I was interested to see all the fuss made over Lil Nas X's "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)", which I think is a pretty ordinary song with a pretty nifty video. Good for him camping it up and upsetting the right wing. But it did make me flash back to 1989 when Madonna dropped "Like a Prayer" and really set the cat among the pigeons. Both have upset some quarters with their juxtaposition of Christian symbols and sexuality. I just watched both back to back to see how they converse.
What's interesting to me about "Montero" is that Lil Nas X plays all the parts and that CGI plays such a big role in stitching it all together. It's quite hilariously phallic and masturbatory--the tree, the pole, him caressing all of these CGI bodies. Offended Christians seem to miss the fact that he kills the devil and steals his essence. It's thrilling to see a young black gay man claiming his power in this day and age.
"Like a Prayer" positions Madonna as white saviour in a black church and apparently fixing race relations by going to a police station and freeing a wrongly accused black man. In between she experiences ecstatic visions and sings and dances with a gospel choir. My favourite part of this song has always been toward the end when the (unnamed) gospel singer cuts in and starts improvising on the chorus. This is often where radio fades out the song, which says a lot. The video is still quite powerful in its use of Christian iconography and the burning crosses will hold their power for as long as we associate them with the KKK, as Madonna well knew. It's fascinating to see all the comments on the video now from people who are only discovering it through "Montero". Culture feeds culture.
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