Montero (Call Me by Your Name)
"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" is a song by American rapper Lil Nas X. First previewed in a Super Bowl LV commercial in February 2021, the song was released on March 26, 2021, through Columbia Records,[2] as the lead single and title track from his debut studio album, Montero (2021). It was written by Lil Nas X along with its producers, Take a Daytrip, Omer Fedi, and Roy Lenzo.[3][4][5]
"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)"
March 26, 2021
July 9, 2020
2:17
- Montero Hill
- Denzel Baptiste
- David Biral
- Omer Fedi
- Rosario Lenzo[1]
- Take a Daytrip
- Omer Fedi
- Roy Lenzo
The song is noted for its queer themes, including its homosexual references and lyrics, taking its name from a 2007 book, Call Me by Your Name, which centers on a gay romance. The "camp",[6] tongue-in-cheek, sexually-charged music video for the song depicts Lil Nas X in a number of ironic yet thought-provoking Christian-inspired scenes, including the artist riding a stripper pole to Hell, and even giving a lap dance to Satan. The song and video were praised by some liberal commentators, among others, for their boldly black and queer sensibilities; however, the video received additional backlash from a number of conservative American figureheads who deemed the content "immoral" or harmful to children.
"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" debuted at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100, giving Lil Nas X his second number-one hit after his debut single, "Old Town Road" (2019). The single was certified sextuple platinum in the United States by the RIAA in November 2022. Outside of the US, "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" topped the charts in 20 other countries, including Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. The song received nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Music Video at the 2022 Grammy Awards. As of March 2024, it has over 1.85 billion streams on Spotify, ranking among the 100 most-streamed songs on the platform.
Composition[edit]
"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" is a hip hop[23][24] and electropop[25][26] song with guitar and handclaps in syncopation.[27] Billboard described the track as a "flamenco-like track with a subtle trap beat",[28] while Consequence of Sound called it "flamenco and reggaeton dipped in pop".[29] Slate noted the song's "dembow-style rhythm" while the chorus was compared to technopop in the style of Gary Numan.[30] Lil Nas X's vocals in the second verse were likened to a cross between Juice Wrld and Iann Dior.[30] The humming section following the chorus was included as a sort of mating call.[31] A longer version of the song, dubbed "Satan's extended version", adds an extra half-minute and features an additional iteration of the chorus as well as a longer outro.[32][33]
The song is played alla breve at 90 beats per minute and was originally published in G♯ minor, with a vocal range from G♯3 to G♯5.[34] 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".[8] Its chord progression, D♯–E–E–D♯,[34] goes up and down a minor second, which was intended to create and release tension.[8] Guitarist Omer Fedi plays the banjo on a harmonic minor scale, which was later processed with reverb and Auto-Tune.[35]
The song, like many of Lil Nas X's past projects, features queer themes.[36] Renting out an Airbnb at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to work on his debut album, Lil Nas X revealed that it was written about a man he met in mid-2020, who was partying and taking drugs while in quarantine.[15][20] In its lyrics, Lil Nas X tells his lover he no longer wants to be on the down-low.[37] 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.[15][20] Lil Nas X revealed he was afraid of turning away straight fans with an explicit lyric about gay sex, but decided "if they feel offended, they were never really here for me."[7] The lyrics also discuss the pressure Lil Nas X feels in representing the LGBT community ("A sign of the times every time that I speak") and include a reference to the 19 weeks his single "Old Town Road" spent atop the Billboard Hot 100 ("A dime and a nine / It was mine every week").[31]
Commercial performance[edit]
"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.[116] It also debuted at number one on Billboard's Streaming Songs chart and the US Rolling Stone Top 100, and at number two on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart.[116][117] The song reached number one on the latter chart during its third week, selling 19,500 downloads and rising from number 3 to become his second leader after his 2019 hit "Old Town Road" solo or featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.[118]
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.[119] 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.[120]
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.[121] The following week, it stayed atop the chart and was the most-streamed song in the country that week.[122]
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.[123]