Oliver Anthony’s folk ballad “Rich Men North of Richmond” has shot all the way to the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

The Hot 100 gathers data from streaming, radio play and purchases of individual songs to track which hits are the most popular in the U.S. and around the world. The song reaching No. 1 makes Mr. Anthony the first performer to top the list with no prior chart history. He beat the likes of Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo.

The song, which was released on Aug. 11, was streamed over 17 million times and sold 147,000 digital downloads. The track also got a lot of radio play, mostly on country music stations, gathering 553,000 radio airplay audience impressions. 

The song by Mr. Oliver, a Virginia-based singer-songwriter, blew up on social media this month after audiences latched onto the rootsy music and politically charged lyrics. 

The song garnered a significant boost online from the political right, who praised the song’s lyrics about high taxes and obese people abusing welfare, while many liberals found the lyrics too politically charged and insensitive. 

Mr. Anthony, for his part, has said that while people may have some problems with the lyrics, he sits right in the middle politically.

“I remember as a kid the conservatives wanting war, and me not understanding that. And I remember a lot of the controversies when the left took office, and it seems like, you know, both sides serve the same master,” he said in a video. “And that master is not someone of any good to the people of this country.”

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.