Montero (Call Me by Your Name)

In 2019, Lil Nas X released "Old Town Road", a single that would go on to set a record for the longest-charting number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100. However, with some people dismissing his success as a one-hit wonder, Lil Nas X wanted to depart from the country trap sound of "Old Town Road" when working on his debut album; instead, he focused on rap, pop, and R&B, influenced by Drake and Nicki Minaj. In early 2020, Lil Nas X asked the production duo to executively produce his debut album, and started recording ideas on his phone during COVID-19 lockdown. In a recording session, Lil Nas X came up with the lyrics "Call me when you want, call me when you need, call me in the morning", which led to producer Omer Fedi recording a guitar part, which was then done on banjo. Lil Nas X played a snippet of the song in a Twitter video on July 9, 2020, as well as in the background of various TikTok videos, including one that was addressed to hip-hop rapper 6ix9ine. It was featured in a Logitech commercial that aired during Super Bowl LV in February 2021. On March 9, 2021, its release date was announced via Twitter, along with its cover. The single cover was created by Spanish–Croatian artist Filip Ćustić and features Lil Nas X as both Adam and God in a reinterpretation of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. 's The Creation of Adam. The song's title is taken from Lil Nas X's real first name, while the subtitle is a reference to the 2017 LGBT romance-themed film of the same name. André Aciman, author of the novel from which the film was adapted, expressed that he was grateful and humbled that Lil Nas X had written a song with the same name as his novel. Lil Nas X later stated the film was one of the first queer movies he had ever seen that felt "very artsy" and made him interested in the concept of "calling somebody by your own name as lovers and trying to keep it between you two", inspiring him to write about it. In an interview with Zane Lowe on the day before the release, he described his newfound self-confidence after being able to express himself freely in his new song. On the day of the single's release, Lil Nas X shared an open letter to his 14-year-old self on Twitter, reflecting on his choice to come out at an early age and his nervousness about the song. However, he ultimately says it "will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist" and expressed his desire to let people be who they are. == Composition ==

"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" is a hip hop and electropop song with guitar and handclaps in syncopation. Billboard described the track as a "flamenco-like track with a subtle trap beat", while Consequence of Sound called it "flamenco and reggaeton dipped in pop". Slate noted the song's "dembow-style rhythm" while the chorus was compared to technopop in the style of Gary Numan. Lil Nas X's vocals in the second verse were likened to a cross between Juice Wrld and Iann Dior. The song is played alla breve at 90 beats per minute and was originally published in G minor, with a vocal range from G3 to G5. Like previous songs by production duo Take a Daytrip, "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" is in the Phrygian mode and was described as having a "Middle Eastern or Moorish or Spanish sound". The song, like many of Lil Nas X's past projects, features queer themes. He features the line "shoot a child in yo' mouth while I'm ridin', which was intended to help break the stigma around references to gay sexual practices in music. == Release and promotion ==

