Call me when you want, call me when you need.
Call me in the morning, I'll be on the way.
Call me in the morning, I'll be on the way.
In life, we hide the parts of ourselves we don't want the world to see. We lock them away. We tell them no. We banish them. But here...we don't. Welcome to Montero.
— Opening narration for the music video
"MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)" is a 2021 song by rapper Lil Nas X, and the first single from his debut album MONTERO.
The song, along with the music video was released to much controversy as the video depicted a lot of religious imagery, including Lil Nas X descending down to Hell on a huge stripper pole. Despite the outrage from conservative pundits (which of course, led to more attention to the song), the song would be Lil Nas X's second number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to be certified platinum. The music video for the song won 3 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year.
"Trope me when you want, trope me when you need..."
- A Cappella: One version of the song replaces the instruments with vocals, all sung by Lil Nas X.
- The Beard: Not only is the romantic subject in the song closeted, but he appears to also have a girlfriend. Lil Nas X doesn't seem to mind, as he states in the lyric "If Eve ain't in your garden, you know that you can..."
- Buffy Speak: On the "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" single, the acapella and instrumental versions are respectively subtitled "But Lil Nas X Makes All The Sounds With His Mouth" and "But Lil Nas X Is Silent The Entire Time".
- Closet Gay: Lil Nas X alludes to the romantic subject in the song being this, refusing to come out. Alluded in the opening narration for the music video, in which he talks about hiding "the parts of ourselves we don't want the world to see."
- Closet Key: What he aims to be towards his closeted gay lover.
- Crown of Horns: The Devil's horns are actually a headband.
- Crown of Power: Lil Nas X takes and wears the Devil's headdress, gaining his powers.
- Either/Or Title: "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)". The "Either" part is the Title Track, while the "Or" is how the song was originally announced.
- Gay Euphemism: Lil Nas X alludes to the romantic subject's gayness with the line "If Eve ain't in your garden".I'm not fazed, only here to sin
If Eve ain't in your garden, you know that you can - Glowing Eyes: When Lil Nas X gains the Devil's power, his eyes glow solid white.
- Mind-Control Eyes: When Lil Nas X is mesmerized by the snake, his eyes turn the same shiny pale color as the snake's third eye.
- Neck Snap: Lil Nas X goes to hell, seduces Satan, then breaks his neck.
- Obsession Song: Downplayed, Lil Nas isn't quite obsessed with the romantic subject in the song, but he is infatuated. Lil Nas does notice that the guy "isn't living right" by doing hard drugs and being in the closet.
- Power Gives You Wings: Lil Nas X gains the Devil's power, he sprouts dark feathered wings from his back.
- Satanic Panic: Reignited this in reactionary conservative media with the music, which features him descending into hell and allowing himself to be free in the vices he's been consumed in. It also invoked a Gay Panic as said vices being addressed have to do with flamboyant sexual expression.
- Screw Yourself: As a corollary of
Acting for Two, Lil Nas X plays both the Adam/Eve figure and the snake seducing him, ending up with them kissing. - Self-Backing Vocalist: The A Cappella version has Lil Nas X singing all the parts.
- Shout-Out: A scene references FKA twigs' video for "Cellophane", as it involves the singer pole dancing, approaching a heavenly winged figure then plummeting underground.
- Sky Face: When Lil Nas X is running from the snake, he sees a face in the clouds.
- Snakes Are Sexy: The snake in the video plays the role of a seducer.
- Stripperiffic: A Rare Male Example in "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)": Lil Nas X spends the latter half of the music video in nothing but boxer briefs and thigh-high heeled boots.
- Take That, Critics!: The music video is basically one big middle finger to the conservative Christian notion that gay folks go to Hell, as he had recently came out as gay at the time of production and predictably got quite a bit of heat for it. He goes to Hell all right...and takes over the place.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: The video ends with him willingly going to Hell on a stripper pole, giving Satan a lapdance, then killing him and taking his crown. The entire video serves as a Take That! to conservative Christian homophobia. If he's going to Hell, he might as well do it as fabulously as possible and take over in the bargain.
- Winged Humanoid: The video features an angelic winged figure hovering over Lil Nas X, and at the end Lil Nas X gains demonic wings on his back.
