10 Frank Ocean Songs That Would Be Great Novels
Frank Ocean as a novelist? The idea isn't that farfetched, seeing as his storytelling is his most beloved characterist
"I don't intend to stop making music. This isn't a faux retirement. It's no bullshit. I was just making music yesterday. But I do think – it would be fucking legendary if I just made Channel Orange last year, then put out a best-selling novel next year..."
From track to track, his skillfully crafted lyrics instantly pluck you from wherever you are and insert you into his imagination, whether or not you wanted to go there. These 10 songs from all stems of Frankie O's career (be it nostalgia, Ultra, channel ORANGE or one of his floaters) could easily be expounded on in manuscript form.
"I don't intend to stop making music. This isn't a faux retirement. It's no bullshit. I was just making music yesterday. But I do think – it would be fucking legendary if I just made Channel Orange last year, then put out a best-selling novel next year..."
From track to track, his skillfully crafted lyrics instantly pluck you from wherever you are and insert you into his imagination, whether or not you wanted to go there. These 10 songs from all stems of Frankie O's career (be it nostalgia, Ultra, channel ORANGE or one of his floaters) could easily be expounded on in manuscript form.
SONG: "Pyramids"
STANDOUT LYRICS: The jewel of Africa/What good is a jewel that ain't still precious?/Ho
STORY: In channel ORANGE's 7-minute saga, Frank provides us with myriad of characters to play with from the jump: Queen Cleopatra, Sampson (the man she was found in the Great Pyramid with), the nude Cleopatra of the night and, in the middle of it all, Frank. The lyrics of this number can take us to a multitude of places depending on how we read them. A split novel from his perspective, walking us through all the emotions he hints at, would be most appropriate.
STANDOUT LYRICS: The jewel of Africa/What good is a jewel that ain't still precious?/Ho
STORY: In channel ORANGE's 7-minute saga, Frank provides us with myriad of characters to play with from the jump: Queen Cleopatra, Sampson (the man she was found in the Great Pyramid with), the nude Cleopatra of the night and, in the middle of it all, Frank. The lyrics of this number can take us to a multitude of places depending on how we read them. A split novel from his perspective, walking us through all the emotions he hints at, would be most appropriate.
SONG: "Swim Good"
STANDOUT LYRICS: I'm going off, don't try stopping me/I'm going off, don't try saving/No flares, no vest, and no fear/Waves are washing me (out)
STORY: The nostalgia, Ultra song, disturbingly similar to Eminem's "Stan" in terms of construction
STANDOUT LYRICS: I'm going off, don't try stopping me/I'm going off, don't try saving/No flares, no vest, and no fear/Waves are washing me (out)
STORY: The nostalgia, Ultra song, disturbingly similar to Eminem's "Stan" in terms of construction
SONG: "American Wedding"
STANDOUT LYRICS: My pretty woman in a ballgown, I'm Richard Gere in a tux/Getting married in a courthouse, writing vows in a rush/Making out before the judge with my teenage wife/Got a wedding band done that I just might die with
STORY: Although not in a (public and/or heterosexual
STANDOUT LYRICS: My pretty woman in a ballgown, I'm Richard Gere in a tux/Getting married in a courthouse, writing vows in a rush/Making out before the judge with my teenage wife/Got a wedding band done that I just might die with
STORY: Although not in a (public and/or heterosexual
SONG: "Voodoo"
STANDOUT LYRICS: She’s got the whole wide world in her juicy fruit/He’s got the whole wide world in his pants/He wrapped the whole wide world in a wedding band/Then put the whole wide world on her hands/She’s got the whole wide world in her hands/He’s got the whole wide world in his hands
STORY: Voodoo the book would be something special. In the song (which fades in and out on channel ORANGE's "Outro"), he prays that "he" and "she" won't see divide, and that they look past the sexual intentions of a union. When bonded together, they have the whole world in their hands, but what part of the equation is the voodoo?
STANDOUT LYRICS: She’s got the whole wide world in her juicy fruit/He’s got the whole wide world in his pants/He wrapped the whole wide world in a wedding band/Then put the whole wide world on her hands/She’s got the whole wide world in her hands/He’s got the whole wide world in his hands
STORY: Voodoo the book would be something special. In the song (which fades in and out on channel ORANGE's "Outro"), he prays that "he" and "she" won't see divide, and that they look past the sexual intentions of a union. When bonded together, they have the whole world in their hands, but what part of the equation is the voodoo?
