthsr7113]

​@@ohthesefeelingz3457terrible fou the US too.

[@davidofthenorth6531]

His only response will be, "I miss Pittbull..."

[@DiamondDogVenomSnake1984]

As a low income fat person trying their damnedest to eat healthily while also dealing with the reality that my “Healthy” grocery list is literally at least twice as expensive as my “Unhealthy” grocery list, yeah, I can’t really get past the fudge rounds line either. Sometimes I have to choose clothes or shoes or shampoo or medication over the healthiest meals I could have had that week. Edit: lol came back to this comment and to absolutely no one's surprise, there are a bunch of people who apparently know my finances and food situation better than I do and feel all my problems would be solved if I would just eat more beans. I gave no information on my diet other than "I try to eat as healthy as I can but sometimes I cannot afford the healthiest possible thing." I didn't even mention whether or not I exercise! A lot of the replies under this comment are filled with so, so many cruel and thoughtless assumptions that if you read through them, I feel it's a good beginner course on what it's like being a fat person in this hell society.

[@BearBear5]

Unfortunately not a good excuse simple rice vegetables, beans pasta etc aren't any more expensive than unhealthy processed sh*t and youll avoid the thousands in health bills you'll get from that stuff, it's a myth eating bad is cheaper in the long run

[@BigGainer98]

Exercise or enjoy further health problems in the future. It isn't fucking hard. I hate weak incompetent fucks. Woe is me story.

[@32Theresa]

True! On the flip side though where I’m at, chips are at or almost $5, so seeing that has helped me a bit w/ my health & wallet 🥴

[@Stevenirons]

Nectarines and apples are reasonable in price. Bananas are a great choice. As a fat person we know the right choices

[@trrivard]

If a skinny person buys a box of cookies, it's a treat. If a fat person buys a box of cookies, they're judged as being unhealthy and disgusting and wrong and this morality judgment is passed on to people in receipt of food benefits as well. Some people really think that poor people should live off of gruel and that they definitely should not be allowed to purchase a treat with their benefits. Not til they pull themselves up by their boot straps and have earned their treat. Poor people deserve a treat now and then too.

[@merchantfan]

Man songs are always written so short these days. Only 2 verses is nuts for a 'message' song

[@residentkrockhead]

Still more lyrics than “Killing in the Name” that has maybe four or five lyrics

[@charliemijatovic8562]

Ohio is two verses and a repeated line as a chorus/outro and it is one of the hardest hitting and most recognisable message/protest songs ever written.

[@Brain-Wormed]

Tbh some of the best message songs are very simple, this is just a bad one

[@ClaireAmey]

@@residentkrockhead Some of those that work forces Are the same that burn crosses Killing in the name of And now you do what they told ya Those who died are justified For wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites You justify those that died (Now you're under control) Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me That's every non-repeated lyric, and excludes every bar that is just one word such as "uh!" or "motherfucker!" That comes to nine, by a rather stingy count, so you were only off by a factor of 2 so congratulations.

[@bailoutexists]

guccigangguccigangguccigangguccigangguccigangguccigangguccigang

[@lordpelagius5078]

Once again as a brit i get to hear about an absolutly massive us country song that i would never know existed otherwise

[@MacenW]

What do y'all listen to over there? I'm American and only UK bands I really know are The Beatles and Green Day lol

[@perpetualplatypussy69]

@@MacenW I thought Green Day was American 🤔

[@VeneratorVar]

​@@MacenWbro Green Day are from california lmao

[@lordpelagius5078]

​@@MacenWmost American rock hip hop, r and b makes it across the pond us country... let's just say the only reason I know who garth Brooks is, is due to his inclusion in biggest musical flop lists for Chris gains That's how little us country crosses over into the uk

[@thebasedgodmax1163]

it's so funny hearing Americans talk about Morgan Waller and Luke Combs being so huge when nobody outside of the country knows about them. legitimately fascinating

[@zylo202]

Todd: "Now this topic has likely been beaten to death for you listening..." Me:"....who is this guy? whats going on?"

[@469ka37]

That's the hilarious thing about it. He's so middle-of-the-road mild that he's not worth being talked about in most liberal spaces. You only know about it if you keep up on right-wing news which most people avoid for their own peace of mind.

[@christopherb501]

@@469ka37 I do at least watch some streamers that dive into analyzing these asses. NEVER heard of him.

[@louisduarte8763]

A lot of times, I don't know who new artist are until Todd talks about them, they appear on SNL or a late night talk show, or win a VMA on MTV. Jaysus, I feel old.

[@SirChubbyBunny]

Todd reminds me how much I've been living under a rock because I have no idea who this guy is and I'm pretty sure I'll forget in a few weeks.

[@dpacula63]

I will give him credit for 1 thing. He’s at least pushing away the conservatives trying to put him on their side. There’s a ton of money in grifting for republicans.

[@tommycash4000]

Yeah, I think I like him a little more than Todd does if only for that. Dude probably could’ve had a job at Daily Wire if he wanted to be that guy.

[@Hasekbowstome]

Todd, I lost my shit for 2 full minutes on "C is for Conformity". I'd love to hear more about your time teaching.

[@SoupwithSeafood]

the "fudge rounds" line has the same energy as people complaining about how we're helping ILLEGALS and not homeless vets, but then scoff at homeless people with signs that say they're vets and say they're probably lying

[@jamesrobbins1243]

Dude, how did you nail that so perfectly? That's EXACTLY what they say. I live in a Trump town.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Don’t talk about my mother like that! 😂

[@shaft9000]

googling "then scoff at homeless people with signs that say they're vets and say they're probably lying" didn't return much coherence for me so... Clip? Link? Didn't know that was "a thing" yet.

[@jplayzow]

​@@shaft9000It's not an internet fad it's just off hand comments usually full of disdain

[@THX11458]

@@shaft9000 I think it's an older belief from decades ago (the 1980-90s). I know my sister thought every homeless person she saw was faking it (including vets). The irony was that she was quite poor, lived in a trailer and on several occasions had to go on welfare.

[@calebmurphy9406]

There's two experiences for me as a Todd In the Shadows fan. Either I've been binge watching his stuff for the last week or two, wondering when his next upload will be, only for it to magically appear in my feed. Or, it's been a while since I've watched one of his videos, and then he posts a new one and I go "Oh yeah, I love this guy."

[@jbwarner8626]

More than once, I have thought "Oh, we haven't had a new Todd video in a while, I wonder when the next one is", only for him to upload later that exact same day. Apparently we can summon him through pure will.

[@jamesrobbins1243]

When I first discovered this channel, I couldn't believe he reviews every Madonna movie ever.

[@MrTaxiRob]

@@jbwarner8626 thank you for your service

[@davidhinkley]

Yup, that's all of us.

