A Discussion of Frank Ocean's "Blonde"

"Blonde" inspired visual art, music, podcasts, and more. Brought to you by Skidmore students in the course "Writing About Songs and Songwriters" We're excited. Are you?

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I don’t get it: Processing Frank Ocean’s Blond

By Neil Mellstrom

I don’t get it.

I just don’t.

It’s just not my cup of tea or whatever something has to be to resonate with me.

And it’d be insulting to pretend I do get it

...right?

This isn’t “my music”. This isn’t “my genre”. 

But it’s also another one of those things that rips some people apart while I’m left over here appreciating the guitar tones.

Fans lean on Blonde for emotional stability while I’m left wondering, 

“Is that a Stratocaster? It’s gotta be somethin’ with single-coil pickups.”

That was my initial reaction. I was missing the point. Really, at best

…I was vibin’. 

But I sat down with it. For hours. I wanted to get it. Just once I wanted to make the inaccessible accessible on my own. Everything else I listen to has passed the test of 

“Do I like this immediately? Because I sure don’t have time to sit around and wait to like it.”

But I took that pressure off Blonde… I let it wash over me a few times. Waiting patiently for its reputation to match my reaction.

“I. will. appreciate this. It’s more than nice sounds. It’s more than soothing. It’s more than lo-fi hip hop beats to study to.” 

...right?

And I’ll be honest- I had to look up the lyrics. A lot. 

“I’m not him but I’ll mean something to you.”

That blew right by me.

But eventually I started to hear something. I had found something to listen for. The lyrics started to mean something- already a rare event for me.

“What could possibly be the connection between shoes and one-night stands in Nikes?” 

It’s more than a critique of hook-up culture. That’s overdone. It’s more poignant. It lays out the painfully familiar story of two people failing to connect...the story of people distracted by products, status, sex… and it’s difficult to hear all of that. 

I wish I couldn’t hear the vulnerability in Self Control. 

The disappointment in Good Guy. 

The fury in Pretty Sweet. 

They’re all pretty devastating if you give them the time to sneak up on you.

He poses the risk we all fear in reaching out to someone. In showing them who we are. Exposing the sum of your virtues and vices.

And that’s the genius- I think. His pure snapshots of reality.

Sparse context, vivid imagery and the truth. 

That’s expression… that’s storytelling. 

I know I hear what Ocean says about intimacy in the modern age among the many themes he touches on. All of which result in the anxieties and loneliness we’ve all felt.

And there are parts I don’t get. Whatever “get” means. 

For Blonde: saying “I don’t get it” started to sound like a cop out. 

An effort to compartmentalize, distinguish and dismiss that which feels unfamiliar. But the warning messages scattered throughout Blonde that I had to unearth- They aren’t unfamiliar. They’re felt almost everyday.    

So I’m pretty sure I do get at least part of it… but either way, I’m gonna give it another listen. 

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Skidmore College students answer interview questions from the song Futura Free of the album BLOND/BLONDE 

