Dante Today

Citings & Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture

“Northlane reveal new single, ‘Dante’, along with music video”

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music-video-thumbnail-for-dante-song-by-northlane

“Northlane have unveiled their latest single, ‘Dante.’ The track serves as their first new release following their album, Obsidian (2022), marking the beginning of a new chapter for the band.

‘Initially conceived as a dance track by guitarist and songwriter Jon Deiley, ‘Dante’ underwent a year-long transformation to embody the band’s  sound. The song’s lyrics, delivered by frontman Marcus Bridge, center around the theme of loss and the process of grappling with grief.

“‘Dante’ was produced by Will Putney, with whom the band had not collaborated since their previous efforts on Singularity (2013) and Node (2015). The music video was directed by Ed Reiss.

‘The band is set to premiere ‘Dante’ live during their upcoming 2024 headline tour in Australia, accompanied by a lineup of special guests including Erra, Landmvrks, and Banks Arcade.”   —Kane Hibberd, “Northlane reveal new single, ‘Dante’, along with music video,” Lamgoat, November 20, 2023 (retrieved December 28, 2023)

Arcade Fire, “End of the Empire IV” (2022)

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Arcade Fire’s 2022 release WE includes a track entitled “End of the Empire IV—Sagittarius A,” which features the following lyrics:

Midway through life (unsubscribe)
Virgil said, “Let’s take a ride” (unsubscribe)
You’ll need a divine guide (ain’t no way of life)
‘Cause this inferno’s hyperdrive (don’t believe the hype)
And the dreams in your head
The algorithm prescribed
Do you feel alright?

View the video on Vevo (last accessed August 9, 2023).

Contributed by Leigh Howell

Lil Nas X, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”

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The music video for Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” has drawn many comparisons to Dante’s Inferno for its depiction of the singer’s descent to hell (and eventual lap dance of Satan). Here are a few quotes from media outlets:

“2021 is here, purgatory is (almost) over, and Lil Nas X is our Dante.”   –Halle Keifer for Vulture

“Artists have been imagining trips to hell for hundreds of years without anyone raising too much fuss, but then Dante wasn’t a gay black pop star. Also, as far as anyone knows, Dante didn’t promote the Divine Comedy by selling a limited-edition sneaker made with human blood, which is the approach Lil Nas X has been taking with ‘Montero.’ On Friday, news broke that Lil Nas X and MSCHF had collaborated on ‘Satan Shoes,’ a limited release of modified Nike Air Maxes decorated with pentagrams and a reference to Luke 10:18 (‘And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.’) They’re only making 666 individually numbered pairs of shoes, and each one is made with a drop of real human blood. Not surprisingly, Nike wants everyone to know they had nothing to do with any of this.”   –Matthew Dessem in Slate

“In the ‘Montero’ video, Lil Nas X journeys from Garden of Eden to Dante’s inferno by sliding down a stripper pole (truly, twigs is correct in calling it iconic) [. . .].”   –Meagan Fredette for W Magazine

Watch the video on YouTube (accessed April 14, 2021)

 

Taemin, Music Video for “Want” (2019)

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“At the end of the ‘WANT’ music video (3:03-3:19) by K-pop artist Taemin, the choreography takes place in front of [Rodin’s] gates of hell.”   –Contributor Parker Ridaught

“Want” was the title track and first single from Taemin’s second album, released in February 2019. The full video is available to view on YouTube.

Contributed by Parker Ridaught (Florida State University ’20)

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Coggeshall, Elizabeth, and Arielle Saiber, eds. Dante Today: Citings and Sightings of Dante’s Works in Contemporary Culture. Website. Access date.

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