[@ometta7]

People in this comment section who claim to be long-time fans acting SHOCKED to find that Todd is a progressive. 😂 How do you people function day-to-day with so little awareness?

[@RatchetSly]

I wonder how many previous videos of his a "long-time fan" would have to skip over to make this a surprise.

[@pedzacaipalacasietrumnaluc4317]

Maybe they usually just watch One Hit Wonderland series or something

[@RatchetSly]

@pedzacaipalacasietrumnaluc4317 I mean, even in several those, he's not exactly subtle. His disappointment/disgust when he does the concluding "Where are they now?" segment and finds the artist has become a Trump supporter or conspiracy weirdo is very clear.

[@m0-m0597]

progressivism poisons everything ^^

[@ridleyroid9060]

I knew he was and I disagree with that, and to be honest this video was far better than I expected. Todd may be a progressive but at least he can be reasoned with, something which I don't think is true for a lot of folks on either side of the isle.

[@mediocremarty4500]

Every time one of these faux-populist country songs make it big, I have a greater appreciation for Blue Rodeo's "It Could Happen To You". I'd be hard pressed to think of a current country singer who'd write a whole song sticking up for squatters against police.

[@DanielLewycky]

It Could Happen To You is one of many, many Blue Rodeo certified anthems, but man they knocked it out of the park. So human.

[@cornbread12987]

Faux?

[@spvrda]

​@@cornbread12987 it's not real if it doesn't agree with him politically

[@Humorless_Wokescold]

​@@spvrdaok. How is hating government aid projects populist? Panem et circenses goes all the way back to Rome. Government aid projects are about as populist as it gets.

[@PrinceRoyceFan667]

Squatters are vandals though. They deserve no rights over property they don't own.

[@thedoctorofwumbology278]

Can we have a popular country song in 2023 that's not either shrouded in controversy, or is an old Taylor Swift song?

[@DefiantHeart]

Do they make those?

[@possibledamage1990]

No, no we cannot!

[@DestroyYouAlot]

i got u kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5uUlZdmgMikbqM

[@foosefoosefoosefoose]

last week zach bryan and kacey musgraves debuted at #1 thats pretty nice

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

You Should Probably Leave is very nice. Kinda between country and slow blues but it is just SO DAMN GOOD.

[@andysorensen1737]

Todd was a teacher? Imagine being one of his old students coming upon his videos.

[@digitaljanus]

That's why he originally chose to be "in the shadows".

[@andysorensen1737]

@@digitaljanus Learn something new everyday.

[@judgesaturn507]

He was a substitute teacher in the hood apparently

[@TheSongwritingCat]

He's mentioned it before but I appreciated that he was willing to share a few more personal details to add greater context to this video

[@nate567987]

In THE HOOD!!@@judgesaturn507

[@Mixman86Page]

So as someone from Virginia, I think Oliver Anthony is a genuine guy that wrote a little folk song to play at the county fair and it ended up going viral and worldwide. I definitely agree with you that he’s not a very good songwriter, but in my opinion, this song was not written to be analyzed beyond face value. As you stated, Oliver Anthony definitely seems like he is definitely more politically open-minded than the majority of people who live in bible-thumping southwest Virginia. Yeah I too wasn’t a huge fan of the “fudge rounds” line upon first listen, but I don’t believe Anthony is looking to be a political prophet like some people are making him out to be. His actions since that song came out: resisted multiple record deals worth millions of dollars, played a free concert with Shinedown and Papa Roach at the massively disastrous Blue Ridge Rock Festival and cancelled a future show because the ticket prices were too high for people who want to see him. Anthony seems like a genuinely good, humble person, who just wants to play music for people. Yeah, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, and his limited world view impacts the songs he’s writing, but I think once the cameras and hype die down, he’ll probably just go back to releasing songs he plays at the county fair.

[@weirdguy1495]

I legitimately wish him the best of luck and hope he's just a one-hit singer.

[@meatlejuice]

Yeah, he definitely needed time to improve before ever getting a hit.

[@seanmcloughlin5983]

The best one hit wonders are the ones who immediately go back to being hometown heroes when they realize how exhausting being famous is

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

Considering he played a concert with shinedown who has also gone full far right anti-vax sing about literal fox news talking points, yea that doesn't make him look any better.

[@Mixman86Page]

@@Jarekthegamingdragon I'll be honest, I haven't really followed Shinedown since 2009, but that is a bit disappointing to hear. They used to be pretty good back in the 2000s.

[@09philj]

Resonator guitars are cool and more people should use them

[@daemonspudguy]

Agreed. I wonder how a resonator with a piezo pickup would sound.

[@daemonspudguy]

Apparently pretty fuckin badass. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXW3lXmwg66MrdEsi=NFoF1U8lpSnZNmWg

[@matthewbrotman2907]

It’s “Okie From Muskogee” all over again. Haggard wrote a song about how he hated dirty hippies, and he was surprised it became a right-wing anthem.

[@michaeladkins6]

I hated that too. I was a liberal democrat at the sage of 5 growing up in Oklahoma.

[@pervertedalchemist9944]

Same with Toby Keith's "Courtesy Of The Red, White and Blue". It was a tribute to his father that conservatives adopted as their anthem. But he stated he was a Democrat - just like his father who served in the military. I find it odd how many of these conservatives are staunch defenders of the military, but many of them have a history of dodging the draft.

[@cornbread12987]

And Charlie Daniels said "leave this long haired country boy alone"

[@culwin]

Republicans have a long history of straight up stealing music.

[@Funnylittleman]

@@pervertedalchemist9944he’s definitely not a democrat anymore. I’m from Moore and my best friend met him working on a film project. He’s an asshole.

[@gut853]

Just wait until my anti-gay country song, Weenie in the Saddle, debuts at number one. I already have my explanation that it was really just about riding horses ready.

[@FireMarshallStev]

When I sang the line that "LGBTQ people should be rounded up and put in camps," I wasn't really placing the blame on them. I think the right is just as crazy as the left and we all can agree that we need to get these groomers out of our schools.

[@assiqtaq]

Release it!

[@gut853]

@@assiqtaq It’s a Rumble exclusive😌

[@SairajRKamath]

A Dose of Buckley brought up an interesting point about this song - apparently the rural parts of the US are getting better internet access, so what they like (like this song and country in general) is getting more numbers and exposure these days. I only bring this up because we here in India are having a similar phenomenon. I'd love to get some insight on this from any Americans here.

[@chaos.corner]

Country has been big in the US for a long time. The collapse of the music industry's monopoly on music distribution is probably a bigger factor (which is also related to better internet access so same cause, different mechanism).

