Share
Commentary

Out-of-Touch Lefty Creates His Own Version of 'Rich Men North of Richmond' - Misses Point by a Mile

Share

Socialist folk and punk rock singer Billy Bragg has released his response to Oliver Anthony’s smash hit song “Rich Men North of Richmond” and it is about as authentic as Hillary Clinton’s southern accent.

The song manages to go after Anthony, push unionization and its dues onto listeners, and comes off as sterile as everything else Democrats force onto the masses.

On the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Bragg tweeted the four-minute monstrosity on Sunday and commented, “Since I saw that clip of Oliver Anthony singing ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’, the ghost of Woody Guthrie has been whispering in my ear. So today I sat down and wrote this response.”

Ironically, Guthrie’s biggest hit, 1944’s “This Land is Your Land,” goes one of the basic ideas of the modern left.

How can America belong to everyone if it is stolen and should therefore be given back to Native Americans?

Trending:
Watch: Biden Says Americans 'Have the Money to Spend' on High-Priced Groceries During CNN Interview

Bragg, 65, doesn’t explain, nor does he explain away why he calls on a collective of Marxists to take down capitalism in spite of his own estimated $5 million net worth.

The singer prods Anthony in the song’s opening lines when he sings that if he wants his complaints addressed he should “join a union.”

WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.

Do you think Oliver Anthony is talented?

Bragg also sings that “rich men earning north of a million” are responsible for all the grievances of working people — and not a government that has sold them out to lobbyists and cheap Chinese labor.

The Briton also goes on to complain about climate change, wildfires, and “floods” which is somehow supposed to resonate with people whose grocery bills are unaffordable.

“If you don’t like the rich men having total control, you better get the union to roll,” Bragg added in the song.

The soulless, bland track completely misses its mark if that mark was to become a relatable ballad for the masses.

Anthony’s hit, by contrast, hit all the right notes because it was not only spectacularly assembled but shared a unifying message: We’re all being taken advantage of by cronies within the government.

Related:
Hip-Hop Star Breaks the Mold, Remakes Classic Song to Skewer Hunter Biden

Anthony never came off as a man working for the Teamsters or the countless union officials who have retired off the backs of working people.

The young man shared a piece of his soul and it resonated with people from all backgrounds. Its message is raw, relatable and comes from a painful place of experience.

It’s a hard world out there for millions and millions of working people whose place as part of the middle class has been taken from them by government incompetence or greed.

A socialist millionaire unaffected by the tax of inflation telling working people to shut up and give more of their paychecks to unions is rich.

Bragg’s monetized socialist message is every bit as out of touch as its singer. “Rich Men Earning North of a Million” is pure irony and beyond parody.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , ,
Share
Johnathan Jones has worked as a reporter, an editor, and producer in radio, television and digital media.
Johnathan "Kipp" Jones has worked as an editor and producer in radio and television. He is a proud husband and father.




Conversation