SONG: "Pilot Jones"
STANDOUT LYRICS: Tonight she came stumblin' across my lawn again/I just don't know why I keep on tryin' to keep a grown woman sober/See there you go reachin' up your blouse and no I don't want a child/But I ain't been touched in a while by the dealer/And the stoner with the sweetest kiss I've ever known
STORY: This one wouldn't be autobiograph
STANDOUT LYRICS: Tonight she came stumblin' across my lawn again/I just don't know why I keep on tryin' to keep a grown woman sober/See there you go reachin' up your blouse and no I don't want a child/But I ain't been touched in a while by the dealer/And the stoner with the sweetest kiss I've ever known
STORY: This one wouldn't be autobiograph
SONG: "Back"
STANDOUT LYRICS: When I stare into your eyes, I see my real life/That's why I never sleep with my back to you
STORY: This would be just one chapter in a book of short stories about love and all its many petals. When you're smitten, the simple things done to show the depth of your affection get overlooked. Frank never fails to highlight all the details.
STANDOUT LYRICS: When I stare into your eyes, I see my real life/That's why I never sleep with my back to you
STORY: This would be just one chapter in a book of short stories about love and all its many petals. When you're smitten, the simple things done to show the depth of your affection get overlooked. Frank never fails to highlight all the details.
SONG: "Orion"
STANDOUT LYRICS: I remember when you were born/Ohhh, how happy I was/Cause If it didn't go as I planned it/At least you'd double my chances
STORY: Very rarely does Frank Ocean let us into his personal life other than the mystery subject of his unrequited love songs. Now, we see a younger brother in the mix. As an older brother figure, his compassion for Orion is beautifully encapsulated in his words (If I could buy back the years, O-O-Orion, I would empty my pockets here, on everything) and Frank passes down advice like a self-help book.
STANDOUT LYRICS: I remember when you were born/Ohhh, how happy I was/Cause If it didn't go as I planned it/At least you'd double my chances
STORY: Very rarely does Frank Ocean let us into his personal life other than the mystery subject of his unrequited love songs. Now, we see a younger brother in the mix. As an older brother figure, his compassion for Orion is beautifully encapsulated in his words (If I could buy back the years, O-O-Orion, I would empty my pockets here, on everything) and Frank passes down advice like a self-help book.
SONG: "Sweet Life" + "Super Rich Kids"
STANDOUT LYRICS: Livin' in Ladera Heights, the black Beverly Hills/Domest
STORY: Riches are both a blessing and a curse. On channel ORANGE, Frank Ocean made sure to address the dueling fascinations with wealth and all that it encompasses over two songs. On one end, being born into money is wondrous, so why not indulge in all the privileges that come with the title? The other side is a cynical look at how the riches can sour your life and the people that are in/around it. Placing himself into the center of a written work, experiencing both sides of the same coin would be genius.
STANDOUT LYRICS: Livin' in Ladera Heights, the black Beverly Hills/Domest
STORY: Riches are both a blessing and a curse. On channel ORANGE, Frank Ocean made sure to address the dueling fascinations with wealth and all that it encompasses over two songs. On one end, being born into money is wondrous, so why not indulge in all the privileges that come with the title? The other side is a cynical look at how the riches can sour your life and the people that are in/around it. Placing himself into the center of a written work, experiencing both sides of the same coin would be genius.
SONG: "Bad Religion"
STANDOUT LYRICS: This unrequited love/To me it's nothing but a one-man cult/And cyanide in my styrofoam cup/I can never make him love me/Never make him love me
STORY: The fleeting falsetto and soulful wails of "Bad Religion" strike nerves (recall his Jimmy Fallon performance if you must), permitting most to look past his questionable use of pronouns. He gives us the end of his book; when we want to see where it starts. We pry and prod in real life, hoping he’ll expose the cause of his backseat therapy session. He talks around the source of his love in a few songs ("Forest Gump," "Thinking of You") but not quite about it. Followers of his tale want concrete characters, context and closure.
STANDOUT LYRICS: This unrequited love/To me it's nothing but a one-man cult/And cyanide in my styrofoam cup/I can never make him love me/Never make him love me
STORY: The fleeting falsetto and soulful wails of "Bad Religion" strike nerves (recall his Jimmy Fallon performance if you must), permitting most to look past his questionable use of pronouns. He gives us the end of his book; when we want to see where it starts. We pry and prod in real life, hoping he’ll expose the cause of his backseat therapy session. He talks around the source of his love in a few songs ("Forest Gump," "Thinking of You") but not quite about it. Followers of his tale want concrete characters, context and closure.