[@grahamkristensen9301]

Despite being massive, country music has always been kind of insular. It's basically the only genre here where radio play and album sales can still make or break an artist's career, they try to do everything in-house (hence why artists Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia line can get away with having rap influences but they'll fly in a panic when Old Town Road becomes a smash hit) and it still caters to people in southern states, which by and large mostly working class and conservative.

[@cousinted]

Honestly, the kind of stripped down, rootsy folk rock that this guy deals in is a type of music that ultimately lives or dies by the strength of its lyricism, and if you strip away the partisan political messaging that fuels this song's success you're just left with lyrics that feel too annoyingly clever by half. It's difficult to explain, but it just feels like this guy is trying too hard to be "clever" rather than trying to be sincere.

[@josephgardner5059]

I'm a songwriter and I agree. I think he came up with "Rich Men North of Richmond" and thought that was pretty clever and used it as a jumping off point and as another commenter pointed out, the verses sound like a first draft. Tbh, the best songs often do come from one clever idea. But there's nothing interesting happening here musically. It's just the most basic faux-sincere chord progression used in every church song, emo song, and Taylor Swift type ballad.

[@nicholasteale8982]

Remember when "a guy with a guitar and no autotune" was Todd's number 1 turnoff? Oliver Anthony probably remembers.

[@jinxed7915]

WGWAG is more of an energy than something that applies to all songs featuring a guy + acoustic guitar

[@afterdinnercreations936]

Not the same vibe, though. Most acoustic-dicks, play guitar to attract-women (it's pretty much always straight-guys.) They sing lovey-dovey songs, not songs like Polly or "I'm broke and its the fault of welfare-people"

[@browncoat697]

@@janellieroach1900 Yeah, the archetypal WGWAG plays bad alternative or soft rock, maybe fake stripped down reggae. Stuff like The Lazy Song or Mistletoe by Justin Bieber. The important thing is that it has to be blatantly opportunistic pandering towards appearing "sensitive" or "romantic" or "chill."

[@Demiglitch]

That's Oliver Anthony Music to you, bucko.

[@timeforlaurynsopinion5138]

i couldn't quite put my finger on what bothered me about this song, but it's the fact that it feels **so incredibly online.** it sounds like the kind of song written by a man who spends every hour that he's not down in the mine out in the woods, but the lyrics feel like a reddit comment section.

[@clairemacphee4273]

ya it's like a country boy who somehow can't touch grass

[@bulbinking]

So because you only hear about this stuff online it means thats the only place people hear about it? Ever been to the appalacian mountains? People there see firsthand people not working and living off welfare in the hollars.

[@clairemacphee4273]

@@bulbinking definitely not saying that these aren't real issues, just that the way the song is written seems out of touch and inauthentic. it seems like it was deliberately written to become viral and include as many hot topics as possible.... to me it gives off the same vibe as rappers who pretend to be "from the hood" but are secretly from a middle class family. i guess we have no way of knowing for sure if this guy is speaking from experience or just repeating stuff he heard online, but either way it comes across as manufactured

[@rmkarros]

I live in the rural VT and his attitude and complaints are fairly common in alot of poor rural folks here, even in such a blue state as VT.

[@timeforlaurynsopinion5138]

@@bulbinking it's more the phrasing to me than the specific issues. it doesn't help that the specific issues also happen to be ones brought up in reddit comment sections all the time.

[@regularshowman3208]

I feel like there’s a very specific way that people on the right talk about not liking rich people, and this guy definitely fits that bill.

[@callalily0004]

I in fact do want my taxes to go towards buying someone fudge rounds, obese or not. Probably a better use of them then where they're actually going

[@sco145]

Fudge rounds aren't even sold in bags. They come in boxes.

[@kevinohiggins3868]

lets hope he changes the song based off this information

[@LynetteTheMadScientist]

He means plastic grocery bags full of Little Debbie’s boxes. And yeah people on foodstamps buy those a LOT Source: I work at a grocery store

[@culwin]

@@LynetteTheMadScientist I bet rich guys eat a lot of that crap too. Although maybe they come in nicer boxes with different brand names.

[@bece00]

​@culwin nah rich people get to have 15$ ferrero roche lmao. Poor people get rice and beans and how DARE they grab a 1.50 sweet snack

[@GothMusicLatinAmerica]

I hope this becomes the next music controversy

[@TheMaestroso]

I've heard it said that the average person has a very fuzzy ideology that's a mish-mash of incongruent ideas, and this guy sure as hell fits the bill there

[@seanmckelvey6618]

Amazing, it's almost as if people a complicated and flawed, and most normal people can't be boiled to an ideology.

[@SaltpeterTaffy]

I guess simpletons like you are special.

[@joshthefunkdoc]

Yep. Just look at how many people say they like Medicare for All...but think Joe Biden supports it

[@randomusername1735]

​@@seanmckelvey6618​ If you hold two contradictory ideas to me that just means you haven't looked at your own beliefs enough. You don't need to give your ideology a name but if you're honest with yourself and take some time you should be able to actually have coherent beliefs based on something. The idea that almost no one could fit a political ideology is such a nonsensical claim that I keep hearing from people who seem to think they're somehow above having an ideology at all

[@pjabrony8280]

He has a fuzzy chin too.

[@cbloom82]

Wait. Todd was a teacher? That makes total sense given his concise, researched videos, but goodness that was not a previous profession I would have assumed.

[@cirrustate8674]

That was a surprising revalation, but many things slotted into place once he said it.

[@On_Dust]

He'll probably be a one hit wonderer and maybe in a few years you'll make another video about him. And by the way, there's nothing wrong about being an one hit wonderer. Every band out there wishes they'll be remembered for at least one song.

[@JudaiEldritch]

Todd's Unexpectedly Mega Successful Country Song Reviews

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

The sequel to Am I the Only One nobody asked for.

[@pickles224]

Well what’d you expect? Name a pop song worth covering in 2023.

[@lydiavalentino]

@@pickles224 Escapism, Boy's a Liar Pt. 2, Ella Baila Sola, either of O-Rod's singles, any of SZA's singles - and that's just the *good* stuff, plenty of mediocre or bad material that makes for interesting reviews. There haven't been a lot of great songs to get popular in 2023, but the best of it has been something really special.

[@sarahbee6758]

“It hits like you’re listening to someone who spends too much time online”- you hit the nail on the head.

[@shaft9000]

"he spends to much time online!" said the person currently spending time online.

[@thejosh3866]

​@@shaft9000You got her! Someone give this kid a sticker.

[@map04wormhole]

@@shaft9000 IPHONE VUVUZELA OVER 9000 DEAD

[@ballsdynamite]

​@@thejosh3866as if anyone isn't tragically online these days. It's just the fat kid making fun of the fatter kid with insults like that. We are ALL online too much, and calling someone else out for it is not a viable criticism.

