August 20, 2016, one of the most defining pieces of our generation’s media was released. This isn’t your average narrative album. It is a story of love, but not just one type. It includes grief, friendships, relationships, and heartbreak. The story isn’t linear. It’s almost as if he is walking us through his life. The lyrics guide you through the story while the instrumentals show you his feelings. He references the audience regularly and gives retrospective feelings.
An Album That Grows With You
This album is a work of art that perfectly defines our generation. From the materialism shown in “Nikes” to the dependence on social media shown in “Facebook Story.” The story grows with you. When I first found Blonde, my favorite song from it was Nikes; A song portraying teenage life. Now, as I grow up, I have gravitated more towards songs like “Nights” and “Self Control.”
The references to other works like The Carpenters’ “They Long To Be (Close To You)” in the song “Close To You” make this an instant classic that can be enjoyed by any age group. Teenage and College-aged years are some of the most formative years for anybody. We gain knowledge and experiences that will stay with us throughout the rest of our lives. Frank Ocean turned his memories into a story to tell the world.
Nikes
This song introduces us to a young Ocean. His use of pitch throughout this album shows his age. The younger the Ocean, the more pitched up the vocals are. He introduces his cousin and his girlfriend, who seem to be having problems. We can see this in the lines, “He don’t care for me, but he cares for me and that’s good enough”
In the next verse, what seems to be a current Ocean interjection saying “We’ll let you guys prophesy, We gon’ see the future first,” Alluding to how the album’s story is written. It’s almost like we are driving through Ocean’s hometown with him while he points at the buildings and tells us a story.
He ends the song with a powerful verse saying, “But I’ll mean something to you.” This sets up an essential theme to the album, meaning something. Ocean comes back to this idea throughout the story. He strives to mean something to those he cares for.
This song highlights and critiques materialism in our society by centering on the brand “Nike.”
Ivy
This is a retelling of first love. Ocean reminisces on childhood and his eventual first heartbreak. He refers to both Ivy and Ivory in the song. One is a beautiful plant that harms you when touched, and the other is a precious material that cannot be harvested due to environmental factors. He compares the love interest in this song to those things to show us his one-sided love. He says the lines, “If I could see through walls, I could see you’re faking. If you could see my thoughts, you would see our faces.” Hindsight is 20/20, and Ocean here is showing us what he couldn’t see clearly in this relationship.
Pink + White
This song explores a time in Ocean’s life where he experienced one of the biggest tragedies, but still appreciates it because of the time spent with someone he loves. In 2005, Ocean was attending the University of New Orleans, which was inevitably affected by Hurricane Katrina. This was a moment that stuck with him that he would come back to later in the album.
“Gave you tools just to stay alive, And make it out when the sun is ruined,” Ocean explains, “That’s the same way you showed me, You showed me, love.” Even though this love has been left in the past, Ocean remissness with a soft light because of the love that was shown to him in such a difficult time.
In the last verse, Ocean mentions something that is prevalent in every single one of his pieces of art. Mortality and finding heaven on earth. In his previous visual album, “Endless,” he constructs a stairway, often referred to as a “stairway to heaven.” He eventually ends the song with, “This is life, life immortality.”
Be Yourself
Serving as the first interlude of the album “Be Yourself,” sets the precedent for all of the following interludes. In this album, they act as mini disconnected stories that relate to Ocean’s overarching story.
The Interlude is a message recording that listeners often think is Oceans’ mom. The voice speaking is Rosie Watson, the mother of a childhood friend he calls his Aunt Rosie. She is urging him to stay away from drugs.
Solo
Solo is a night in Ocean Ocean’s life where he is alone. He sat waiting all night for a person who never came. The songs’ mellow instrumentals give us insight into his feelings that night, while the lines tell us exactly what happened. “I wanted that act right in Colorado that night, I brought trees to blow through, but it’s just me and no you. Stayed up ’til my phone died, smoking big, rolling solo.”
As he sits alone, smoking, until he reaches his version of heaven on earth, which completely contradicts the previous “Be Yourself.” “It’s Hell on Earth, and the city’s on fire.” He says, “Inhale, in Hell, there’s Heaven.”
Skyline To
In this song, Ocean reminisces on the feeling of Summer and being young. He talks about the summer feeling shorter as we get older, like it is a constant fleeting moment. He’s growing and changing, and so is his outlook towards life. In the most important line of this song, Ocean says, ‘’Can you come when I call again?” referencing the person from the previous story who left him waiting all night.
