‘Old Town Road’ morphs into ‘Highway to Hell’ as Lil Nas protests
Lil Nas X seemed to be an ordinary one-hit wonder after his single, “Old Town Road,” marked a cultural reset. Scoring over 700 million views on YouTube, with 193 remixes, and setting the record for the number one song on the Billboard’s Hot 100, the song seemed likely to be the peak of his career. However, the end of the Lil Nas X craze never came. Releasing hit after hit, such as “Panini” and “Holiday,” the artist has been on a smooth cruise. That is, until the recent controversy regarding the music video for his new single, “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).”
While the song’s lyrics and sound haven’t received backlash from conservative representatives, the music video depicts various scenes that the community has deemed as obscene. The ultimate controversy it has created revolves around images of Lil Nas X provocatively dancing with Satan after riding a pole down to Hell.
Conservatives all over social media have found issues with the video, some believing Lil Nas X is promoting ‘demonic’ concepts to the young public, thereby ruining society. He has responded to criticism numerous times on Twitter, leading many to believe that he received the response he wanted from extremely religious individuals, as he criticizes their beliefs. He claims they often cause young people who grow up under these extremist religious views to be ashamed of their true selves and their sexuality.
The true meaning behind the music video is introduced at the beginning during the synopsis where Lil Nas X talks about Montero: a place where as inhabitants “we” don’t “hide the parts of ourselves we don’t want the world to see,” referring to the difficulty he had during his coming out as gay in June of 2019. He seemingly embraces this part of himself in the “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” music video when he not only dances with the Devil but also kills him with his bare hands, thus embracing his sexuality which has frequently been dubbed ‘devilish’ and immoral by religions for decades.
Lil Nas X has spoken out before on the hardship he endured coming out, as he lived in a relatively religious home. He claims to have made this music video to promote the LGBTQ+ community, who have felt oppressed by religion for being their true selves, especially considering he himself was gay and closeted due to his family’s religious background.
On March 25, Lil Nas X tweeted a letter to his past, closeted self, stating that his whole coming out was “very scary” for him, but he is releasing “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” with the intent to “open doors for many other queer people.” All in all, the video works courageously as he promotes self-actualization to his audience.
On the other hand, the majority of the feedback on social media applications - mostly made by members of the LGBTQ+ community and progressive thinkers - have been sending unwavering support, further applauding Lil Nas X for embracing who he is and promoting being oneself unapologetically. They also expressed fondness toward the artist’s responses to the conservative backlash with memes and GIFs poking fun at them.
Lil Nas X pushed boundaries further with the release of his Satan Shoes that carried a Bible passage mentioning Satan’s fall from heaven. Only 666 pairs of the shoes were made and each pair, priced at $1,018 each, sold out after being revealed. All was in an effort to rebrand and reclaim the idea that members of the LGTBQ+ community belong in Hell; ultimately connecting to the “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” music video where Lil Nas X kills and overthrows Satan, taking his spot as Hell’s ruler.
The shoes made by MSCHF were also advertised to have real human blood in the soles of the shoes as the company itself is trademarked for not shying away from controversy. It’s important to note, however, that the shoes were not allowed to be shipped due to legality problems, as the shoes featured the Nike swoosh despite the maker of the shoes, MSCHF, not having ties with them.
The shoes further angered and stirred conservatives. Republican Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, tweeted her extreme dislike toward the shoes, disputing the shoes but taking it as an opportunity to tell kids that “their God-given eternal soul” was much more exclusive than the Satan Shoes. Lil Nas X responded to her tweet in a thread telling her to do her job rather than worry about some shoes.
In the end, Lil Nas X has proved time and time again that he brings thick skin to any encounter accompanied by criticism. Unapologetically authentic, he promotes accepting queerness, as well as not hiding the parts one could be ashamed of, ultimately proving himself a warrior for the LGBTQ+ community.
By Cristi Isaula-Reyes
April 30, 2021
Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue 7