[@trtx84]

I know I'm coming in late to this party, but I think the most telling part about this is when Todd is describing the part of Virginia Mr. Anthony Music comes out of. When you grow up in a region so seeped in conservative ideology, that includes being taught that what you think is more correct than what you hear from outside that bubble. So even if Anthony doesn't think he's partisan, he absolutely is. He's not lying to us...he's lying to himself. The tell is less in the music and more in his response to the wider attention. He's upset "the right" sees him as a hero...but then his beef with "the left" is that they're critical of stuff like the fudge rounds bit. That's where he loses me. Especially when his defense of the line is that it's not a shot at "welfare queens" (it is) but that it's about "proxy wars" (which is what the right views the current conflict in Ukraine). If he were truly offended by how conservatives embraced him, he'd be open to what his critics on "the left" were saying. Because that's how he'd come to realize why conservatives are celebrating his song and hopefully grow. But he doesn't want to do that. All that said, Todd's point about the fudge rounds line (and to a lesser extent the references to Epstein island) are dead-on. This song is equivalent to being at the bar and chatting up the guy next to you. He says something about how "the elites are completely out of touch with the working man..." and you lean in to engage before realizing what he really means when he starts going off about pedophiles and welfare queens and you call for your tab to make a graceful exit.

[@onlycasual1]

"He grew up in a conservative region therefore he is less capable than I, the mighty liberal, am of deducing what he actually is and believes". The next line about the bubble is the icing on the cake.

[@alinachrist8416]

​@@onlycasual1exactly. I'm as left leaning and liberal as one goes, and this whole thing sounds like bs to me. Some armchair critics trying to interpret things as they want to. Nothing more. I didn't know anything about the song a few hours ago and now that I do, I am wondering what exactly is the controversy about?

[@RedlegsBluelegs]

@@onlycasual1 Pretty easy to compare the lyrics to his explanations and see they don't match up. He's contradicted himself a number of times when speaking about the same points so it's a fair assessment to say his politics are confused.

[@Humorless_Wokescold]

@@alinachrist8416 Why do conservatives like you lie about being "liberals" and "left leaning" when we can check your histories and see wall-to-wall conservative thinkers, pundits and culture war warriors? You know we can fact check, right?

[@corintibbetts-harlow8021]

Something I don't think a lot of people maybe realise, but that anyone who has knocked on doors for a political campaign can tell you is that most people's political beliefs are staggeringly incoherent, full of contradictions and seemingly incompatible views.

[@gentalrobots3988]

I never thought Todd would make a country music channel but hey I’m on board the videos are still good

[@SEAZNDragon]

He has covered country songs in the past.

[@Fuyu_Arashi99]

Waiting for the inevitable Trainwreckord on Garth Brooks' In the Life of Chris Gaines.

[@Bramhallthefifth]

look at the charts for the past year

[@WitchyWhale]

​@@Fuyu_Arashi99It was briefly mentioned in the St. Anger episode.

[@Nonesuch03]

Didn't he make a video about nineties busses?

[@KylieWilson]

“Men are just better at suicide” is probably the darkest joke you ever made 💀

[@ryanbradleyrankin]

Its....kinda true too.

[@unoriginal_name7091]

I think it's inspired by George Carlin's suicide routine. He says that, "men are ten times more likely to commit suicide, even though women attempt it more. So men are better at it!"

[@thewyldsyde7323]

@@ryanbradleyrankin but also completely dismisses the problem

[@CiaphasKirby]

​​@@thewyldsyde7323 Because this pop song video review isn't the place to divert the subject and start talking about suicide rates in depth. Edit: To be clear, not us in the comments, we can talk about whatever.

[@kochiyama]

It's also a George Carlin line from like 30 years ago, but hey.

[@cruzcamel]

I’m 34. Getting older, but still fairly young. So to the much older audiences I have to ask, did political songs from the 70s and 80s feel as…artificial as these modern political songs? All of the big recent ones, both from the left and the right perspective, feel so disingenuous and forced. I never got that impression from Lennon or Dylan.

[@onyx2626]

I'm 59. This young man's song is rather bald. Spinning a narrative , using metaphors/allegories and just turning a clever rhyme can capture peoples imagination. But hey, bluntness sometimes works! Just ask Johnny Paycheck. THAT was a hit!

[@kylegood412]

​@@onyx2626johnny paycheck would destroy this poser.

[@ballsdynamite]

This is why real country music deserves a place in popular music. Country is best when it lives up to its name in the good, the bad and the ugly.

[@blindfire3167]

Country has never been good, and never will be good lmfao. "I like your body like my Ford Raptor Truck" is probably the best line out of any song I've heard, and it's fucking awful lol

[@sunfastrose]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a natural beard and haircut look less like they belong together

[@BlackTestament]

Giving me video game main protagonist cut scene energy Like his hair and beard are two separate assets that don't go together lmao

[@Eloraurora]

It's not even the color difference, it's the mountain man beard and the two-months-out-of-Basic haircut.

[@LimeyLassen]

Beard genetics are just weird, man.

[@johnindigo5477]

He reminds me of the dad from "the kids are alright"

[@Kiwi-fl8te]

That's just how a significant amount of people look.

[@emmal7510]

Not just because junk food is cheap, but also because of food deserts.

[@TacitusKilgore165]

Yeah its almost like businesses can't stay open when constantly subjected to looting and smash n grab robberies

[@vtubersilvionimbus7542]

Not on food stamps myself, but the only store around here is a Dollar General. You can't get fresh produce at a Dollar General (at least not around here). Nearest grocery store with fresh produce is 6 miles away in the next town. Doesn't sound like much, but if you can't drive, you're eating junk food from the Dollar General. It's sad, really.

[@TacitusKilgore165]

@@vtubersilvionimbus7542 Yeah Americas dependence on and willingness to build their entire country around the automobile has caused alot of problems

[@c.w.8200]

The levels of dystopia over there keep surprising me, my government makes sure that everyone has either a supermarket or public transport that provides a frequent connection to a larger village available so these types of problems can't even happen, they're considering a new law that forces banks to provide an ATM in every community.

[@TacitusKilgore165]

@@c.w.8200 Yeah just force the supermarkets to endure smash and grab robberies at gunpoint. Are you also gonna force people to work at these supermarkets? Brilliant lol just pass a law forcing supermarkets to stay open regardless of whether or not they make money. Just nationalise your local supermarket, im sure everyone is gonna wanna go work at the supermarket that makes no money and only stays open because the government refuses to allow them to close

[@aaronhurst4379]

I meeeeaaaan, who ISN'T online too much these days, tbh? It's a widespread societal issue

[@spwharp]

I haven't heard this song, no idea of the controversy around it (probably should have since I *am* from Richmond originally), so the most relatable part was Todd going back to the South and being reminded how much the weather and bugs suck. (Went back for a wedding and god, I forgot about silverfish. And camelback crickets. Do not miss those guys.)