Self Control
In my personal favorite song on this album, Ocean returns to the themes of meaning something. He is in a relationship that is falling apart. Throughout the song, he tells us of his relationship troubles and how Ocean had to use his self-control. He wants so badly to still mean something to this person, even if it won’t work. He says to them, “Keep a place for me, for me, I’ll sleep between y’all, it’s nothing.” Though the older and wiser Ocean may know that this relationship will end, he still wants them to keep a piece of their heart for him.
Good Guy
This is Ocean’s first experience with a man. He talks about meeting up in New York and visiting his first gay bar with him. Just as in Ivy, he feels strongly for this person who does not feel the same. “Here’s to the highlights when I was convinced that this was much more to you than some night shit,” Ocean says, “And to you, it’s just a late night out.” He explores the pain of not meaning as much to somebody as they mean to him.
Nights
Nights is a pivotal point in this album. A new beginning for him. He begins the first half with a relationship that just was not working. He says, “Can’t keep up a conversation, can’t nobody reach you.” He revisits his time spent in Houston after relocating because of Hurricane Katrina. He details his days as strung together by bad nights, stating, “Every day patched the night up.” The beat switch in the song occurs at the exact midpoint of the album, shifts the mood for the songs to come, and further amplifies the theme of duality seen throughout the album. Whether that be heaven and hell, his bisexuality, or the theme of the song, day and night.
Solo (reprise)
This is the only song in the album that does not feature vocals from Ocean himself. Instead, Andre 3000 narrates his inner thoughts and feelings. Unlike the previous “Solo,” Ocean isn’t physically alone; he feels it. This is shown in lines like, “So low that I can see under the skirt of an ant.” He is playing with the semantics of solo and so-low.
Pretty Sweet
This song represents his feelings towards his career; he has made it. He repeats throughout the song, “Fuck the other side, I’m on this side.” During his first studio album, “Channel Orange,” he was signed to Def Jam Records who he had many issues. Blonde, however, was an independent release; he was under no record deal. He has complete creative control over his life’s work. Like the song title, he repeats “pretty sweet” because that’s just how it feels to succeed. Pretty sweet.
Facebook Story
This interlude is a story of a three-year relationship ending because of one person not wanting to add the other on Facebook. They are both valid, but can’t see eye to eye much. Like any relationship, sometimes two people just aren’t meant for each other.
Close To You
This one-minute and 26-second-long song shows us why the previous “ Facebook Story” was included. Just like the girl, Ocean wanted to be close to his partner. He wanted more, but they didn’t feel the same.
White Ferrari
“White Ferrari” is a song of heartbreak. He talks about the disconnect and the hope for his relationship to work. “I’m sure we’re taller in another dimension.” Ocean says, “You say we’re small and not worth the mention.” This lyric perfectly showcases how they can’t see eye to eye. He still loves the person he’s breaking up with; they are just not the right match for each other.
Seigried
In this song, Ocean jumps between his personal and love life. He starts by talking about a failed romance, then moves on to critique his own personal choices. He pivots in the fourth verse and points out his own mortality, saying, “One solar flare, we’re consumed. So why not spend this flammable paper on the film?” He begs the question: If we all could die at any moment, why are we not spending our time doing what makes us happy?
Godspeed
Here, Ocean is describing a past breakup. The word in the title means “an expression of good wishes to a person starting a journey.” He wishes this person well and promises to still love them, something that has proven to mean something to Ocean
Futura free
Concluding the album, Futura Free puts everything into perspective. He showcases how every experience of grief starts with one of love. He speaks on how far he has come and the people who are still standing by him, with a reference to Tyler. “I’m just a guy, I’m not a god.” He says, walking back his heaven on earth ideals and reminding us we are all just here. He ends the album by asking, “How far is a light year?” A question that puts us in perspective of just how big the universe we exist in is.
Final Thoughts
The major themes of this album are shown in every single little detail. For example, Ocean’s use of “Blonde/Blond” on the album is a small, easily missed detail that reinforces the idea of duality and sexuality throughout. The real-life issues and stories make this a great listen for all ages and walks of life. Everyone has a story about first love, being a kid, or heartbreak. Real-life, relatable scenarios help different audiences truly connect to the story and see versions of themselves within it.