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Frank Ocean Blonde, Godspeed, (Another irony is that some of the other…
Frank Ocean Blonde
Key themes of the album: love, social identities, consumerism
How does the tone in which Frank Ocean sings reflect his attitude to the overarching themes of his song?
The tone of each song reflects something in his life and there is a similarity between all of them in that they have a melancholy, light introduction and continues with his lyrics following that same theme. In Ivy, he starts off by saying “I thought that I was dreamin’ when you said you love me. The start of nothin’.” these lyrics tell the audience that the relationship was never going to last because he couldn’t believe that they said “I love you.” It was too early which makes the words seem like it’s fake and the “start of nothin’” reaffirms this; there is no point in starting something that wouldn’t even last.
"I cut the pony off" - Solo Reprise
3 Stacks makes a reference to the obsession with material culture around brands in popular culture
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Godspeed shows the unconditional love you can have for someone even once they've/ he has left
(even if they're not physically there, they have a special place in his heart)
-Social identity especially with Facebook story
-how material connections are complicated and even dominated by technology, for better or worse
"jealousy for nothing, you know, [it's a] virtual thing"
White Ferrari can represent innocence and youth. The lyrics that sound these words all describe the newness of a relationship and the youth and fun times the Ferrari brings to them
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How can we tell when a song is about Frank Ocean or about a character he is depicting? Who do these stories and narratives belong to?
Ocean uses first person pronouns (I, my, we) to refer to himself. He also pulls experiences out from his time in college with Hurricane Katrina.
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Frank Ocean's story throughout the album discusses, love, struggles with addiction, masculinity, and caring for another in life.
The song "ivy" really spoke to me the most. It creates a vision into a past relationship that seemed almost too good to be true. Frank Ocean seems almost unphased that this is gone from his life, and describes his state in "I thought that I was dreaming when you said you love me"
"White Ferrari" to me, seemed like an exploration of his own headspace. I imagined Frank and his lover driving down a narrow stretch of road in his fast car, and talking about other universes or any thoughts they had.
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"Self Control" seems to describe the ideal and pure life that Frank Ocean wishes that he deserves. His lover has already moved on, yet he still feels like he has a part in their life.
“These bitches want Nikes / They lookin’ for a check / Tell ‘em it ain’t likely/Said she need a ring like Carmello / Must be on that white like Othello / All you want is Nikes / But the real ones/Just like you / Just like me." -- Nikes
"Now your baby momma ain’t so vicious, all she want is her Pickett fence / And you protest and picket sign, but them courts won’t side with you/Won’t let you fly solo.” -- Solo
Song depicts a man who wants to leave a woman who is raising his child. It's about taking responsibility.
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On "Solo", Frank touches on various aspects of being alone. such as self-love or waiting for a call from your lover.
Song could even allude to Ocean's own struggles with his father. While present physically, Ocean's father was emotionally distant from Ocean.
Quotes emphasize authenticity, e.g. "but the real ones" and "being real persons"
What does authenticity and being authentic mean here?
"Bending backwards after half of these hoes had work done / Saying they want something real from a man / Just saying it, we being real persons" -- Solo Reprise
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But also about the internal struggle the character goes through, which is a struggle with masculinity and authenticity
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"Nikes" is a critique of the trappings of materialistic hedonism, with a frequent mention of Nike shoes.
Be Yourself
"Be Yourself" is a voice message from Rosie Watson, the mother of one of Frank's childhood friends.
It is quite interesting that in the song, the phrase "this is mom" is repeated twice. However, the voice message is of Rosie Watson, the mother of one of Frank's childhood friends. Maybe Frank's mom was not as present in his life?
repetition of the phrase "sluggish, lazy, stupid, and unconcerned." perhaps this repetition highlights an internal struggle that Frank feels with his own drug usage, where he feels these things about himself.
There seems to be some irony in this piece, Frank's voice is not present and is instead a voice of the mother of one of Frank's childhood friends (Rosie Watson). Additionally, the mother suggests for the receiver to be themselves, but at the same time lists all the things that the receiver cannot do.
This could be a reflection of Frank's life. This message could be something that he has heard many times (whether explicitly, or in other subtle ways) in life. Perhaps it can also be a reference to his struggles in life: he wants to be himself, but there are only certain norms that society expects of him, so he feels confined.
"Don't try to be someone else" is repeated multiple times throughout the song.
This could be that Frank struggles with truly being himself and is afraid to show vulnerability to the world which is why his motherly figure Rosie Watson repeats that phrase.
In "Solo," Frank ocean indicates that he "prefer(s) yellow," implying he has discovered his bisexual identity, and he is willing to share his identity rather than adhering to toxic masculinity.
In Nikes, Frank Ocean emphasizes on people’s blind admiration for consumerism and “nike shoes,” that hinder them from acting truthfully and developing real relationships with others. In the lines “I know that your came witcha/But he ain't witcha,” Frank Ocean expresses that people are loosely connected and people end up experiencing loneliness as many people around him appreciate materialistic goods rather than taking care of their friends.
In "Ivy," Frank Ocean refers to a failed relationship that shouldn't has started and reminiscing the days when he was a naive boy fall in love without thinking of the consequences. His ambivalent toward this past relationship demonstrate his struggles with emotions, as he knows the relationship took every wrong steps whereas the end of it also marks the lost of carefree boyhood.
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"Pink + White" was produced by Pharrell Williams. It details Frank's memories of his youth and someone close to him who passed away. He remembers this person by recalling the lessons they taught him.
How does knowing very little about Frank Ocean and his life/career affect how you listen to this album?
Able to learn about his experiences and identity directly from himself (through the lyrics) without the influence of possible news articles, etc. that fans who are invested in his life may read
How does the inclusion of interludes like "Facebook Story" and "Be Yourself" move the narrative of the album forward?
They both use a valid segment of Frank's real-life experience to elucidate where his perspective on relationship and drugs comes from.
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"Siegfried" might be called a metaphysical break-up song. The hero Siegfried of Norse mythology is often depicted as a handsome man with long, flowing hair, much like Cartier.
Godspeed
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"Skyline to" expels random thoughts Frank is having from sex to drugs. He mentions summer, nighttime, and sex throughout the song.
The word godspeed has nothing to do with religion at all, even though the song itself has multiple religious references ("mountains you won't move," "The table is prepared for you," "Let got of a prayer for ya"). The song is about letting go of someone.
Questions
who is this song about? Is it about a past partner? A past version of himself? What kind of relationship did Ocean have with this person? Why is he letting go of them? Why did he choose to use gospel influences in this song?
On "Godspeed", Frank describes him leaving a lover, but doing so in a respectful way. The title is an exclamation used to give good fortune to someone starting a journey.
“I let go of my claim on you. It’s a free world.”
While this is essentially him letting go of someone, it’s ultimately his way of freeing himself; to release any emotional baggage from this previous relationship.
“Godspeed” seems to be some form of closure with someone. The song’s church organs and gospel influences communicate the lightness and serenity from a sense of closure–slightly deviating from the heaviness of other tracks.
“I'll always love you. Until the time we die.”
There’s a sense of security and understanding of how he truly feels about this person and their relationship. "Godspeed" feels a lot more concrete compared to preceding tracks.
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Could godspeed also have a positive connotation in the context of this song? Could it be suggesting "moving forward"?
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Another irony is that some of the other songs in the album mention the use of drugs, but all of a sudden a motherly figure is coming in to try to stop the use of drugs.
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