[@toddjones1480]

We have silverfish in San Diego. But I went to Orlando near the end of 2022 and couldn’t believe how brutally hot it was there in December.

[@edplaysbass7003]

I can't stop laughing at his explanation of what the lines about people on welfare who are fat were supposed to mean. The difference between what he meant and what he said is comically absurd. Like if you meant "the US government spends so much on wars but barely anything on welfare, so people who need it can only really afford unhealthy food", why not just say that?

[@darthsnarf]

Doesn't rhyme that well

[@kevinohiggins3868]

he dif didnot mean the second thing, it was just a basic bitch line about welfare leaches

[@LynetteTheMadScientist]

The idea that pasta and rice is more expensive than Little Debbie’s is nonsense

[@xp8969]

​@@LynetteTheMadScientistit's super messed up that we live in a world where that's actually true

[@PrincessNinja007]

​@@LynetteTheMadScientistpasta and rice and a place to cook it and dishes to eat it on. If your utilities are shut off you'll be living on little debbies and compleats for a while Actually one time I found a giant $3 sheet cake, so guess what I ate that week?

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

The tonal shift from the first verse to the second reminds me of the motivational song from BASEketball. Starts by saying you need to pick yourself up and get your life back on track, and then devolves into an evil plot by a rich guy and getting cream for dick warts.

[@TheWinstonSlip]

Amazing reference

[@ThePropaneSalesman]

Ya know "Fudge rounds" does seem to have the random lyrical impact as "topical cream" if you think about it.

[@bartholen]

I wanna extend a personal thanks for making me aware of that song. Man, early Matt & Stone stuff just had something special to it.

[@Voltanaut]

The melody is great and the vocals are great, and I love listening to the raw emotion and realness of the song, but the lyrics are a first draft. There's a great song in there if he rewrites it 4 or 5 times.

[@themudpit621]

the raw lyric is fine, if you actually listen in good faith and aren't looking for a gotcha.

[@marionann6746]

Oliver Anthony doesn't seem like a terrible person or a grifter. He's a high school dropout who got in a workplace accident at a factory job that put him out of commission for a while. He's not some pampered asshole who cosplays as rural working class. But this somg just shows how limited in scope he seems to be in identifying what exactly the problems of the world are. He's basically the type of guy who's very well aware about how he's exploited under capitalism, but the moment you hear him talk, it's obvious his understanding of politicial/economic theory begins and ends with podcasts and youtube videos.

[@philly_sports1558]

Aaron “Am I The Only One” Lewis (who’s from Vermont but is against the taking down of Confederate monuments) is also a “rich man north of Richmond”. I wonder what he thinks of this song lol

[@motoarch]

Have you ever been to Vermont? It's not really your typical liberal northern state. It's basically a state defined by tea party conservatives and right leaning independents.

[@randomsimracer4891]

As a Vermonter we do not claim Aaron Lewis, we are content letting Massachusetts keep him while we stick with Phisch

[@theemeraldboars484]

​@@motoarch hey hey, don't forget the lakeside hipsters and ice cream making hippies. Also the cows have more sway than you might expect lol

[@pervertedalchemist9944]

Not Aaron Lewis - the supposedly "country" singer, LOLOL!

[@thoomolong]

Rich Men North of Richmond is referring to Elected officials in Washington DC, not rich Northerners.

[@hellsapoppin9326]

Todd isn't beating the 'Country Music in the Shadows' allegations

[@TuesdaysArt]

To be fair, there's not a lot going on with the charts right now. Some of the top songs are either hold overs from last year or songs that have been on the charts for so long they might as well be from last year. The Barbie movie soundtrack introduced some new songs into rotation, but what is there to really say about them? Doesn't help that there happens to be a lot of country in the hot 100 right now. Luke Combs's cover of "Fast Car" is still at number 3. He's above Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift! The singer with a fan base that would spend their college tuition to go to her three hour concert! It's surreal.

[@quintonchurch4064]

I cannot get over how red his face is getting as he sings. This guy, Lewis Capaldi, Dan Dragons from Imagine Dragons, Mr. AJR - I'm getting really tired of guys refusing to sing within their range.

[@Yixdy]

Is it a range thing? Or is it an air control/diaphragm thing?

[@theelectricant98]

​@@Yixdydefinitely a breath support thing

[@fathergascoigne6104]

Why does it matter?

[@kramermariav]

Some white people just flush easily, don't hate 😅 (I'm one of them)

[@doodooswaggy3825]

Are ya

[@ShakespearsCyst]

As a bigger person on food stamps due to disabling bipolar and anxiety, that line felt so hateful. Like if I had been out somewhere and heard people singing that line with the same enthusiasm that crowd did, idk if I'd have felt safe tbh. I think it's easy for some people to dehumanize obese people when all they see is a symbol of the failings of America. But we're human beings. I guess the whole thing is triggering to growing up fat in the early 2000s.

[@kevinjohnston4923]

Food stamps shouldn’t pay for high-sugar foods.

[@kramermariav]

​@@kevinjohnston4923soooo...poor people don't deserve even tiny, cheap moments of joy

[@kevinjohnston4923]

@@kramermariav no, they’re not entitled to other people’s money to pay for desserts.

[@sushiroll3795]

It's sad how normalized it is to hate obese people. Seriously, I can't even off-handedly mention that I'm chubby in a comment without a bunch of weirdos giving me unsolicited advice and saying horrible shit to me. It's awful.

[@CharlotteSWeb-oh7ou]

@@kevinjohnston4923 Congratulations, bootlicker, you have fallen for the propaganda of the rich. You have no ethical convictions whatsoever, only the worship of starvation and profit.

[@indefenceofthegenre]

In Scotland we had a similar story about a stripped down acoustic indie singer called Gerry Cinammon who came out from nowhere with one song and ended up selling out stadiums. Happened just before lockdown and Dropkick Murphy's covered one of his songs. Was the strangest thing.

[@queenwednesdayart]

I thought his name was funny but nothing prepared me for the haircut.

[@uglyaniimals]

@@queenwednesdayarthonestly i was expecting much worse lmao

[@calblakebrough7528]

SHE IS A BELTARRR

[@kleerude]

@@queenwednesdayart Good god, was he cursed by a witch??