The original track and music video were released on March 26, 2021, with an extended version released on March 29. In addition, Lil Nas X released a number of follow-up videos via his YouTube channel, including a muffled version (titled "MONTERO but ur in the bathroom of hell while lil nas is giving satan a lap dance in the other room") on March 28, an instrumental version (subtitled "But Lil Nas X Is Silent The Entire Time") on March 31, a behind-the-scenes look behind the song's recording process (subtitled "Official Video except its not the official video at all") on April 5, and a lo-fi version (subtitled "but it's lofi and something you can study to lol") on April 9. The lo-fi version was produced by L. Dre and Zeuz Makes Music, and was previously uploaded to the latter's YouTube channel a few days earlier. On April 23, he released an a cappella version along with an accompanying music video in the style of The Brady Bunch. Following the song's release, he launched a promotion on Twitter where he gave out $100,000 worth of Bitcoin. Another promotional tool was a collaboration with augmented reality mobile app Jadu, in which users can interact with a volumetric video-generated Lil Nas X wearing red angel wings. In addition, a free browser game titled Twerk Hero was released, in which the player controls a virtual Lil Nas X twerking to "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)". Developed by Roni Games using the Unreal Engine, the rhythm game has four levels, each accompanying a scene from the song's music video, and was noted for its jiggle physics. Lil Nas X also unveiled several T-shirts in collaboration with Pizzaslime. On April 13, it was reported that the song was briefly removed from streaming services for unknown reasons, after Lil Nas X had asked his fans to stream the song "because it may no longer be available tomorrow". Columbia Records released a statement that the situation was "out of their control", but did not elaborate. Satan Shoes Tying into the music video's theme, Lil Nas X collaborated with art collective MSCHF Product Studio to create 666 individually numbered pairs of Nike Air Max 97 "Satan Shoes" adorned with pentagrams, inverted crosses, and the Bible verse Luke 10:18. They also contain of ink mixed with one drop of blood from a member of the MSCHF team in the sole, which was collected over the course of a week. were compared to comic books by rock band Kiss and Marvel Comics that were printed using the band members' blood. and later filed a lawsuit against MSCHF for trademark infringement and dilution. In defense, MSCHF claimed that the shoes were meant to be a form of art for display and not to actually be worn. A U.S. District Court in New York approved of a temporary restraining order against MSCHF, thereby preventing further sales of the shoes, though they were already shipped to their buyers. The lawsuit was eventually settled, with MSCHF issuing a voluntary product recall and buying back any Satan Shoes at their original price. Live performances Lil Nas X performed the song as the musical guest on the last episode of season 46 of Saturday Night Live. Airing May 22, 2021, and hosted by actress Anya Taylor-Joy, the episode also featured the performance of his newest song "Sun Goes Down". During the performance of "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", a wardrobe malfunction occurred, splitting the seam of his trousers when he squatted during a pole dance routine, leaving him unable to perform it as planned. Lil Nas X also performed the song at the 2021 BET Awards on June 27, 2021. The ancient Egypt-themed performance was a tribute to the visuals of "Remember the Time" by Michael Jackson and ended with the singer kissing a male backup dancer. Billboard ranked the performance number-one out of the sixteen in the ceremony, noting it was "the highlight of the night". Madonna compared the performance with her 2003 MTV Video Music Awards performance, when she kissed Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears on stage while performing "Hollywood", by sharing the photos of both kisses one above the other on her Instagram stories and captioning it with "#DidItFirst". Fans immediately perceived the post as an insult and began to criticise Madonna; however, Lil Nas X dismissed the post as a joke and stated he's friends with Madonna. == Music video ==

Production '', one of the works cited by director Tanu Muino as an inspiration for the imagery in the music video for "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)". The music video for "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" was directed by Ukrainian music video director Tanu Muino and Lil Nas X and was released along with the single. Shot over two days in February 2021, She spent two weeks on pre-production with her collaborators before shooting with Lil Nas X. Muino drew inspiration from Dante's Inferno and paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, including The Garden of Earthly Delights—a triptych depicting heavenly and hellish imagery and the Last Judgment. Visual effects for the music video were done by Mathematic, a French animation studio based in Paris, in a process that took seven weeks. They opted for a video game-inspired look in order to spread a "message of tolerance". He also discussed the music video for "Cellophane" by FKA Twigs as an influence, stating, "I wanted to see some things people have done in music videos with the pole—and I felt like Twigs did a really amazing job at that... I wanted to do my own take on it." He further elaborated, "When someone who is commercially successful makes work that lives so similarly next to ours and profits from it on such a massive scale, then I felt like I had to speak up", but said he blamed record labels rather than Lil Nas X. Synopsis Following a voice-over introduction where Lil Nas X discusses not having to hide in shame, the music video begins with the singer portraying both Adam and the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The serpent seduces Adam using its third eye, and the two kiss. he starts to ascend toward an angelic figure in Heaven before grabbing onto a pole, which sends him down to Hell as he pole dances. while the judges' costumes were inspired by the all-denim outfits worn by Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in 2001. The video also drew comparisons with the character HIM from the animated series The Powerpuff Girls, for portraying the devil as a "queer-coded" entity or a "red, gay man", a trope that became prominent in cartoons from the 1990s. Rebecca Long wrote for Observer: "Intentionally or not, Lil Nas X draws on this history in 'Montero', reclaiming the motif and continuing a long tradition of queer blasphemy". == Reception and controversy ==

