(A Lil Nas/Billy Ray ticket wouldn't be the worst youth-vote grab in 2020.) He also compared Lil Nas X's views to the subtly progressive politics in stuff by Yankovic and Frank Zappa.
Demento said that's more typical of novelty songs than folks might assume he cited "Monster Mash" and what it tells us about Americans' changing attitudes regarding Halloween in the early 1960s. He may not have consciously inserted those themes into “Old Town Road” - then again, he may have done precisely that - but when we look back at the song years from now it will undoubtedly speak to us of this complicated moment.ĭr. Though the track didn’t arrive as part of the reality show of its creator’s life - a rarity in the modern record industry, in which celebrity narrative rules, and another reason this song qualifies as a novelty - its ascent has drawn welcome attention to Lil Nas X’s identity as both a black man in country music and a gay man in hip-hop. All you have to do is watch the viral video of Lil Nas X setting off an elementary school to see that he's touching other nerves to these kids, he's Kurt Cobain tapping into an eternal wellspring of rebellion.Įven older listeners can recognize that “Old Town Road” has taken on a kind of moral weight in the three or four months since it took over pop music. For one thing, the rabid response to the song among young children isn't really about the song's deceptively sophisticated humor. "Old Town Road" clearly shows us that's not the case. Yet funny songs are still perceived differently, as though the presence of a joke somehow precludes any further emotional or intellectual impact. In books and film and television, comedy these days is regarded as a high art nobody thinks "Veep" is any less of a creative achievement than "Succession" (which, by the way, is pretty damn hilarious).
#Lil nas x gay pride movie#
Is there comedy in the song? For sure: “My life is a movie / Bull riding and boobies / Cowboy hat from Gucci / Wrangler on my booty.” Those are funny lines! But they’re also sufficiently well-crafted - as vivid as they are pithy - to make us question our reflexive dismissal of music that makes us laugh. “And ‘Old Town Road’ is a very inventive piece of music.”īuilt on a track that Lil Nas X bought online for 30 bucks from an unknown producer in the Netherlands, “Old Town Road” combines the rapper’s drawled delivery with a booming beat and an eerie banjo lick sampled from Nine Inch Nails it’s hardly the first song to blend hip-hop and country, though there’s something about its proportions - the way it carefully balances swagger and whimsy _ that feels fresh. Demento, the veteran radio host known for playing weird and wacky records. It comes after his song Old Town Road reached number one in the UK and spent a record 19 weeks at the top of the US Billboard 100 this year.“Novelty isn’t just about being funny - it’s also about being new,” said Dr. i love u guys and will make it up to you some way. sorry to everyone attending twitchcon or the sandbox music festival, i will not be there. It’s been a wild last 7 months and im ready to take a little time off.
He’s recently announced that he’s taking a break from music, cancelling two shows – but promising to “make it up” to his fans. The singer then posted a second tweet which focused on the artwork for the EP, zooming in on part of the artwork that is a rainbow – the symbol of gay pride. The tweet was posted on 30 June – the last day of this year’s global Pride Month. He tweeted: “Some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care…but before this month ends I want y’all to listen closely to c7osure,” The viral rapper officially came out as gay in his song called c7osure, which was released in June. Public figures coming out will “always help” others who may be struggling in the same way, he adds.