[@H20No]

Good song tho I will say

[@zoeymcshane5134]

Living in Virginia, the thing I know farmville for is that their town is financially supported by a migrant detention center that's one of the cruelest in the country, changing people to beds, starving folks, denying Healthcare in Spanish... there's a town council meeting dealing with shutting it down tonight if anyone is interested

[@devlinburgess2463]

Man, I hope the better folk there listen to their better angels in this case. I hope it works out!

[@kevinohiggins3868]

wait so what arey they doing? Like they stop the dentenion center and then where do the migrants go? Also how is an entire town funded by a detention centre lmao

[@ryanchase9332]

@@kevinohiggins3868 ICE pays for the detention center.

[@CherryCandySoR]

Wow, I'm from Farmville and I hadn't heard about any controversy pertaining to the detention center and I know people who work there. Farmville has more than the detention center for financial support, though. It has two colleges: Longwood University and Hampden-Sydney and their students

[@serronserron1320]

@@CherryCandySoR also have a major headquarters for big agricultural businesses.

[@surferzapper20]

Todd, I'm impressed with your restraint. You mentioned the Falwells and everything they control without getting into all the mess that family's been exposed for in recent years.

[@aaronhurst4379]

Yeah, that can't have been easy given that was all literally so close to home

[@Astolfo2001]

Hilarious Fact: Jerry Falwell once accused Tinky Winky from Teletubbies of being gay all because he had a upside down triangle on his head, was purple, and carried a purse. And thus, he thought that Tinky Winky would turn kids gay.

[@RenaldyCalixte]

​@@Astolfo2001Falwell family's college has a successful football program and that's kept them insulated from receiving much worse consequences for all the terrible things they've done.

[@badams4982]

This is the first time I have heard the song, I have seen the headlines and people talk about it, but never heard it. I just did not care enough, but figured this would be a good place to see what was going on

[@mikaelizabeth]

my favorite part of this song is when you can see the cute dogs in the live video

[@TheSongwritingCat]

Oh, no... I missed the dogs but I don't want to listen to it again

[@GothMusicLatinAmerica]

big fluffies with uppy ears, one of my favorite types of doggies

[@ColonelGreen]

If nothing else, I will admit that "Rich Men north of Richmond" is a solid play on words to build a song around, even if this guy's politics are really confused.

[@Laxhoop]

“His politics are really confused” - Said literally only one thing you slightly disagree with, in a sea of things you completely agree with.

[@pleasantfuryrecords]

wrong@@Laxhoop

[@figglebop]

@@Laxhoop How do you know what @ColonelGreen agrees with?

[@ColonelGreen]

@@Laxhoop Hardly one thing. He claims to be an independent, and may be sincere on that point, but there’s a reason this became a right-wing darling, and it’s because it’s full of tropes from conservative media. For instance, anti-tax stuff is also off-base. Taxes on Anthony’s presumed social class are not high either by historical standards or in comparison to countries with vastly superior social welfare systems. Indeed, many of the worst and most impoverished states in the US have no state income tax at all, precisely because of this kind of simplistic rhetoric that actually accrues to the benefit of rich men (in every cardinal direction).

[@Tirgo69]

His politics aren't confused it's all right wing talking points

[@DaermaeonBranKor]

Best part of the music video is the doggos just chilling out.

[@kiefdemon1979]

Thanks Todd for helping me understand this new meme going around

[@EpicgamerwinXD6669]

It's honestly not too surprising that when Radio Stations lost the interest of many young adults due to Spotify, that music that appeals to old people keeps topping the charts.

[@inaccurateprophecy8971]

The local radio stations are slowly becoming more and more old people centric. Like this new local station literally called “The Patriot” consisting of country and old rock and roll like ZZ Top. This music isn’t for “pure Americans,” it’s for divorced 50 year old men who always wear shirts with distinct pit stains.

[@MacenW]

​@@inaccurateprophecy8971I have no idea what's up with you, you must be NEET. This is a song for men who work their asses off all day trying to provide for their people and community. The economy is horrible right now and we have a joke of a President, it's about time for a good country song that's not some Tractor Beer Blue Jeans garbage

[@pickles224]

The Rollings Stones has entered the chat.

[@Marcel-vz7vp]

@@MacenWnah man you’re trolling

[@captainastro_]

@@MacenWbro get a grip lol

[@tokkiouo]

As another poor person from Virginia, there are so many more things to be angry at than other poor people.

[@coyotemixes8207]

Todd, you ready to start reviewing pop songs and not just country again. Doja cat, SZA, Miley, and Olivia Rodrigo all had event number one singles we desperately need a nihilist take on!

[@IABITVpresents]

Maybe on the best/worst songs lists

[@velveetaenthusiast]

Fun fact, even when i was literally starving, only having one, IF THAT, brick of ramen a day, because I literally couldn't afford any more, I didn't lose any weight. I was still over 300 pounds. God I wish I would've had govt assistance, those days sucked.

[@Trans-Roserade]

Broke: Oliver Anthony is conservative Woke: Oliver Anthony is liberal Bespoke: Oliver Anthony is just kinda dumb and doesn’t really have a coherent political stance, so much as a list of types of people he dislikes Like sometimes I think maybe we automatically attribute a little too much thoughtfulness and wisdom to country ballads. If this guy made a west coast pop punk song about how he’s poor because of fat people then I don’t think we’d be talking about the song or his beliefs this much.

[@user-nw1je1ur6t]

This is such an absurd song

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Also bold of him to fat-shame bc when they showed a full-length clip I saw Oliver's got the body type that squats out at 45. I'd be careful about my karma as an endomorph.

[@shaft9000]

The 3 line rhyme of "broke" to "bespoke" DID have some promise....until you got to "woke". Keep practicing, perhaps you can go viral some day, too. And Obesity IS laziness. Nothing to do with "fat shaming", it's entirely bad habits. LOOK, GENIUSES: _Eating way more calories than you expend is not rocket science or even remotely political; _it's simply an eating disorder. You _want_ to pay for that, eh? Then go ahead. No need to make it law or policy - start a gofundme or charity etc.

[@personname1008]

​@@shaft9000 Jeeze man, dude's just trying to use a meme format to better communicate their thoughts and you're out here biting their head off. If you want to go off on weight stuff, Todd already talked about how it's a payment efficiency thing, fudge rounds being cheaper to buy but more calorie dense than kale. Not sure why your bent outta shape on it friend.

