Trendsetter
Review for new song & video “Call Me By Your Name” by Lil Nas X
By: Leah Schroeder
“Call Me By Your Name” is quite the controversial one among the Christian community, particularly because of the supposed “glorification” of the devil and for introducing homosexuality. While I cannot speak for Christians because I am not Christian, I believe this is nothing like they say. I believe the song is a reference. It’s not a vessel used for “worshipping satan."
The artist of this particular song, Lil Nas X, is gay. I believe this music video is a reference to all the people telling him to “go to hell” for being gay. I think that this is just the artist’s way of everyone who is not particularly fond of his homosexuality that he doesn’t care.
In fact, the music video shows Lil Nas X flirting with the devil. And to that, I say do it. I believe the artist was very brave to make a song like this, considering how the media is very easy to tick off. That much just shows how much the artist does not care, and that they are feeding right into the point.
Overall, the music video was very well produced, has really bright colors and a good theme going to it. I believe this song is a major step up from his usual songs. As for the song itself, (disregarding the music video) the song is actually a reference to the 2017 film “Call Me By Your Name” about a closeted gay couple. Lil Nas X quotes in his Genius interview, “The running theme in that is, call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine. So the song is my name, but it’s the person’s name because I’m calling them by my own name”.
Lil Nas says that the song is about him falling in love with a person that seems to be not happy about his sexuality as he quotes, “The lyrics 'cocaine and drinkin' with your friends, you live in the dark, boy, I cannot pretend' means you live in the dark as in, your life is not in a happy spot, and it’s also like, with these eyes you’re making at me you live in the dark as in the closet kind of thing."
I believe this song is actually really important for representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in Hollywood, and it’s a really vulnerable moment in this spot of Lil Nas X’s career, because it definitely has a deeper meaning about under-representation of the community. It’s even harder when Lil Nas is a black man as well, that’s why this song is so controversial. Personally I do believe they did a great job with spreading the underlying theme, and it’s a really important time in Hollywood right now.
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