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Blonde Bricolage

I “wrote” (really, I just compiled lyrics from songs all across the album) fourteen poems on twelve different themes/consistencies I noticed in Ocean’s lyrics. My process was to go through the lyrics of all seventeen songs and collect the lyrics that I felt matched a particular theme or consistency, which was quite tedious, but I’d like to think that I’m pretty familiar with the lyrics now. Memory/Past You left There were things you didn’t need to say Did you mean to? Kept my mouth closed You can’t hurt me now Forgot to tell you I let go of my claim on you Remember how it was We were friends Everything sucked back then I thought I was dreamin’ when you said you love me You showed me love Still got some good nights memorized First time I ever saw you Now and then you miss it Present I know you don’t need me right now You say I’m changing on you I can’t relate to my peers Feels like they’re up to something I’m just a guy I’m not brave I could hate you right now You understand Can’t nobody reach you I don’t want your conversation Future Could you come by? I’ll buzz you in, just let me know when you’re outside I’ll keep quiet and let you run your phone bill up You’ll have this place to call home always I’ll look after you Give us just tonight Keep a place for me I care for you still and I will forever Love I thought I was dreamin’ when you said you love me You showed me love I’d do anything for you I may be younger, but I’ll look after you Regard, my dear This is joy Stick by me, close by me I will always love you how I do Keep a place for me You’ll have this place to call home always Won’t let you down Wish I was there This love will keep us through the blinding of the eyes Hate We’re not in love Think we’re better off solo I ain’t tryna keep you Said you wanna hurt me now Pure jealousy for nothing Sluggish, lazy, stupid, and unconcerned You made me lose my self-control I could hate you now You know I won’t need you I don’t want your conversation Conversation All the things I didn’t mean to say, I didn’t mean to We don’t talk much or nothin’ Forgot to tell you You talk so much more than I do Can’t keep up a conversation Shut the fuck up, I don’t want your conversation Kept my mouth closed I know you love to talk You left when I forgot to speak There were things you didn’t need to say Did you mean to? Spooky Dimensional Stuff Last night feels like a past life You are from my past life Did you call me from a séance? We’ve no control This is not my life You see me like a UFO Flying How far is a light year? The whole galaxy Haunting us Feels like they’re up to something I’m sure we’re taller in another dimension We gon’ see the future first Seeing/Looking/Eyes Your dilated eyes watch the clouds float Watchin’ the summer come close to an end You see me like a UFO My eyes like them red lights If you could see my thoughts, you would see our faces We gon’ see the future first You showed me This love will keep us through the blinding of the eyes Technology I’ll keep quiet and let you run your phone bill up Can you come when I call again? Can’t nobody reach you You text nothing like you look Stayed up ‘til my phone died Signal comin’ in and out It was virtual, means no sense Colors See some colors Sippin’ on pink-gold lemonades On comes the evening, gold seeking ends The sky is pink and white A summer shade Right now I prefer yellow The ground is black and yellow See some colors Ifs If you could die and come back to life If you think about it, it’ll be over in no time If I was being honest Sometimes I feel like I’m a god, but I’m not a god If I was, I don’t know which heaven would have me Pardon me if I am being insensitive Apocalypse/Bad Stuff Breathe ‘til I evaporated You’ve been holding your breath, weighted down Inhale the vapor, exhale once and think twice Apocalypse/Bad Stuff You’ve been holding your breath, weighted down With tears in your eyes I broke your heart last week You wanna hurt me now Maybe I’m a fool You wanna kill me now That’s fucked up Murder me We ain’t in love Apocalypse It’s hell on Earth and the city’s on fire Stay away from the highways Kill the headlights Silence in the ears, darkness of the mind Signal comin’ in and out Haunting us One solar flare, we’re consumed There’s a bull and a matador dueling in the sky Shooters killin’ left and right God strikes us Killed my soul I had no chance to prepare Nosedive into the flood lines Sounds make you cry I hate that it’s like this No sleep in my body Broke down You’re tired of movin’, your body’s achin’ You’re not gonna make it, are you? Don’t have much longer ‘Til it’s time we die Stay alive Don’t wanna die yet When the sun is ruined When it’s all ruin In the wake of a hurricane Devastated By myself I run my hands through what’s left It’s all downhill from here

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“In comes the morning, haunting us with the beams Solstice ain't as far as it used to be It begins to blur, we get older (blur)” - Skyline To

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“If the sky is pink and white If the ground is black and yellow” - Pink + White

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“I care for you still and I will forever” - White Ferrari 

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Sam Dusman

Frank Ocean and Running Around

The tracks Be Yourself  and Facebook Story set Frank Ocean’s album Blond apart as something streamlined and intricate. Any prolific consumer of music has come across these sorts of pieces before -- a short transitional song that feels more like the caulking for a cohesive album than it does an individual track; hardly destined for any playlist. But something sets these two apart. There is, without a doubt, the unusual allure of the story-tellers on each piece: the stuffy-sounding maternal drug spiel, or the presentation of an upsetting modern romance in a heavy French accent. But that gentle, distorted Rhodes melody in the background -- that’s what really makes the tracks pop, what helps the stories and their speakers resonate with the rest of Blond in a quiet, nostalgic sort of way. 

The riff is actually a sample of the song Running Around by Buddy Ross, who toured with Frank Ocean shortly before the release of Channel Orange in 2012, after sending him a live YouTube demo on a whim. He recorded with Frank a couple of times, and is accredited as a contributor to four tracks off the album Endless, as well as the two sampled tracks on Blond. “I’ve never been a part of something where I was brought in for a couple of hours to try some things and then leave and have no idea -- to not remember what I even played on.” Ross explains, “It’s rad to be part of something that’s so fresh and I almost feel disconnected from it in a way…” (Pitchfork)

This sample became an iconic part of Blond, with a variety of fans even arguing that “Be Yourself may be the most important track on the album.” (Reddit) The trippy, atmospheric texture of the keyboard parallels the sounds of Blond perfectly, and channels an “aching, convoluted” feeling of “love and loneliness” before the melody has even been established. (New York Times) Not to mention, the part is pretty ingenious -- creating a texture unique to the Fender Rhodes by holding down a pedal tone in the low register just barely reachable by a pianist's left hand. The combination of three separate voices so close to one another is cool too: A low resonant bass presence, an endlessly cascading four-note drone, and an unbelievably catchy, wistful melody. 

It seems Frank Ocean has an ear for beauty in simplicity -- which is why his use of samples is so illuminating and so integral to his work. Through his musically modest sample library he creates two layers of accessibility: laid back pieces that don’t require much thought or energy to groove with, and an array of references that channel the ears of vastly different generations. Not only that, but it paints an engaging portrait of the artist behind the sample collage -- adamant listeners who recognize each sample can start to piece together a personality by connecting the dots. That’s been the all-consuming past time for Frank Ocean’s fans, to unravel the mystery behind the man, and these samples provide one of the largest windows into his world.