[@SD-zz4ov]

​​@@shaft9000 you see woke and start malding lmao ok snowflake

[@maztergamer1016]

I can't believe we now live in a timeline where Todd has three country reviews in a row.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

Doja tried to use controversy to score a hit at #1 but she mostly just got ridiculed. Country is ruling rn and has the longevity

[@Quitit4once]

WOW these are interesting times right now! I follow todd for a lot of years now, but talking politics this straight up. I have never seen befor. And there he shows his genius with the line "...especially with the way it´s constantly dancing right up to the line without crossing it..." best music critic on the interwebs. greatings from germany

[@DanielleWhite]

Welcome back! I was thinking of Farmville, Virginia, early this week because a restaurant here in Norfolk has two other locations, one of which is Farmville. There's also a Farmville in eastern North Carolina. Over the years I've been in both. The song reminds me a lot of attitudes I encountered growing up in Scranton during the Reagan, Bush I and Clinton era. Maybe he means better but with the similarities I'm not too inclined to dive into that.

[@louisduarte8763]

Oh boy ! New Todd stuff! OT: this Oliver guy sounds like he has a lot of opinions, genuinely believes what he says, but has trouble ARTICULATING what they mean.

[@phillip5245]

I blame the education system and lack thereof of funding.

[@platterjockey]

It seems like Oliver Anthony wrote that song as a stream of disorganized thoughts. I also think Mr. Anthony should get out and see more of the world. That probably goes for a lot of musical artists from all sides. They seem to only write about their little slice of the world. Rap and country music are the most guilty of that from what I see. After all, they both have the most divisive audiences, and they are about two totally different different Americas. I could be wrong.

[@iankrasnow5383]

Songs like this, written by guys who absorbed the local values without really understanding their context, are some of the richest pieces of culture worth analyzing. He's like the fish who doesn't know he's swimming in water.

[@platterjockey]

Good way of putting it!@@iankrasnow5383

[@shaft9000]

We ~still~ have millions who are convinced _seven years on_ that Trump "praised Nazis' and 'mocked a disabled reporter's disability' and 'bragged about sexual assault'. These sorts don't care about what's true or false, only about what "wins".

[@CaptainHandsome]

I can't tell whether it's because I'm not American or because I only have pokemon fanart on my twitter feed but any time Todd says something like "you already know about this" I'm just like "oh, sorry to disappoint you dude, but...."

[@RestingJudge]

I'm an American. All my recommendations are history and geography videos, so I'm right there with you.

[@williamlanagan3528]

I didn't know we were from the same state Todd! I love your breakdowns so this is a happy coincidence.

[@mjolden]

Fun fact: former Death Row Records artist The Lady of Rage is also from Farmville, Virginia.

[@CourtneyVarner]

As someone from Virginia (north of Richmond), my take on this guy is that he's just a young, dumb guy that's just repeating all the stuff people around him say. I grew up hearing about how people on welfare are mostly people gaming the system and being unworthy, while the hard working folks are getting over taxed. It's the same old story.

[@gregorysteffensen3279]

Lived in VA for 25 years (and most parts of the state except the far south-west) until I shipped north to Maryland a couple years back, can confirm that this guy feels like a ton of folks I knew in central VA and the Shenandoah valley

[@Necroskull388]

Yeah, even my otherwise very liberal mom COMPLETELY buys into the “welfare queen” myth, she says that people fraudulently file for like 30 fake welfare recipients and live off the payments, which is why welfare is bad. Ugh.

[@lepacs14]

A dose of Buckley theorized that he's talking about the politicians in Washington D.C.

[@bigbrownhouse6999]

He’s an industry plant.

[@bigtoot7144]

That’s the whole Conservative Party lol

[@MononokeLynn]

Which is cheaper? A box of off brand mac and cheese, or a bundle of kale? Ramen or a bag of carrots? Before I was born, my parents lived off of food stamps, and my mother had to keep track of how much things were so she could budget out simple, healthy food; but she told me it was so hard and stressful because if prices changed, it would throw off her entire meal plan for the week. By the time I came along, they had managed to find jobs that allowed them free of food stamps. That being said, my mom was still very careful and still is to this day about budgeting a menu out so she knows how much she can spend at the grocery.

[@tomverlaine728]

Poor people can only eat doritos from a dollar general... they can't cook, they are too tired from their 6 jobs. A head of cabbage is 70 dollars, much cheaper to buy candy.

[@shaft9000]

Exactly. Any meaningful change has to come from within, primarily. We can't solve our problems by depending on others. We solve them by assessing the harsh reality and acting accordingly to improve our odds at changing reality for the better.

[@1lovesoni]

​​@@tomverlaine728I've lived that life as an addict and former addict. I've also lived the high life as a pharmacist, making extra money double dealing in the Appalachian mountains. When my daughter was born though (shortly after I lost my license) I used to eat plain rice w/ only soy sauce daily, for over 18 months, purely so my wife and kid could afford necessities (diapers, pump, baby food, etc...). Having a can of spaghettiOs w/ franks, a chicken noodle, or beefy mushroom soup w/ my rice was my monthly "treat". I feel like most folks who haven't been part of the precariat, at some point, just can't fully understand what that's actually like. It's ridiculously demoralizing. Now a days we DO have a morgaged house though (still on EBT however)

[@Jalreal]

Times have changed man go people watch a grocery store on a Sunday and watch as a family (well, the mother and her mother, no man in sight) with 3 kids has two carts full come through and pay 100% with EBT.

[@misteryA555]

@@Jalreal Good. I want people to eat.

[@gameboysp100]

Super late to the party. But I get the impression that Oliver Anthony isn't a bad guy, nor even a dumb one, I just don't think he's a good song writer. If you take the song as whole, and assume that there is supposed to be a single message rather than a list of things that Oliver Anthony hates, then it would mean that he believes that the government focus on Epstein, homelessness, people cheating welfare, and men commiting suicide are all symptoms of government controlled by a wealthy elite who don't care for the lower class (maybe even the middle class). This would fall in line with Anthony's statements and interviews over his supposed centrism and dislike for it being co-opted by Republicans. I assume he was being genuine because I recall hearing about him turning down record deals after the song went viral. that said, if he did intend for it to be interpreted this way then he just really needed a few more writing passes.

[@novembersuitealso1900]

the day i heard of this song, my mom called me and said "there's this song i just heard that i think you'd LOVE" and i asked, "is it rich men north of richmond?" and she said "how'd you know?"

[@NapplePine]

I KNEW IT. As soon as I heard about this I thought "there's no way Todd in the Shadow's doesn't cover this guy, right?"

[@Mr96POP]

Whenever there’s any controversy, I’m glad to hear Todd talk about it.

[@anone.mousse674]

I'm just ITCHING for him to lay the fuck into Try That in a Small Town in this year's Worst Songs

[@mainsmain]

Yeah specially when it's about sexual assault allegations

[@Dreamhouse126]

@@mainsmain context?

[@carlcole6311]

Hey... you saved yourself from making a One Hit Wonderland about this guy in a few years.

