When Oliver Anthony exploded on the scene with his song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” it didn’t make much of an impact on me. I acknowledged it to be powerful song, to be sure, but since I’m not a country music fan, I didn’t add it to my playlist.

But inevitably the media began to assign politics to the song because that’s where we are these days. Then the kerfuffle really snowballed at the Republican debates, when Fox News host Martha MacCallum led off with this question:

Why is this song striking such a nerve in this country right now?

Oliver Anthony recoiled, telling his new fans that he doesn’t support any particular political team, as Carol pointed out last week. And he continues to be a lightning rod.