The song and music video received praise from several outlets for being "unabashedly queer". Variety Adam B. Vary wrote that the video "changed everything for queer music artists", noting that some LGBT artists like Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block and Lance Bass of NSYNC sang about women while staying closeted, while others like Elton John and Ricky Martin did not explicitly sing about their sexuality. Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem, conservative pundit Candace Owens, and evangelical pastor Mark Burns all reacted negatively on Twitter, as did rapper Joyner Lucas and athletes Nick Young In response to criticism, Lil Nas X wrote on Twitter: "There is a mass shooting every week that our government does nothing to stop. Me sliding down a CGI pole isn't what's destroying society" and "I am an adult. I am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. That is your job", among other retorts. Esquire referred to it as "beelzepop" (a play on Beelzebub) and similarly compared reception to Gaga's "Judas" and Minaj's "Roman Holiday". The controversy has been described as being part of the marketing strategy for the song. Neena Rouhani of Billboard depicted the social media outrage as his "greatest marketing tool", and Kevin Meenan, a music charts manager at YouTube, described it as "very explicit", and that controversy was his goal. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times compared the controversy to bait, and a performance of moral panic, noting how he uses Twitter as a "performance space ... with an almost limitless audience". The visuals of the music video became popular on social media, with the pole dance becoming a meme on TikTok. Additionally, the music video and its reception were lampooned on a Saturday Night Live cold open, with Chris Redd as Lil Nas X discussing the controversy with Chloe Fineman as Britney Spears. In June 2021, a mural depicting three of Lil Nas X's looks in the music video was put up in Philadelphia's Gayborhood. Rankings == Accolades ==

"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of April 10, 2021, with 21,000 downloads, 46.9 million streams, and 1.1 million radio airplay audience impressions. It also debuted at number one on Billboard Streaming Songs chart and the US Rolling Stone Top 100, and at number two on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart. In the United Kingdom, "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" was the most-streamed song during its week of release, with 6.8 million plays (including 2.5 million video streams), and debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart on April 2, 2021 – for the week ending date April 8, 2021 – becoming Lil Nas X's second number one song in Britain following "Old Town Road" in April 2019. The song sold 62,000 copies and was streamed 8.6 million times in its second week at the top. The song spent five weeks atop the chart. In Ireland, the song also debuted at the top of the Irish Singles Chart on April 2, 2021 – for the week ending date April 8, 2021 – becoming Lil Nas X's second number one song in the Irish Republic following "Old Town Road" in April 2019. The following week, it stayed atop the chart and was the most-streamed song in the country that week. In Australia, the song debuted at number 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart as the highest debut of the week and soared to number 3 the following week, becoming his second top ten hit on the chart. The song later reached its peak of number 1. ==Track listing==

• Original version • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" – 2:17 • Extended version • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" – 2:17 • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" (Satan's extended version) – 2:50 • Instrumental version • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" – 2:17 • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" (Satan's extended version) – 2:50 • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" (But Lil Nas X is silent the entire time) – 2:48 • EP version • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" – 2:17 • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" (But Lil Nas X makes all the sounds with his mouth) – 2:20 • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" (Satan's extended version) – 2:50 • "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" (But Lil Nas X is silent the entire time) – 2:48 ==Credits and personnel==

Credits adapted from Jaxsta via Billboard. • Lil Nas X songwriter, vocals • Take a Daytrip producer • Denzel Baptiste songwriter, recording engineer, background vocals • David Biral songwriter, background vocals • Omer Fedi songwriter, producer, guitar • Roy Lenzo songwriter, producer, recording engineer • Şerban Ghenea mixing engineer • Chris Gehringer mastering engineer == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==