[@javiartem]

i suddenly saw this dude pop up everywhere, so i looked it up and gave it a listen, and the whole time i was just rolling my eyes, there’s so many amazing artists out there that aren’t getting the attention they deserve, giving their all into their lyrics, writing beautifully introspective lyrics, all around the whole package, then dude’s like this come around, do less than the bare minimum, making these lame songs, disguised as a deep think piece, gets all these people on their knees, saying modern artists are terrible and we need more of this in the world, it’s genuinely so annoying.

[@javiartem]

and when i say there’s amazing artists out there, i mean in every genre, from folk, to rock, to hip hop, to hardcore, anything, i have found so many amazing talents, and this is what gets so big due to fox news and conservative media

[@MillionaireRobot]

Sorry that this man's pain doesn't suite your agenda so he's shit.

[@Strato_Casterrr9898]

Your sentiment is not unique. This song isn't the first to gain "unearned attention". That's just how pop music works, the least common denominator music appeals to the majority of people.

[@AMSOfficial79]

Music is not a meritocracy, and people like what they like, whether you like the same things or not.

[@javiartem]

@@AMSOfficial79 it’s not about that, it’s about this song spreading through political debates instead of actually spreading because of the music, while the people listening to this are always talking about how other music is garbage and listening to other music makes you dumb. this was not promoted by music lovers, this was promoted by right wing political pundits.

[@TakeWalker]

folk singers of the English-speaking world thank your lucky stars that "there's people in the street without enough to eat" rhymes

[@Z3tona]

Reminds me of Brandon Brown, the Brandon who accidentally started the "Let's Go Brandon" thing. He definitely seemed taken aback when the phrase became a political lightning rod, and tried to take back control of the narrative with a press tour. Unfortunately, the main thing I remember about that press tour is that he called himself a political independent, but also had voted straight-ticket Republican for his entire life. Later he tried to capitalize by leveraging the LGB thing to get sponsorship deals for his NASCAR efforts, which all fell through, led to him alienating his existing sponsors, and seems generally to have blown up his racing career. Not sure what the equivalent would be for Oliver Anthony, but he hasn't made it that far quite yet.

[@warlordofbritannia]

Dark Brandon>>>Joe Biden

[@shaft9000]

Brown didn't say the "Let's Go..." thing, though - it was the reporter interviewing him that said it. She decided to attempt to deceive the viewer by lying about what the crowd was chanting. It was a ridiculous decision on her part, so here we are still talking about it years later.

[@THEDonnyB]

You do realize that the reporter who interviewed him after his first win started the whole let's go Brandon thing. People were chanting fuck Joe Biden and she tried to cover it up. After a while all of Brandon Brown's sponsors started dropping him until the only one willing to sponsor him was lgbcoin. He wasn't capitalizing. The sponsors left him because of a controversy out of his control. He was trying to get funding for his race team because it costs a metric boatload of money to fund a race team. Start doing research before you type crap takes on the Internet.

[@TSL73]

@@warlordofbritanniaDark Brandon about to laser eye some fools

[@123milw]

For me, politics aside, it's a really good meme. To take "Fuck Joe Biden" and try to turn it into "Let's Go Brandon" is comedy gold no matter which side of the aisle you're from.

[@actualizedanimal]

Anyway, if you want a *good* folk song about the plight of the working class, maybe try "The Hand That Feeds" by The Crane Wives ("My papa was a howlin' man, traded in his youth / Sold his dreams and all of his days for the great American ruse...")

[@chikari123]

I come back to you every once in a while and Todd you’re excellent at dissecting & analyzing music. Been subscribed since the beginning and you just get better and better.

[@JoeOrwig]

When you say "dissecting & analyzing music" do you mean condescending to people who disagree with you politically?

[@chikari123]

@@JoeOrwig that pinball rolling around in your head must be suffering.

[@CharlotteSWeb-oh7ou]

@@JoeOrwigShould you not be condescended to after coming up with that old, rotten line?

[@mtchcrtrmm9299]

I didn't actively go out of my way to avoid this song but somehow I never managed to hear what it sounded like, despite being a #1 hit, until I watched this video.

[@cyanmanta]

It's stunning how quickly he forgets that he's supposed to be attacking the policymakers and bureaucrats. Like, he didn't even need to be prompted; he took the initiative and pivoted straight to attacking poor people in less than 45 seconds. He walked headfirst into becoming a useful idiot. Let's see if can smarten up before he does it again...

[@lightfeather9953]

Yeah we shouldn't criticize any behavior in our culture at all. Just blame everything on politicians. Nobody else is ever wrong in any way.

[@cezra833]

@@lightfeather9953 We absolutely should criticise other behaviours, just maybe not in a song about rich men (the vast majority of politicians) and how much they suck.

[@risingsuperstarfrost3096]

​​@@lightfeather9953​the song is literally about politicians, the name refers to Washington D.C. The line about welfare is a weird tangent.

[@neomanrex]

Out of curiosity, andf this is just Devil's Advocate. should the government tax and embargo sugary items in order to promote health in the population and which side of the aisle is usually the ones pushing to artificially increase the price of snack food to make people make better life choices? like which is it? We could actually offer cheaper food to people by reducing the "sin taxes." Except democrats believe that people should be monetarily incentivized to buy less sugar. They have instituted sugar taxes in many cities (they are regressive taxes on the poor, even Bernie Sanders sees that) but at the same time then allow SNAP to be used on those same items that are now more expensive due directly to democrats own policies. The math there is they have literally made cheap food more expensive for poor people, then allowed poor people to get less for their foodstamps. Is this making any sense?

[@saintsea-hat7891]

@@lightfeather9953the myth of welfare queens has been debunked so many goddamn times

[@mpk1028]

Welcome back, Todd. Good to see ya.

[@raymond9642]

Why does everyone keep ignoring the most obvious elephant in the room? Dude is putting on this "poor working class" act but he's surrounded by expensive equipment? I did a little research when the song came out and it turns out his mother is a realtor in Myrtle Beach. He ain't poor, he just cosplays as it. I've been poor. You can try and hide it but the signs are always there. This is the exact opposite of that. Everything screams pretending to be broke or choosing to be broke. Nothing this dude says is truthful, end of story.

[@lepain0278]

i didnt grow up poor, but i can see people struggling. And how the rich folks who never worked a day in their life, and have no real sense of the worth of money are the ones who decide on prices and make the laws.

[@MarsofAritia]

so what? the vast majority of breadtubers, 'champions of the working class', are rich upper class nepobabies.

[@DR-hl6ig]

So you commented on someone you know nothing about with assumptions. Learn facts about him before making comments and making a complete dick out of yourself.

[@mundyholland]

Ew! I'd act like that if I had to be that close to Myrtle Beach too!