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https://pitchfork.com/news/67933-frank-oceans-keyboardist-explains-the-making-of-new-albums-blonde-and-endless/

http://blonded.blog/news/buddy-ross-talks-about-his-collaborative-history-with-frank

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/28/arts/music/frank-ocean-at-terminal-5.html?_r=1

https://www.reddit.com/r/FrankOcean/comments/5o0r9e/buddy_ross_who_is_buddy_ross/

https://www.reddit.com/r/FrankOcean/comments/4zxheh/be_yourself_may_be_the_most_important_track_on/

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“There will be mountains you won’t move, still I’ll always be there for you” - Godspeed

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collage visual inspired by blonde

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2:00/4:46

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“I ain't tryna keep you Can't keep up a conversation Can't nobody reach you Why your eyes well up? Did you call me from a séance? You are from my past life Hope you're doin' well, bruh”

Sometimes when you make a friend, there comes a time when the string that bound you together no longer does. It could unravel, it could snap, or, it could just be untied. In the above lyrics from Nights, Ocean is describing this break, the remembrance of a relationship that once was and has not been for quite a while. It’s been so long since he has thought of this person that it feels like another lifetime. And in this case, that’s possibly because he’s the one who did the untying. At this distance from that moment of unravelling, Ocean writes as though he is so emotionally detached from that he questions why someone from so long ago would tear up now. Does it really matter why they teared up? Whether this was the break in the relationship or another interaction all together? In my experience, this “action of untying” is the most basic loss of empathy in exchange for self-preservation. If I were, and I am going to, personally analyze these lyrics psychologically from all that I have learned from my various therapists in my lifetime, I would say that Ocean’s reaction is a simple defense mechanism, repression. This technique in particular I one that I’ve used again and again in my life. I have an unfortunate and long history of cutting people out of my life once I’ve lost interest or they disappoint me. But on the bright side it seems to me like Ocean has accepted what’s happened; whether or not he knows what he is doing, he has moved past his thinly disguised escape attempt and has been left with the apathetic sentiment of someone who forgets the squamish feelings that permeated this relationship. This acceptance is probably healthy and shows growth. Wishing someone well, even if they will never know you did has an effect on the universe, as though you are able to rinse yourself clean after a long and dirty trip inside the mind.

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The Art of Sampling: White Ferrari & Here There and Everywhere

“Here, There, Everywhere” is not a song filled with metaphor.  Its sonic simplicity allows it to stand out from the psychedelic vagueness that surrounds most of Revolver.  Directly inspired by the sonic lushness of Pet Sounds, Paul McCartney longed to craft a ballad that exceeded the gravity of Brian Wilson’s own work.  By choosing to forgo the lush instrumentation that Wilson made his hallmark, McCartney was able to craft a delicate love song that radiates youthful innocence and bliss.  Even when the song takes a more ghostly turn during the bridge, it still retains the tenderness and gentle nature that captivated audiences in the first place.

This all gets twisted within the context of “White Ferrari”.  While love remains the dominant theme of the track, there’s an ambiguity and uneasiness that allows the track to paint a more realistic, adult-like take on tenderness and love.  An aura of unrest dominates the minds of the song’s subjects but nevertheless, the song offers “ a moment of peace on an album rife with internal conflicts, nostalgic losses and metaphysical conundrums. It seems to offer a taste of the album's ultimate wisdom: by continuing to move forward, exploring with gratitude and curiosity does life feel full”. 

When utilized, samples are known to sound obvious within the context of the song. Frank steers clear of this specific tract.  Samples on Blonde feel more like patches on a quilt weaved into symbiotic patterns; blink once and you’ll miss it.  When they finally appear to us, our personal connections to the songs only grow deeper.  Two tracks made fifty years apart finally joined together like distant lovers. One couldn’t live without the other.

Work Cited

https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2016/08/22/490918270/detangling-frank-oceans-blonde-what-it-is-and-isnt

https://www.mic.com/articles/152168/what-s-the-hidden-meaning-behind-frank-ocean-s-white-ferrari-ode-on-blonde

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Visit Original Link

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Notes taken from various sources and through personal listenings. 

Does ‘Nights’ split the album in two? Is ‘Nights’ itself split in two?

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~Word cloud of Nikes, the first track in Frank Ocean’s Blonde~ 

Each track in part one (from Ivy to Nights) has a parallel in part two (from Solo (reprise) to Futura Free). 

Nikes is the only exception to this pattern. The duality is captured within the boundaries of this song - it doesn’t need a parallel track.

Deep, heavy themes are tackled in this track, whilst the music video showcases race cars, horses, nudity, immolation, partying, and a red devil juxtaposed against Ocean wearing a glittery white number.